Tadeus doesn't take the time to shower; he simply gets dressed as quickly as he can, grabs his gun, and leaves. The bodyguards escort him back to the hotel exit, take him to the airport, and by midnight he's already back at his apartment. He tries to call his sister to move up the plan, but she doesn't answer the phone. He runs to the bathroom in his room and lets the tub fill with hot water while he takes off his clothes. Looking in the mirror, he notices several bite marks on his neck, shoulders, and even his chest and arms. — Damn it, no, no, no! — He throws his hands up to his head. He hadn't expected there to be evidence all over his body, much less on a part as visible as his neck. He soaks in the tub and washes his skin with a sponge and soap, but nothing seems to minimize the size of the marks. The next morning, Yenedith wakes Tadeus by shaking him roughly — Where have you been? I was asking about you, but Edwin wouldn't tell me anything!
— I'm fine, I'm fine! — He hugs her, still half-asleep — How's Grandma?
— She's fine. Edwin paid for her to have eye surgery. Didn't he tell you?
— Don't worry, she's okay! She had a cornea transplant. The doctors say there's a chance she might regain her sight.
— A transplant? — asks Tadeus, feeling a knot in his stomach.
— She has a 50% chance if she recovers well. Because of his age, she's at higher risk, but it's better than nothing.
Tadeus is stunned by what he's just heard and finds it hard to breathe. "I'm going to kill him," he mutters, barely audible.
<><><><><>
After leaving a message for Tadeus, Alexander tries to focus on his own dilemmas. Despite having taken action on the matter, he can't help but feel sudden pangs of jealousy every time he remembers Tadeus talking to his coworker in the parking lot. Furthermore, the fact that Tadeus is still on his business trip and rarely replies to his messages keeps him in a constant state of agitation.
He decides to speak with the Raptis brothers to share his suspicions about Minos, but he doesn't mention anything to them about Leonard.
There are still a couple of weeks until the next appointment, and he reassures them once again that he'll go with them to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Once he's got all his affairs in order, he decides to call Tadeus. — Hi, my… Yenedith? How's everything going? Really? I'm on my way. I'll be right there.
Alexander arrives at the clinic and runs into the woman he considers his sister-in-law in the hallway. — Hi — she says with a slight smile — Tadeus' been crying a lot; I was hoping you could cheer him up.
— But what happened? Is Mrs. Daisy okay? — he asks.
— She had surgery to restore her vision and is under anesthesia right now, but Tadeo doesn't seem to understand that she's going to get better.
— Thanks for answering the call, again.
— Please help him. Last time, you were able to get him out of his room. I don't know what's wrong with him. He's been really depressed.
Alexander nods and enters the private room with a bouquet of flowers, which he places on the other side of Daisy's hospital bed. Tadeus pulls away from his grandmother and turns his back on Alexander when he sees him approaching. — You might be able to hear me, get well soon — Alexander whispers in the woman's ear and gently strokes her arm — Tadeus, my dear — he calls out. When he sees him not coming back, he walks over to hug him from behind.
After a few minutes, Alexander manages to get Tadeus to stop crying and eat something. It's the first time he's seen him wearing a light-colored turtleneck shirt under his dark coat, and this brings a smile to his face despite seeing him so sad. — It hurts to see you cry, but you still look pretty attractive even with puffy eyes — he tells him. Their chairs are quite close, side by side.
— I'm sorry, you shouldn't be here, getting involved in my family problems.
— Yes, I should — Alexander says, placing his hand on Tadeus' — I should be wherever you are.
Tadeus tilts his head and sighs with a surprised grimace — Hey, that's enough — Alexander whispers, wiping away his tears — You have to think more positively.
— Yes, I know — Tadeus says with a breaking voice. He takes a deep breath to compose himself.
— I feel like there's something else.
Tadeus shakes his head, letting a couple of tears fall once again.
— But you're still crying… — Alexander sighs — You have to tell me what's going on.
— I got a call. I had to meet someone at some kind of abandoned house. At first I wasn't going to go, I thought it was a prank or that they'd dialed the wrong number, but they told me they had my grandmother; they called her by her full name — says Tadeus, determined to get it off his chest even if he has to embellish the truth a little — I didn't see anyone, but there was a box… a wooden box in the center of a table in that abandoned house — he says, swallowing hard to keep from breaking down as he remembers — They were my grandmother's eyes.
— What?
— Her eyes are blue like mine, but they're unique in that her pupils are slightly gray because of her blindness, and… and she has a kind of mole on the edge of her iris that no one I know has. I'm sure those were her eyes, but then I went home and Yenedith told me she'd been in surgery… I felt like I was being torn in two.
At that moment, Alexander hugs Tadeus. Now, he's convinced that one of his enemies is stalking his boyfriend with the intention of getting to him.
After spending the afternoon with his sister and Alexander, Tadeus is finally persuaded by both of them to leave the clinic, while Yenedith stays behind to look after Daisy. The whole way home, Tadeus can't stop thinking about that conversation with his father. It becomes a terrible memory that haunts him. He can't help but wonder how things have gone so far that he's now reduced to selling his body for empty threats.
— Did you hear what I said? — Alexander asks.
— No, I didn't — Tadeus says and gets out of the car.
— I'll have another business trip — Alexander says as they enter the house — I want you to come to Greece with me.
— I have to be here taking care of my grandmother.
— I'll hire a security service so you'll feel more at ease. Besides, it's in a couple of weeks. She'll surely have woken up by then.
— I'll think about it.
That night, Alexander asks him to stay the night and insists that he rest his head on his chest. Tadeus certainly finds this more tender than the kisses on his forehead.