Seven years later…
Monday mornings were supposed to feel normal.
But nothing in Ryan's life had ever been normal.
The dining table was already set when he walked in, his expression cold, detached—like he was merely passing through a place that had never truly been his home. He dropped his backpack beside the chair and sat without a word.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
"Good morning, Riaan," Aurora's voice came, soft yet calculated.
He didn't respond.
Not even a glance.
The silence that followed was heavy—thick enough to choke on.
"You shouldn't be rude," she continued, her tone sharpening slightly, "especially to family."
Family.
The word tasted bitter in his mouth.
Riaan let out a quiet scoff, his lips curling faintly as he picked up his spoon. "Family?" he muttered under his breath. "You don't even know what that means."
Aurora's smile tightened, but she said nothing more.
Adam, seated across from him, watched silently. His gaze wasn't warm. It wasn't even neutral. It carried something darker—something that had always made Riaan uneasy.
Riaan ignored them both.
He ate quickly, mechanically, as if the sooner he finished, the sooner he could escape. And the moment he was done, he stood up without permission and walked away.
No goodbye.
No acknowledgment.
Just distance.
The alley was exactly where he remembered it—dark, narrow, and forgotten.
The kind of place where secrets lived.
"You really came," a voice echoed from the shadows.
Riaan didn't flinch.
"You sound surprised," he replied flatly.
A figure stepped forward, barely visible. "You must be out of your mind, Riaan."
"Or maybe," Riaan said, his eyes glinting faintly, "I'm the only one who isn't pretending."
Before he could take another step—
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Tight.
Unforgiving.
The air shifted instantly, tension crackling like invisible flames. Riaan tried to pull free, but the grip only tightened, stronger than anything he expected.
"Let go," he hissed.
But the hold didn't loosen.
It never did.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Zavian's voice thundered through the house as he stormed in, fury blazing in his eyes.
The fight had already started.
Adam's fist collided with Riaan's face—hard.
Pain exploded through him, but Riaan didn't back down. He swung back just as fiercely, his knuckles cutting into Adam's skin. Blood followed. Then more blows. More rage.
Years of it.
Everything he had buried—every insult, every cold stare, every reminder that he didn't belong—poured out in that moment.
Punch after punch.
Until—
"STOP!"
Zavian forced his way between them, shoving them apart with brute strength.
"Have you both lost your minds?!"
Riaan staggered slightly, blood dripping from his lip. Adam wasn't any better—his face bruised, breathing uneven.
"Go to school," Zavian ordered sharply.
Riaan laughed.
It wasn't humor.
It was something darker.
"Make me."
The room froze.
Zavian's expression hardened. "Watch your tone."
"Oh?" Riaan tilted his head, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Or what? You'll pretend to care again?"
That was the last straw.
Zavian grabbed him—hard—and struck him.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Each hit landed heavier than the last, echoing through the room like thunder. Riaan didn't fight back this time. He simply took it, his body swaying under the force.
Until Zavian finally stopped.
Riaan collapsed to the ground.
Blood soaked his face, dripping onto the floor beneath him.
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then slowly… Riaan started laughing.
Soft at first.
Then clearer.
Colder.
He lifted his head, his eyes locking onto Zavian's.
"You're done?" he asked quietly.
Zavian's chest rose and fell, his anger still burning.
Riaan pushed himself up slightly, despite the pain screaming through his body.
"You can beat me," he said, his voice steady, unshaken.
"You can break my bones… leave me bleeding on the floor…"
His lips curled into a faint, defiant smile.
"But you can't break me."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
And in that silence, something shifted.
Because for the first time—
Zavian hesitated.
And Riaan saw it.