ELVIS POVSame as every time he did that to me, she’d go straight to him.That night, I pretended to sleep while she sat beside me, because the sooner it was over, the sooner she could finally retreat to her room and rest.I heard the soft creak of the door as she left. And I knew the fight had already started.Not that I’d hear anything in a house this big. By morning, it would be obvious..Because by then, the bags would be packed. Mum would be ready to leave with me. Again.And Luca, hesitant as always, would stay behind, not just for his games, like he liked to claim. I knew better.This wasn’t the first time Mum tried to leave.The first time, Luca and I followed her out the door. We didn’t even make it a full day.By nightfall, our father dragged all three of us back inside.But the next time, when Luca didn’t follow… it was like something in my father relaxed.He gave us a few days, a week at most. Then he came for us again. And sometimes, my father had bruises on his arms, hi
ELVIS POV “Flashback to the past" Curled into one of the plush armchairs tucked away in the farthest corner of the library, I tapped one foot against the tiled floor. The other idly nudged at the edge of my shoe. A fiction novel sat open across my lap, wedged between the stiff, unread pages of a schoolbook. I hadn’t been here in a while. The library was nearly deserted, and in my corner, I was completely alone. I’d love to blame paranoia, but no… No one in this place had a clue why reading fiction felt like crossing a line, no one but my brother… and, unfortunately, Oleg. Yeah. Oleg. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t stop scanning the room like I expected to be yanked out of my seat at any second. It was just like him to appear out of nowhere. I forced my eyes back to the book. Still, I dropped the book with a groan, letting it slide off my lap. It had been three days since the school week started, and I hadn’t seen even a glimpse of him. At first, I thought he was back to ignoring m
ELVIS POVI rubbed the back of my neck, unsure what to do with the silence pressing down on us, but it still beat being out there. Nadia was obviously trying to keep it together for both our sakes, but it felt like she was struggling even more than I was. I didn’t blame her. If Oleg found out I was here… I didn’t dare picture it.“How’s Oleg so blind with hate?” she hissed out, more to herself than to me. “To hate you like this…”“What did you say?” I asked, catching only the name, Oleg.“Nothing,” she answered at once.Just hearing his name was enough to make my legs itch to run. I could already imagine the disaster if he even had a hint I was here, let alone saw me.Nadia turned to me and cocked her head, eyes scanning my face. “Well… that cap and mask combo? Brilliant,” She quipped. “If you were aiming not to stand out, then sorry to break it to you, it kind of did the opposite. "You looked like one of those ex-athlete celebs whose career ended after some tragic injury and now can’
ELVIS POV I stood outside the hospital for what felt like hours. Might’ve been less, might’ve been more. Time distorted around my indecision. My feet were rooted to the pavement, but my mind kept turning toward the road. I wanted to leave badly, but I needed to see Nadia. The problem was, her entire day was booked at her brother’s bedside. Viktor. The one I’d—of all people…. Left clinging to life. The guilt sat thick as tar in my throat as I thought of him. I didn’t know if coming here was desperation or just plain stupidity. People passed by, tossing glances—some suspicious, others visibly unsettled. I probably looked unhinged: a twitchy figure in a hoodie and face mask, loitering near the hospital entrance. One couple lingered a little too long, that’s when paranoia started to bite down. What if someone recognized me, even like this? What if they already had? I sat on one of the rigid benches outside the hospital, but staying put felt impossible. My legs bounced restlessly, and wi
ELVIS POVI paced restlessly like a caged animal. I didn’t even remember why I was panicking anymore. Oh yeah, the message, my memory snapped into place.The one I’d found in my pocket, now lying on the floor as if it hadn’t torn through my sanityI dropped onto the edge of the bed, then I slammed the mattress, each word forced out like a curse spat through clenched teeth.“All… of… this… is… fucked!”First, the fallout with Oleg. Then the leaked video. My father’s disappointment louder than any doom. Nadia throwing back some twisted confession I’d made her swear to keep, one I had no memory of ever saying. The hit to my head. And now? Someone was threatening me like I was just a pawn on a board they thought they owned.I shot to my feet too fast. The world tilted, and I caught myself before I stumbled.There was no time, I was ready to storm out the door when a single thought yanked the leash—what if heading to the car was a trap? The so-called "gift" they mentioned could be anything
ELVIS POVI looked at her for a long moment, then pushed off the bed and sank to her level, the question lodged in my throat.“Mum… Um…? I trailed off, too unsure of the memory to find the right words.She furrowed her brows, waiting, deciding not to make a big deal out of it.“I just… love you. A lot,” I murmured, though the lump in my throat made me feel like a liar.She cast a subtle smile. “And I’ve always loved you,” she said,My face swelled with emotion, even with the awful rumors that must’ve reached her by now, she still loved me.And I wondered, when she sees the leaked video of what I did, will that love still hold?A small part of me clung to the hope that it wouldn’t matter to her.But the bigger part, the one aching to tell her myself before the world could, wasn’t so sure.My stomach growled.“Did you just hear that earthquake?” she chimed, glancing around with exaggerated concern, as if the whole house had just shifted beneath us and the rumble hadn’t come from my stom