Morning.
Lucian woke up.
He had developed the habit of waking up at five in the morning without any alarm.
At first, it was just the nightmares that made sleeping difficult, so he woke up early. After a while, it became instinct.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, still groggy.
He froze for a moment, feeling the weight on his body.
Opening his eyes properly, he saw his mother hugging him, her hands wrapped around him as if he might disappear if she let go.
Lucian's gaze softened.
Her face was close to his chest, pressed against him. Her hair was slightly messy from sleep, strands falling across her cheek.
Faint traces of dried tears clung to the corners of her eyes.
She had cried silently through the night.
His chest tightened.
Even in her sleep, her fingers curled slightly, tightening around him as if afraid he might vanish the moment she let go.
[Your mother and sister are the same… or there's something seriously wrong with you.]
Akasha's voice echoed lazily in his mind,
'Good morning,' Lucian replied mentally.
He yawned silently.
'And what exactly do you mean by that?'
Sometimes it was challenging to know what Akahsa was thinking.
By now, he was more than convinced that she wasn't an AI or a machine.
[You idiot. I mean—why does every woman in your life become clingy to you? Either they're all strange… or you're the problem.]
Her words trailed off, as if she were examining the thought herself.
[I think you are the problem here. I can understand that childhood friend, and to some extent even your sister, but… even your own mother?]
Lucian's brows twitched.
'Aren't you thinking too much?'
[Overthinking my foot.]
He sighed quietly, careful not to disturb Seraphina.
Arguing with Akasha this early in the morning wasn't worth the effort. Besides, he didn't entirely disagree with her—he just didn't want to acknowledge it.
Maybe they were clingy.
Or maybe they were afraid.
Carefully, he tried to shift, intending to slip out of his mother's arms without waking her.
The moment he moved, her grip tightened.
Lucian stilled.
It was hard to tell whether she was asleep or awake—until her lips parted and she murmured softly,
"Don't go… please."
Her brows furrowed. Her body trembled faintly, as if caught in a nightmare she couldn't escape.
Lucian didn't hesitate.
He gently stroked her head, combing through her hair.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, though he knew she couldn't consciously hear him.
Slowly, the trembling stopped.
Her breath steadied, and the tension in her fingers eased.
Still, she didn't let go.
He sighed, then lay back down properly, adjusting himself so she could rest more comfortably, all while his left hand kept stroking her head.
He blankly stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly.
Only then did he realise how exhausted he truly was.
He hadn't realised it, but all the stress about money, his mother's rescue, everything was piling up in his head.
He needed rest, which he hadn't allowed himself during this year.
Even when Lia was concerned about him, he simply convinced her that nothing was wrong, that he was fine.
Especially when he did his workout as if possessed sometimes, trying to remove the image of her corpse from his mind.
Slowly, his eyes closed again, and he fell asleep.
***
By the time Lia arrived at college, the sun was already high.
Her college was one of the best in the area—a place where wealth was common, where expensive cars lined the parking lot, and luxury brands were worn casually, as if they were nothing special.
Many of the students here came from influential families.
Lia didn't.
She was only here because of her scholarship.
Though now… she no longer needed it.
Lucian had money now.
More than enough.
But that didn't mean she would stop trying.
She didn't want to become someone who relied completely on him.
It was lunchtime. The cafeteria buzzed with voices, laughter, chatter, and students wandering around with trays in their hands.
The smell of fried food and coffee lingered in the air.
Lia sat with her friends near the window.
She usually brought her lunch from home, but today she bought something from the school canteen instead, since she had overslept—something she rarely did.
For the past year, her brother had been waking her up early without fail, so she hadn't bothered setting an alarm anymore.
This morning, however, Lucian hadn't woken her.
She bit into her food absentmindedly.
Ms. Sera said that she could cook something quickly, but Lia refused, because she didn't want her to work much after all that suffering.
She called her Ms. Sera because she couldn't just call her mother out of nowhere. It felt too sudden. Too heavy.
"I heard you rejected our college's Student of the Year yesterday."
Her friend's words snapped her back.
"Seriously, Amelia, how could you? He's the most handsome guy in our college."
"Not just handsome, but he's also good at everything he does."
Lia stared at them.
These girls… at this point, they were just fangirling him.
"So Amelia, why did you reject him?" one asked, leaning closer as her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Lia shrugged.
"I didn't like him. And he was annoying."
The table went silent.
Hearing her answer, they were surprised.
They stared at her as if she'd grown a second head.
Elijah was someone countless girls dreamed of dating.
Confident. Popular. Wealthy.
The type of guy who walked through college as if he owned it.
And she had rejected him without hesitation.
They didn't know whether to be envious of her bravery or laugh at her stupidity.
Before anyone could speak again—
"How could you say that about me, Lia?"
A familiar voice cut through the noise.
Everyone turned.
Elijah stood there.
Tall—around 185 cm. Handsome, with sharp features and an air of nobility. Blonde hair, neatly styled, and green eyes that usually drew admiration wherever he went.
And they did now, too.
Eyes followed him—admiration, envy, or desire.
A few girls from nearby tables whispered excitedly.
"What do you want?" Lia asked flatly.
"I just want to talk to you," he said smoothly, not minding her tone.
"You can introduce me to your friends, too."
The girl's eyes sparkled in excitement.
Some straightened their postures subconsciously.
Lia smiled sweetly.
"Girls," she said brightly.
"This is Elijah—the idiot I rejected."
The air froze.
Eyes widened. A few mouths fell open.
One of her friends even choked on her drink.
Elijah's smile faltered.
"Lia—"
"Amelia," she corrected coldly.
"It is Amelia."
'Only my brother is allowed to call me by my nickname.'
Elijah's lips twitched.
His fists clenched and unclenched.
'This bitch is getting annoying.'
"Why don't we talk in private?" he suggested, his voice tightening slightly.
Lia tilted her head.
"How about no," she said as she dismissively waved her hands.
"Just go away."
Her friends gasped softly.
Rejecting him was one thing—but what she was doing right now was close to publicly humiliating him.
Elijah's gaze hardened.
She was disrespecting him—in front of everyone.
"Don't push me too far, Lia," he warned, his voice dropping. His eyes grew cold.
Lia's eyes narrowed.
"Or? What will you do?"
He smiled—a thin, cruel curve of his lips.
"I found out that you have a brother who just recovered recently. What would you do if something happened to that cripple?"
Her mind went blank.
It was as if someone had poured ice water over her head.
Her heartbeat stopped for a moment.
Then—
Her fists clenched.
'Did he just threaten my brother? MY BROTHER?'
CRACK.
Something broke.
Not audibly—but inside her.
"What the fuck did you say?"
Her words came out louder than intended, raw with fury.
Her loud voice attracted more people to the commotion.
Heads turned from every direction.
"What will you do to my brother?"
Her voice trembled—not with fear.
With rage.
Elijah swallowed.
Fear crept up his spine.
He didn't understand why, but unconsciously, he took a step back.
Her eyes.
Those rage-filled eyes.
His palms started sweating, something he didn't even notice.
"Say it…" she stepped closer.
Chairs scraped against the floor as students moved away.
"Say it again, you motherfucker! SAY.IT!"
The cafeteria fell silent.
Utter silence.
Even the whispers stopped.
Her friends stared at her in shock.
Amelia had never cursed—not once, at least not in front of them.
She was a polite, soft-spoken, calm-minded, and a somewhat clumsy girl.
So this was new.
But none of them blamed her.
They were close enough, so they had clearly heard Elijah's threat.
One of the girls had already started recording, discreetly, her phone angled just right in a way that no one could see what she was exactly doing.
Their opinion of Elijah plummeted.
Around them, students whispered, stunned by the sudden commotion.
"What happened?"
"Weren't they just talking?"
"Did that girl do something?"
"It must be right? She even cursed him."
"I heard she rejected his proposal yesterday."
"Really? Then why is she behaving like a bitch?"
The murmurs spread.
By now, Lia was only two steps away from Elijah.
Her chest rose and fell sharply.
Her expression was furious.
Even though she was smaller, Elijah felt as if he were standing in front of a predator.
For the first time since entering college, he felt cornered.
"Nothing," he muttered, looking away.
His pride screamed at him to retaliate.
But something in her gaze made him hesitate.
"You won't get away with this."
Saying that, he turned abruptly, leaving the cafeteria, not even paying attention to the people who were staring at him
Lia stood there, trembling—not with fear, but with restrained rage.
Her nails dig into her palms.
Her breathing was uneven.
If he had said one more word—
If he had said something about her brother again—
She wasn't sure what she would have done.
Her friends slowly stood.
"Amelia… are you okay?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Her mind replayed his words.
That cripple.
Her brother.
The person who had carried everything on his shoulders.
The one who woke up early to make sure she wouldn't be late.
The one who smiled even when he was breaking.
'I will kill him if anything happens to my brother,'
The thought wasn't dramatic or exaggerated.
She really meant it.
Her eyes slowly gained clarity.
She exhaled.
"I'm fine," she said with a tight smile.