A week had passed since Adrian had signed his life away to Ethan Levidis, becoming the unwilling bride of a man.
The days had blurred into one another, a monotonous routine of cleaning, feeding, and talking to someone who couldn't respond.
However, Adrian still enjoyed these few days as no one was restricting him here.
Adrian sat beside Ethan's hospital bed, carefully wiping down his pale, lifeless skin with a damp cloth. The room was bathed in the soft, sterile light of the overhead lamps, the gentle hum of the machines the only sound breaking the silence.
"You know," Adrian began, his voice barely above a whisper, "I used to love painting. It was the one thing that made me feel… alive, I suppose. When I'm painting, it's like the whole world fades away, and it's just me and the canvas. Sometimes, I get so lost in it that I forget to eat or sleep."
Ethan's soul, unseen and unheard by Adrian, stood just beside the bed, watching him intently. Since that first day when he'd seen Adrian crying on the floor, something in Ethan had shifted. He had been indifferent at first, detached from the life around him, but now he found himself drawn to this fragile boy who had been thrust into a life he never asked for.
Adrian continued, his hands moving methodically as he cleaned Ethan's arms.
"I wonder if you ever had something like that, something you were so passionate about that you lost yourself in it. It's funny… no one really understood why I loved painting so much. Father said it was a waste of time, that it wouldn't amount to anything, but I didn't care. It was mine, you know? It was the one thing that was just for me."
Ethan's soul listened quietly, feeling an unfamiliar pang of sympathy for Adrian. The boy's voice was soft, filled with longing.
"The funny thing is," Adrian said with a sad smile, "even now, I can't stop thinking about painting. I keep imagining what it would be like to paint this room, the way the light falls across your face, the shadows that dance along the walls. I guess it's silly, right? But it's all I have left now."
Ethan's soul moved closer, as if trying to absorb every word, every emotion that Adrian poured out. There was a purity in Adrian's love for painting, a genuine passion that Ethan found captivating.
It was as if this small, seemingly insignificant boy was keeping a piece of his soul alive through his art, even in the face of everything he had lost.
The peaceful atmosphere in the hospital room was suddenly shattered by the sharp click of heels against the tiled floor. Adrian's heart leaped into his throat as the door swung open, revealing Lady Sachel Levidis, Ethan's mother, standing in the doorway. Her cold eyes swept over Adrian, her expression hardening with disdain.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice icy. "You look like a servant, not the bride of the Levidis heir."
Adrian quickly stood up, stepping back from Ethan's bed. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but the sting of her words was impossible to ignore. "I was just cleaning him," he said softly, lowering his gaze to the floor.
Lady Sachel's lips curled into a sneer. "It's disgraceful. You're filthy. The elders of the Levidis family are coming to visit Ethan today, and as his bride, you must at least be presentable. Go wash yourself and change into something appropriate. You're an embarrassment like this."
Adrian nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, his voice trembling slightly. He turned and hurried toward the small bathroom attached to the hospital room, eager to escape her scornful gaze.
He changed quickly and tried to open the washroom door, only to find that the door wouldn't budge. Frowning, Adrian tried again, but the door remained stubbornly locked.
"What…?" he murmured, confusion and a hint of panic creeping into his voice. He pulled harder, but the door stayed firmly shut.
Before he could call out for help, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Adrian quickly pulled it out, hoping for some explanation. His heart sank as he read the message displayed on the screen:
"Stay in the bathroom until the elders leave. Do not make a sound. — Lady Sachel"
The cold, impersonal text sent a chill down Adrian's spine. It was clear that Lady Sachel didn't want him to be seen by the Levidis elders, didn't want him to taint the image of their perfect family with his presence. The realization was like a slap in the face, a stark reminder of how little he mattered to these people, even as Ethan's so-called "bride."
Adrian felt the familiar sting of tears welling up in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. There was no point in crying, no point in feeling sorry for himself. This was his reality now, and he had no choice but to endure it.
With a heavy heart, Adrian slumped down against the bathroom wall, his knees drawn up to his chest. He stared blankly at the door, the weight of his situation pressing down on him.
Seven hours went by.
He felt a deep, bone-weary exhaustion settle over him, but sleep wouldn't come. His mind was too busy replaying the events of the past week.
He wondered if anyone would even care if he disappeared, if he simply faded away into the shadows, forgotten by the world.
Unbeknownst to Adrian, Ethan's soul had followed him into the bathroom, silently observing the boy's despair. Ethan had seen the message from his mother, had felt the coldness of her intentions, and it only fueled the growing sense of protectiveness he felt toward Adrian. This boy, who had been thrown into a life he didn't deserve, who had been mistreated and neglected by those who should have cared for him—Ethan found himself drawn to Adrian in ways he couldn't explain.
Ethan's soul settled beside Adrian on the cold, tiled floor, a silent companion in the boy's misery. He wanted to reach out, to tell Adrian that he wasn't alone, that someone was here with him, but he was powerless to do so.
Finally, In the ninth hour, the sound of voices outside the bathroom door began to fade, signaling the departure of the Levidis elders. Adrian's phone buzzed again, another cold, impersonal message from Lady Sachel:
"You can come out now."
Adrian didn't move at first, his body stiff and aching from sitting on the hard floor for so long. But eventually, he forced himself to stand, his legs trembling beneath him. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, and reached for the doorknob once more.
This time, the door opened without resistance, and Adrian stepped out into the hospital room, blinking against the harsh light. The room was empty now, the elders having come and gone without ever knowing he was there. Lady Sachel was nowhere to be seen, leaving Adrian alone once more.
As he returned to Ethan's bedside, Adrian felt a hollow emptiness settle in his chest.
Does this all even mean anything?