Chapter 15: The Pain He Carries

Elias dropped the kids off at school, watching as Lily waved excitedly before skipping off with her backpack bouncing behind her. Luca walked ahead with his usual stoic expression, while Leo trailed slightly behind, lost in thought.

With a sigh, Elias got back into the car, turning the key in the ignition. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He had another errand to run before heading home—one he dreaded every single time.

After filling up the tank and ensuring everything was in order, he parked the car back at Lani's residence. It was still early. Lani was probably in a meeting or doing whatever important CEOs did.

He locked the car, hailed a cab, and leaned back against the seat as the city streets blurred past him.

The closer he got to his neighborhood, the heavier his chest felt.

When the cab pulled up in front of the old, two-story house, Elias hesitated before stepping out. It was nothing like Lani's lavish home—just a worn-down building with peeling paint and a creaky wooden porch.

The moment he stepped inside, the insults began.

"You still have the guts to come back here?" His stepmother's sharp voice cut through the air like a dagger.

Elias barely reacted. He had heard it all before.

His father sat in his usual spot in the living room, his face a mask of disappointment. "Still working as a damn babysitter?" he muttered, shaking his head. "Pathetic."

Elias clenched his jaw, his fingers twitching at his sides. His younger stepbrother, Daniel, smirked from the couch, lazily scrolling through his phone.

"Maybe if you actually had ambition, Dad wouldn't hate you so much," Daniel mocked. "Oh wait—he never liked you to begin with."

Elias ignored them all.

He had learned a long time ago that nothing he did would ever change their opinions. They had written him off the moment his mother fell into a coma.

He made his way down the hall, pulling a key from his pocket. The metal was cool against his fingertips as he unlocked the door at the very end of the hallway—the only room in this house that truly mattered.

Inside, the air smelled of antiseptic and lavender. The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the space.

His mother lay on the bed, her face pale, her body fragile. Wires connected her to the machines keeping her alive.

Elias pulled a chair close, reaching for her hand.

"I'm back, Mom," he murmured, his voice softer than it had been all day.

She didn't respond. She never did.

Elias swallowed the lump in his throat. "I took the kids to the arcade yesterday. Lily was so excited."

His grip tightened slightly.

"You'd love her, Mom," he whispered. "She's the only person who makes me feel… like I exist."

The silence pressed against him like a weight.

Then, the familiar pain began.

A sharp, burning sensation crawled up his throat.

Elias turned away quickly, coughing into his fist. When he pulled his hand back, blood stained his palm.

He let out a bitter laugh.

Of course.

Whenever the darkness in his mind grew too heavy, his body always reminded him of its limits.

He closed his eyes, taking slow, deliberate breaths.

And then—Lily's face flashed in his mind.

Her bright eyes.

Her laughter.

The way she hugged him so tightly, as if he was the most important person in the world.

The pain didn't vanish completely, but it lessened, just a little.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

A message from Lani.

Don't come today. You can come tomorrow.

Elias stared at the message longer than necessary.

He should have felt relieved.

A free day. A break.

But all he felt was emptiness.

No Lily today.

No bright smile to push away the darkness.

No tiny arms wrapping around his waist, reminding him that someone in this world still needed him.

With a deep breath, Elias stood up, brushing a hand through his hair.

He wiped the blood off his palm, tucked his phone away, and pressed a soft kiss on his mom's head .

Elias stepped out of his mother's room, locking the door behind him. He lingered for a moment, pressing his forehead against the cold wood, gathering his thoughts.

From the living room, his father's voice echoed down the hall. "You're wasting your life, boy. Babysitting some rich woman's brats while your real family watches you rot."

Elias exhaled through his nose, turning away from the door. This is not my family.

His stepmother smirked from the kitchen. "I bet you run around like a little servant for that woman. Cleaning, cooking, picking up kids—what a joke."

Daniel chuckled from the couch. "Maybe you should ask her to marry you, huh? Wouldn't that be the easiest way to get out of this dump?"

Elias didn't react. He simply walked past them toward the door.

His father scoffed. "Don't ignore me, Elias. I swear, if your mother could see you now—"

Elias turned sharply, his eyes dark and unreadable. "She would see me," he said coldly. "Unlike you."

His father's nostrils flared, but Elias didn't wait for a reply. He walked out, shutting the door behind him.

He needed to clear his head.

Later That Night

Elias found himself sitting in his tiny, one-bedroom apartment, staring at the ceiling. He had spent the day taking care of his mother, making sure she was comfortable, adjusting her IV, changing her sheets, talking to her even though she couldn't respond.

But now, in the silence of his own space, he felt… hollow.

His phone vibrated beside him.

He grabbed it quickly, his heart stupidly hopeful.

But it wasn't Lily.

It was Lani.

I changed my mind. Come tomorrow morning.

Elias exhaled. He ran a hand down his face, feeling something unfamiliar settle in his chest.

Relief.

He typed back a short reply.

Understood.

But as he set the phone down, he couldn't ignore the truth.

He wasn't relieved because of Lani.

He was relieved because tomorrow—

He'd get to see Lily again.ss against his mother's hand before stepping out of the room.

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.