Arin's voice faltered, his lips moving in a silent attempt to respond, but words failed him at first. Finally, a faint, trembling smile touched his lips as he whispered:
– "Didn't you say you never wanted to see me again?"
He paused, his voice cracking with emotion:
– "When I was on the verge of death... I thought of you. No one but you."
On the other side of the city, Cera had finally succumbed to her dreams, her peaceful face bathed in the pale light of the absent moon.
A few hours later, the first rays of warm sunlight broke over the city of Isora, creeping through the windows to awaken the scent of coffee in the small kitchen.
Her mother was preparing the coffee, her voice calling out with gentle persistence:
– "Cera, wake up! You'll be late for work!"
Elin raised an eyebrow as she sat at the table:
– "Did Cera actually find a job?"
Rina replied from behind her newspaper:
– "Last time, she said she would only work for one year. She doesn't like having a boss."
Elin chuckled mockingly:
– "I think she's lost her mind!"
Cera opened her bedroom door and pulled out her chair quietly. Gripping her coffee cup, she replied with a mature coldness:
– "It's not madness. Nine hours of work for minimum wage... neither of you could stand that. Let's be realistic."
Her mother spoke with a tenderness tinged with worry:
– "But Cera, isn't that how all jobs are?"
Cera grabbed her bag and turned at the door, her tone firm and confident:
– "Twelve months... no more, no less. I promise."
She pressed the elevator button, and on her way out, she called Aiden.
At that moment, Aiden was finishing some paperwork in the hospital office, staring at Arin's discharge file.
The phone rang, and he answered immediately:
– "Good morning, Cera."
Her voice came through softly:
– "Good morning. How are you today? Is Arin awake?"
– "I'm fine... Yes, he's awake." He paused for a heartbeat before adding: "I'll be home soon. Have you left yet? Right, today is your first day at work. By the way... I've decided to take Arin home with me."
– "A wise decision," she said quickly. "Listen, when you're done, come to the pharmacy."
– "Hmm... Alright. See you soon."
He hung up, but her voice lingered in his mind. Cera was carrying a secret she couldn't yet reveal, a burden that grew heavier with every step.
Meanwhile, Aiden looked at Arin, who sat silently by the bed, a tired smile gracing his face. Aiden spoke in a low, sincere voice:
– "You'll stay with me for a while, Arin—if you want, of course. I don't know why... but I can't just leave you. Even though you haven't even told your family. It will be nice... but you'll have to return the favor someday."
Arin smiled gently, looking up at him:
– "I promise... I will return your kindness." Then he whispered, barely audible: "I owe so many debts... to you alone."
Arin (with a faint smile, eyes cast toward the floor):
"Aiden... you know I'm a doctor, right? I'm used to taking care of others. I'll be fine... there's no need to worry about me."
Aiden (stopping abruptly, staring at him with a look caught between disbelief and fear):
"Alone?... Were you always... like this? With no one?"
Arin (looking at him calmly before turning his gaze away, his voice dropping like a heavy cloud):
"Actually... I had an older brother. If he were still here... he would be about your age. I think... no, I'm sure he would have worried about me. He would have held me, asked if I'd eaten, if I'd slept well... but he disappeared."
Aiden (his voice softening, his pace slowing as if he had just touched the edge of a missing thread):
"Disappeared? You mean... you were in an orphanage?"
Arin (nodding, his gaze wandering toward the grey sky):
"Yes. I knew he was there, and I've been searching for him... in the streets, in hospitals, in every face that resembles his. And I found nothing."
Aiden (with sudden earnestness, stepping forward, his eyes burning with genuine resolve):
"Tell me his name. Just his name, and I'll help you search, in every way possible. I promise."
Arin (staring at him, his features shifting as if his heart had broken and tried to mend itself in a single moment, his voice a mere whisper):
"His name... is exactly like yours."
Aiden (his lips moving without sound, his eyebrows rising slowly as if something deep inside him had shifted):
"...What?"
Arin (with a sad smile, his eyes glistening like two clouded moons):
"His name... was Aiden."
A silence filled with a thousand possibilities hung in the air. The atmosphere grew heavy, as if time itself had stood still.
Arin (gazing at him intensely, his voice calmer than before):
"Strange, isn't it? Arin and Aiden... even the names are close. As if we are... two versions of the same story, but on different pages."