Inside the guest suite, the atmosphere had shifted from rage to a heavy, suffocating guilt. Martin sat on the edge of a chair, his head buried in his hands.
"Did I say too much, Lilly? Was I too harsh?" Martin's voice was barely a whisper.
Lilly sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It sounded harsh, Martin, but you were only trying to protect him. I know it's not just fear of your brother—I know you truly love Louise like your own. He's just... he's young. He doesn't know his father's true colors the way we do."
Martin sighed, his eyes fixed on the balcony door. "I just want him to be safe. If he falls, we all fall."
The glass door slid open, and Louise stepped back into the room. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, but his expression had cleared. He looked at his uncle and aunt, seeing the genuine sadness in their eyes.
"Who was on the phone, Louise?" Lilly asked softly.
"It was Mom," Louise replied. He walked toward Martin, his heart softening. "Uncle... I'm sorry. I understand why you were angry. I understand why you were suspicious of me. The way I've been behaving... anyone would have been worried. I'm so sorry."
Martin stood up quickly, reaching out to grasp Louise's hands. His grip was firm, almost desperate. "Oh, my son... you may not be my biological child, but your aunt and I have always seen you as our own. I was just so terrified. I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't have attacked your character. Please, forgive me."
Louise didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and pulled his uncle into a tight hug. "Uncle, please don't apologize. I know you only worry because you care. It's okay. I'm not upset anymore."
Lilly joined the embrace, and for a moment, the three of them stood in a circle of shared warmth.
The sweet family moment was suddenly shattered by a firm, rhythmic knocking on the door.
"Sir Louise? Professor Louise? It's me, Albert!"
Louise's heart nearly stopped at the sound of Albert's voice. He stood frozen as his aunt, Lilly, began to stand up.
"Isn't that the boy Albert?" Lilly asked, curious. "Wait, I'll go see what he wants."
"No!" Louise blurted out, a bit too quickly. "Aunt, you stay here. I'll see what it is. Don't worry."
He hurried to the door before Lilly could take another step. He slipped out into the hallway and pulled the door nearly shut behind him. Albert was standing there, still looking a bit winded from his trip to the pharmacy.
"Hi," Albert said, his voice dropping to a soft, private tone.
"What is it, kid?" Louise asked, trying to sound stern despite his pale face.
"Oh, don't call me 'kid.' I'm not. I'm already twenty-one," Albert countered, though he quickly brushed the argument aside. He stumbled over his next words, looking at the floor. "Did you... I mean, did you tell your uncle and aunt what happened last night?"
Louise's expression hardened. "Nothing happened last night. I don't remember a thing. Now, see... I'm tired, and I haven't even had breakfast yet, so please—" He turned to go back inside.
"Wait, wait, Sir!" Albert urged, stepping closer.
Louise turned back, annoyance flaring in his eyes. "What?"
Albert reached behind his back and produced a small pharmacy bag. As Louise looked inside, his eyes went wide. Albert had bought Ibuprofen and Lidocaine—pills to reduce the swelling and a cream to numb the surface pain immediately.
"And... and you should take a sitz bath," Albert whispered, leaning in so the family wouldn't hear. "It'll relax the muscles and speed up the healing. When I saw you struggling to walk earlier—"
"Shhhh!" Louise's face exploded into a deep crimson. He slammed his hand over Albert's mouth to stop the sentence. "Shut up! Just shut up!"
He snatched the medicine bag with a trembling hand and ducked back into the suite, snapping the door shut in Albert's face.
Albert stood in the hallway for a moment, a small, triumphant smile tugging at his lips. He knew he was in trouble, but he felt a strange sense of relief knowing Louise wouldn't have to suffer in silence all day.
Inside the room, Lilly looked up as Louise bolted past her. "What was it, Louise? What did he want?"
"Nothing, Aunt! Nothing!" Louise said, hiding the medicine bag behind his back. He didn't wait for a reply. "I... I'm going to take a shower!"
He rushed into the bathroom, locking the door and leaning against it. He looked down at the medicine in his hand—Ibuprofen and Lidocaine. A student he had known for less than twenty-four hours was looking after his most private pain.
Louise stepped toward the bathroom mirror, the air thick and heavy with steam. He wiped a hand across the glass, clearing a small circle to see his reflection. Slowly, with trembling fingers, he unbuttoned his shirt and let it slide off his shoulders.
As the fog cleared, the evidence of the night before was laid bare.
Dark, plum-colored hickeys marked the pale skin of his neck, collarbone, and chest. Louise's breath hitched. He reached up, his fingertips grazing one of the marks. As he touched each one, the memories he had tried so hard to bury came rushing back in a vivid, dizzying flood.
He remembered the heat of Albert's embrace. He remembered the desperate, passionate way Albert had claimed him, and the shocking strength of the younger man's hands. He remembered how he had felt—not like a Professor, not like an Oligarch's heir, but simply like a man who was wanted.
Louise suddenly clutched his chest, his heart thumping wildly against his ribs.
"Why do I feel like this?" he whispered to the empty room. "I had sex with my student. It happened while I was drugged... I shouldn't have any love or feelings for him. I should be furious. I should be disgusted by what happened in that dusty room."
He leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the mirror, his eyes welling with tears of confusion.
"But... why does the memory make my heart shatter with a strange warmth? Why do I feel like last night was the first time I've been truly happy in years?"
He closed his eyes, picturing Albert's face—the way the Golden Boy had looked at him with such raw honesty and care.
"I feel like... being near Albert is my happiness," Louise murmured to his reflection. "I feel like I want more nights like that. For the rest of my life."
The realization terrified him. He was a Stone, a man with a dangerous father and a past that haunted him. Albert was a Rev, the son of the very people protecting him. But for a few hours in the dark, they weren't enemies or strangers. They were a sanctuary.
Louise straightened his back, looking at the marks on his skin one last time before stepping into the water. He had to hide these marks from his uncle. He had to hide these feelings from the world. But deep down, he knew the "Stone" was starting to crack.