Yulik carried pain for thirteen years.
No one protected him.
Not his mother.
Not his father.
And still, he smiled.
Lily was that kind of boy — the one who learned how to laugh while bleeding inside. The one who made others feel safe while he himself was falling apart. Behind his soft eyes lived scars deeper than any of the other boys carried.
His name didn't mean freedom.
It meant baggage.
The only thing that had ever kept him alive back then were the three brothers. They were the ones who held him together when everything else was breaking. They were the ones who made him believe that maybe — just maybe — he was worth something.
And now, after what happened at the bar…
after old wounds were torn open…
It felt like the past had finally caught up with him.
Lily woke up the next morning in Lucas's bed.
For a moment he was confused. Then the headache, the taste of alcohol, the quiet of the room made everything come back.
He slowly sat up and tried to move without making a sound.
Lucas stirred anyway.
"I'm sorry," Lily whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Lucas rubbed his eyes. "It's okay. Are you alright?"
"Just a headache."
"Drink some almond juice with honey and water. You'll feel better."
Lily nodded.
Lucas left him alone in the room.
And Lily sat there, staring at the wall, wondering how everything had gone so wrong so fast.
Later that morning, Lily went to school.
He was smiling again. Laughing with his new friends. Trying to pretend he was okay.
One of Lucas's friends leaned over. "We saw you at Rachel's bar last night. There was an incident. You okay?"
"I'm fine," Lily said. "I just followed them."
But something flickered across his face — something that didn't match the smile.
Then he looked away.
That same night, Ezekiel couldn't sleep.
He turned on the lamp — the same lamp Lily had admired.
Before, all it showed him was war. Loss. Nathaniel.
Now…
All he could see was Lily.
His face.
His eyes.
That strange, gentle light.
It unsettled him.
Why Lily?
Why was he in his head?
A knock came at the door.
It was Jeremy.
"I need to talk to you," Jeremy said quietly.
"About what?"
"Lucas."
Ezekiel stiffened. "What about him?"
"I found something out. But I don't want to tell him. I just want him to live a normal life."
Ezekiel thought for a moment. "Not now. Give him time. He'll be okay."
Jeremy nodded.
The tension stayed, even when the moment passed.
"I'm going to the office," Jeremy said. "If you need anything, call me."
Ezekiel nodded.
When the door closed, he was alone again.
With the lamp.
With Lily's face.
And with a feeling he couldn't yet explain
Jeremy was already at his desk when his assistant came in.
"You have a meeting with the Jeffers," she said. "I've brought the documents."
"Okay," Jeremy replied. "Leave them here."
Before he could even look at them, the door flew open.
Lucas stormed in.
"How could you do that to me?" he shouted. "What is wrong with you?"
Jeremy looked up, startled. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb," Lucas said, walking closer. "You knew. You did this on purpose."
Jeremy motioned to his assistant. "Silver, wait outside."
The door closed.
"What did you do?" Lucas demanded. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Jeremy's voice was calm but firm. "It's for your own good."
That was when Lucas understood.
Ezekiel had told him about what happened at the bar — about Lily.
And Jeremy had acted.
He had taken Lucas's car. Told him he wasn't allowed to go anywhere after school. Told him he couldn't see anyone without permission.
To Lucas, it felt like a cage.
"You're cutting me off," Lucas said. "You're treating me like a child."
"I'm protecting you," Jeremy replied. "You don't understand how dangerous that was. You could have gotten hurt."
"I was fine!"
"You were lucky."
Lucas's eyes burned. "You went behind my back."
Jeremy stepped closer. "I was scared, Lucas. I just—"
He reached out, touching Lucas's cheek.
Lucas slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me."
The room went quiet.
"I don't want to talk to you," Lucas said, his voice shaking. "Not right now."
Then he turned and walked out, leaving Jeremy standing there alone.
Ezekiel stood in the doorway, watching Lucas sleep.
The room was quiet. Too quiet. Lucas looked softer when he slept, like all the sharp edges he carried during the day had finally let go. His hair fell across his face, his breathing slow and steady.
Ezekiel stepped closer.
He brushed Lucas's hair back, just once, careful not to wake him.
"I love you so much, Lucas," he whispered.
His voice barely existed in the air.
"…it's starting to hurt."
The words surprised even him.
For a moment, he leaned closer, caught in something dangerous and tender all at once.
Lucas shifted in his sleep.
That small movement was enough to break whatever spell had pulled Ezekiel forward.
He pulled his hand back, his chest tight.
"This isn't right," he murmured.
Turning away, he left the room quietly, carrying love that had nowhere safe to go.
Jeremy didn't knock.
He stormed straight into Ezekiel's room, breathing hard, eyes wild.
"I can't do this anymore," he said. "I can't."
Ezekiel looked up. "Jeremy—what's wrong? Calm down."
"I love him," Jeremy said, voice shaking. "I love Lucas. I love him so much it's tearing me apart. I keep trying to change, trying to be normal, trying to be what I'm supposed to be… but I can't."
Ezekiel stood slowly. "What happened?"
"I almost lost control today," Jeremy admitted. "I almost couldn't hold it back."
That was when Ezekiel knew how bad it had gotten.
The truth was already there between them — unspoken but understood. Ezekiel had known for a long time. Jeremy had been in love with Lucas for years, quietly, painfully, never letting it show.
"I see him every day," Jeremy continued. "Every day. And I'm supposed to act like he's just… nothing. But he's not nothing to me. He never has been."
Ezekiel's jaw tightened.
"Business, family, responsibility… I've buried myself in all of it just to survive this," Jeremy said. "But now he's grown. Now everything feels closer. I don't know how to breathe around him anymore."
Ezekiel stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen to me," he said softly. "Love isn't something you fight. But it's also not something you let destroy you. You have to slow down. You have to think."
Jeremy looked at him, eyes burning. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Calm down," Ezekiel said. "Before you hurt yourself. Or him."
The room fell quiet.
And in that silence, both of them knew something dangerous had already begun