Ren leaned against the wall outside the sitting room, his fists clenched tightly by his sides.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
At first, he just wanted to know what his mother and Aoi were whispering about. But then…
He heard her say his name.
And he froze.
"…I thought giving you a home, a family… maybe marrying you to Ren would give you safety, a future…"
Ren's throat tightened.
As his mother spoke—her voice shaking, her pain bleeding through every word—he felt something twist in his chest. He had never heard her sound like that. Vulnerable. Regretful.
Then Aoi's voice cut through, quiet and warm.
"…You didn't fail her. You saved me."
Ren's heart skipped.
Why?
Why would Aoi defend her… even after everything? After the cold room, the silence, the accusations? After Ren himself had slapped him?
His jaw clenched, shame rising like bile in his throat.
He had told himself Aoi was manipulative.
That Riku was the victim.
But now… Aoi's soft words echoed in his head, the raw honesty in them cracking the walls he had built.
"I'm trying to be."
That one line hit hardest.
Ren turned away, breath shaky.His mind was racing.
And for the first time in a long time…
He doubted Riku.
He doubted himself.
And he couldn't stop wondering—
*What if he had been wrong all along?