When Lucian realized Kai had run away, his mind instantly calculated: Where could he be? He knew the answer: Kai would be at his old house, a place reserved for his deepest emotional breakdowns. Lucian turned to leave, intending to rush there himself, but Rowan appeared in front of him.
"Wherever you go, I'll come with you!" Rowan insisted, his jaw tight with worry.
"Rowan, this doesn't involve you! It's about me, Kai, and Aerin, and I don't want you involved too. Please go back home. I'll handle myself, and I know I said I'd take care of myself. Don't worry!" Lucian pleaded, his voice thin with panic.
"No, I'll come with you. At least let me drive," Rowan countered, refusing to budge.
"Ah, okay, but you must only give me a ride," Lucian conceded, too desperate to waste time arguing.
Rowan drove where Lucian instructed. It was late, and the atmosphere in the car was thick with unspoken dread. They arrived at an isolated old house near a dark lake. Lucian grabbed his bag and quickly stepped out.
"Ah, you may go now," Lucian said, trying to dismiss him.
"Ah, what if Kai isn't here?" Rowan asked.
"Don't worry, he's definitely here. You should go now. After I take him to the hospital, see, I have my phone; I'll book a cab. Don't worry," Lucian insisted, his eyes glued to the dark structure.
Rowan reluctantly turned the car a short distance away. Lucian waited until Rowan's taillights disappeared, then he ran toward the house.
The house was structurally sound but held an air of cold emptiness. Lucian searched frantically. He found Kai in one of the master rooms, huddled against a dark wall, shaking violently and clutching a small box.
"Kai!!!!" Lucian rushed to his side.
"Ahhh, ahh, Lucian, you came!" Kai cried hysterically, grasping Lucian's arm. "You're the only person who's here when I get hurt. See, see here?" He showed the box. "This is my mom's favorite nucifera leaf. She loves this so much! See, see!"
"Yes, yes, I know this. You must control yourself, Kai. Let me take you to the hospital!" Lucian tried to coax him.
"Ah, no! I'm not going to the hospital! Aerin is there!" Kai refused, his voice rising.
"Shouldn't you want to love her?" Lucian asked.
"Ahhh, I want to love her bad! Still, I'm loving her bad! But I did a bad thing! If she finds out I'm the bad person, she'll never going to love me! She'll never going to love me!!!" Kai screamed, his confession ringing with raw panic.
He forced the box open, revealing brittle, buried leaves. "See this!" he yelled. "You know, she fired all my mom's childhood nucifera! She is so selfish! How dare she burn all those nucifera!" Kai screamed in pure, manic rage, his grief and anger twisted into a frightening obsession.
Lucian instinctively flinched, afraid. He tried to pull his hand away, but Kai suddenly shoved him, hard.
"Ohhh, see? I'm also hurting you! I always hurt you! Aren't you loved me at once?" Kai demanded, his eyes wide and vacant.
Lucian's eyes widened in profound terror. "How did you know that!!!!"
"That day, after I did a bad thing to you too, after that, you loved me, right?" Kai asked, his tone turning predatory and violent.
Lucian saw the full, frightening madness return to Kai's eyes. He scrambled to get up, desperate to flee. But Kai grabbed his leg, yanking him back. Kai lunged forward, trying to pin Lucian down, his face inches from Lucian's neck.
"Kai! Kai! Leave me, Kai, please! Don't do this again! Please, Kai, don't do this again!" Lucian screamed, fighting with frantic, desperate energy. He managed to break free and sprinted toward another room, slamming and locking the door.
"Lucian! Aren't you loved me? Come on! You belong to me today! Come out and let's be together!" Kai shrieked outside, his body slamming against the door.
Ahhh, ahhh, no, no! This time, it's not going to again happen in my life! At first, when it happened, I was confused and vulnerable, but right now, my heart knows he's just a friend! Lucian thought frantically, the stark reality of the threat fueling his resolve.
The door shuddered violently. Kai struck the wood with a heavy, deliberate kick. Lucian knew the door would splinter and break on the next impact. He scrambled behind a large couch, shaking uncontrollably.
Ahhh, please God, let him regain consciousness, Lucian prayed silently.
The door splintered, then broke open with a crash. "Where are you, Lucian! I need you! Don't you want to love me at all!" Kai's voice was raw with unstable, manic longing.
He spotted Lucian's legs and lunged, dragging him out from behind the couch. Lucian fought wildly, trying to protect his body.
"Aren't you loved me!" Kai roared, grabbing at Lucian's clothing with vicious force. The fabric ripped loudly.
"No! No, Kai, please leave me! I beg you! Please!" Lucian wailed, exhausted and terrified.
Meanwhile, Rowan, having driven away, realized he didn't have his phone. Hoo! That's in Lucian's bag! What will he say if I go there again? Haa, it's okay, I should go. Maybe it's fate to see what's happening there.
He quickly turned his car around. As he neared the house, he heard a desperate, muffled scream that chilled him to the bone: "No, Kai, leave me!"
Rowan burst into the house. He spotted Kai's discarded pants and t-shirt lying in the hallway—clear signs of a dangerous escalation. He heard another frantic cry: "Kai, leave me!"
He ran toward the voice. He threw open the door and saw the shocking tableau: Kai stood over Lucian, hysterical and aggressive, while Lucian lay on the floor, his shirt torn and ripped away in the violence of the struggle. Rowan saw the terror in Lucian's eyes.