Soft rays of light filter through elegant, arched windows, casting a warm glow that contrasts with the sterile equipment and tools of the space. The walls, adorned with intricate carvings and rich fabrics, evoke a sense of both opulence and care. The air is filled with the calming aroma of herbs, and in the center of the room lies a large plush bed covered in fine linen.
Beside it, a modestly yet luxuriously decorated table holds a glass of water and some pills. Sitting at the table is a plump and chubby young man, his expression gives away the worries consuming him. Sweat drips off his cheeks, pooling on the bed beneath him, showing his rising anxiety as he thinks to himself, *What does she know?*
The turmoil within him boils over, and he erupts, "What the heck does she think she knows?!" He slams his hand against the table, sending the glass of water and the pills crashing to the floor.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through his palm. Dominic looks down, bewildered, and his breath catches in his throat. A shard of glass protrudes from his bleeding hand, crimson droplets pooling around it. The pain intensifies as he realizes the full extent of his actions, his anger now replaced by shock and fear. *What have I done? It hurts, it hurts so much. I'm so tired. Mum, I need you, and I miss you. Deep down, I know you haven't changed—*
Dominic is abruptly interrupted by the familiar blackness that usually blurs his vision. *I'm about to fall unconscious again, aren't I? Damn it! What will I say if Daphne sees me in this condition when I wake up? How would I even explain all this? Damn it all!*
Memories of Dominic's frequently injured hand gained from all the bullying he faced went through my mind like deja vu even though I'd never experienced them. Before I knew it, I found myself in an unfamiliar, surreal place. A blank white emptiness stretches infinitely around me, an empty world with nothing but myself. As I squat down in confusion, it strikes me—I'm no longer the obsessed Dominic that couldn't even bend from moments before. I'm Lucian once more, with every memory of my former life flooding back, along with my singular motive: revenge against Natalie which makes my heart clench because deep down I want her to tell me that she's still the same mum I've always had I always will. Yet again all my resolve falters as confusion gnaws at me, leaving me lost and disoriented in this strange void.
Closing my eyes, I try to focus, searching for a way out of here, only to open them again to the face of… Dominic. But this Dominic, with his plump, weary expression is not me but another person, the real Dominic and he looks at me with unfiltered disgust and dread. Under his breath, he mutters, "You fool…"
The words sting and it takes a moment for them to sink in. Anger boils up within me, an unfamiliar rage surging. "Are you crazy?" I shout, unable to contain the fury. "You've trapped me in this bizarre situation with a family stranger than my own, left me with a weak, miserable body, a broken mental state—and you call *me* the fool?" My fists clench, and before I know it, I'm gripping his collar, drawing him close. "Live your life however you want, but do it on your own, far away from me!"
Dominic's only response is a faint smile as he whispers, "Use this anger you have as fuel and try your hardest to figure out the truth everyone has been keeping from you. Live life for us and live it well. I'll always be with you… we're the same, you just don't know that yet." With that, he fades away.
Lucian then yells
"What truth, what do you mean? Hey, where are you?!"
*Freaking psycho,* I think to myself as a chill runs down my spine. *Now I understand why Nicholas bullied him—he really gets under your skin.* A shiver overtakes me, and I find myself drenched in sweat. Confusion settles over me, and my hands begin to tremble. *Why did I react that way?* *Who am I?* *How can I say such a thing, how can I think that when I myself have been bullied?"
Lucian's legs weaken, stumbling backward until they fail him completely, sending him crashing to the ground. Laying there, drained and bewildered, he is jolted back to awareness by a slow, deliberate clap echoing through the silence.
Lucian, whose energy has been totally drained and is now overwhelmed with fear thinks to himself
*Why do I have a feeling that it isn't Dominic?" before asking in a quiet, scared, and exhausted tone
"Who…Who else is here?!"
- - -
*End of chapter*