CHAPTER 64

I woke up later than usual with sunlight already slipping through the curtains. For a few seconds I just laid there staring at the ceiling, feeling strangely heavy.

Then the memories came back immediately,

Everything from yesterday crashed into me all over again.

I groaned softly and buried my face into the pillow.

This was horrible, Absolutely horrible.

After lying there for another ten minutes pretending life did not exist, I finally dragged myself out of bed and walked toward the bathroom slowly.

By the time I came downstairs, the house felt quieter than usual.

Livia’s voice being the loudest obviously.

I walked in slowly and immediately regretted it.

Aaron looked up first.

Then froze dramatically.

"Oh my God.”

Livia blinked at him, Why do you sound traumatized?

Aaron pointed directly at me. “She’s wearing Kael’s shirt.”

I looked down automatically.

Right.

I was.

Unfortunately.

Livia’s eyes widened instantly. “OH?”

Lina nearly choked on her juice beside her.

I already wanted to leave.

Aaron leaned back slowly like he had just solved an international crime case. “Interesting. Very interesting.”

It was cold upstairs, I muttered.

“Mhm.”

“That means nothing.”

“Mhm.”

Livia looked between us excitedly. “Wait wait wait. Did something happen?

“No,” I answered immediately.

“Yes,” Aaron answered at the same time.

I glared at him.

Aaron ignored me completely and grabbed another pancake from the plate. “The tension in this room is incredible.”

Lina quietly pushed a cup of tea toward me. “Good morning.”

That softened me slightly.

“Morning.”

Unlike the other two disasters sitting at the table, Lina still looked careful around me. Like she was scared of saying the wrong thing.

Honestly?

I appreciated it.

Livia rested her chin on her palm dramatically. “So where are the emotionally unavailable brothers?”

Aaron sighed heavily. “Gone.”

I blinked slightly. “Gone?”

“They left before sunrise,” Kael’s mother said as she walked into the room calmly.

My eyes moved toward her immediately.

She smiled softly the second she saw me. “You finally slept.”

“Barely.”

Aaron pointed toward the empty chairs dramatically. “They abandoned us in this tragic household.”

You were literally banned from going, Livia reminded him.

Aaron looked offended instantly, u don't need to remind me.

Kael’s mother sat down beside me calmly while one of the staff placed another plate on the table.

I looked around slightly. “Where’s your husband?”

Already at the base with the boys.

That weird feeling settled in my chest immediately.

I hated it.

Because suddenly I was thinking about whether Kael ate breakfast before leaving.

Aaron noticed my expression immediately.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he smirked.

Oh no,

You’re worried.

I looked at him flatly. “You need hobbies.”

I have hobbies, Annoying Lucian is one of them.

You are not annoying me, Lucian’s voice suddenly came through the speaker phone on the table.

Aaron nearly jumped out of his chair

Livia burst out laughing immediately

Aaron looked horrified. “WHY ARE YOU INSIDE THE PHONE?”

Lucian sounded deeply unimpressed. “Dad called Mum.”

That does not explain why you’re listening

Am not, You’re loud

Kael’s mother shook her head tiredly while ending the call.

Aaron pointed toward the phone accusingly See? This is exactly why he needs therapy

Livia nodded seriously

All of you need therapy

“That includes you,” I told her.

Absolutely not, I’m the healthiest person here.

Everyone stared at her.

Even Lina.

Livia looked around defensively. “What?”

Aaron snorted into his drink.

For a second the room actually felt normal.

And somehow that made everything feel even stranger.

Because yesterday I found out my entire identity was basically a lie.

Yet somehow I was sitting here eating pancakes while Aaron argued with Livia about emotional stability.

Life was insane.

Kael’s mother looked toward me after a while. “Eat properly first.”

I blinked slightly “What?”

You barely touched your food

I sighed softly before finally eating while Aaron continued his unnecessary existence across the table.

So technically, Livia started casually, does this mean Vera was rich rich?

Aaron looked offended immediately.....Livia..

Focus on the emotional trauma

Then he paused.

“Also yes.”

Livia gasped dramatically. “I knew it.”

I hate all of you, I muttered.

No you don’t, Aaron replied easily.

The annoying part was that he was probably right.

After breakfast, Livia dragged Lina away to apparently “show her something important,” which honestly sounded threatening.

Aaron disappeared somewhere muttering about finding snacks.

And then suddenly it was just me and Kael’s mother left in the dining room.

She looked toward me quietly for a moment before speaking.

“Come with me.”

I followed her upstairs curiously until she stopped in front of another room near the end of the hallway.

When she pushed the door open, I froze slightly.

Pictures.

Boxes.

Albums.

The entire room felt like someone preserved pieces of another life inside it.

My life.

She walked in slowly while I stayed near the doorway for a second trying to process everything.

I used to keep these hidden, she admitted softly. “Your mother could never look at them for too long.”

I walked further inside quietly.

There were pictures everywhere,Some framed, some stacked together, Some half hidden inside open boxes.

My eyes landed on one first.

A little girl covered completely in cake frosting while laughing at the camera.

Me.

I stared at it longer than I meant to.

You were five there, she said softly behind me.

you cried afterward because your brother dropped the cake.

I blinked slightly

My brother, the word still felt unfamiliar.

She handed me another picture gently.

This one showed a man holding me on his shoulders while smiling at the camera.

My chest tightened painfully.

“That’s my father?”

She nodded slowly.

“You look exactly like him when you’re angry.”

That almost made me laugh.

Almost.

I took another photo carefully.

Two boys stood beside me this time.

Older.

One looked calmer while the other looked like trouble.

“This is Adrian,” she pointed toward the calmer one. “Your oldest brother.”

Then toward the second. “And that disaster is Xavier.”

I stared quietly at the picture.

“They searched the hardest for you,” she admitted softly. “Especially Xavier.”

Something painful settled heavily inside my chest again.

She opened another album slowly beside me.

More pictures, Family trips, Birthday parties, Holiday dinners.

Things I should remember but didn’t, it felt strange grieving memories instead of people.

Then suddenly—

I froze.

There, near the corner of one picture, stood another child beside me.

Dark hair.

Annoyed expression.

Tiny Kael.

I blinked once.

Then again.

Kael’s mother laughed softly. “You used to fight constantly.”

“That does not surprise me.”

“You bit him once.”

I looked at her immediately. “What?

“He still has the scar.”

I stared at the picture again trying not to laugh.

Tiny Kael genuinely looked like he was one inconvenience away from murder even back then.

“That’s concerning.”

Oh sweetheart, she smiled knowingly. “You were worse.

She continued flipping through the pages slowly while explaining different stories.

Apparently I hated tomatoes, I used to hide inside kitchen cabinets whenever I got angry, my brothers once fought three boys because one of them pushed me into a pool.

The stories felt warm

And for the first time since yesterday—

I stopped feeling completely disconnected from myself.

I existed before the organization

I had a life before survival became normal

That realization hit harder than expected.

My fingers paused on another picture.

This one showed my mother holding me close while kissing my cheek.

I stared at her face quietly.

Then whispered before I could stop myself, “She really loved me.”

“So much,” Kael’s mother answered immediately.

My throat tightened slightly.

“She still does.”

Silence settled softly around us.

Then downstairs—

a loud crash echoed through the house.

Both of us blinked.

Aaron’s voice followed immediately.

“THAT WAS NOT MY FAULT.”

Livia shouted back instantly. “YOU DROPPED THE ENTIRE TRAY.”

Kael’s mother sighed deeply. “I left them alone for twenty minutes.”

We both went downstairs.

Disaster.

Complete disaster.

Juice covered half the floor while Aaron stood holding a broken plate looking deeply betrayed by life itself.

Lina looked stressed already.

Livia looked entertained.

“What happened?” Kael’s mother asked carefully.

Aaron pointed at Livia immediately. “She distracted me.”

“You walked into the table yourself.”

I accidentally laughed.

Aaron froze dramatically.

Then pointed at me slowly. “She laughed.”

“Oh my God,” Livia gasped. “Write down the date.”

“I regret everything,” I muttered.

Aaron grinned slightly afterward.

-----

The house felt lighter for a while.

Until evening came.

Because the closer night got, the quieter the house became.

Even Livia stopped talking so much, Aaron checked his phone more often.

Nobody said it out loud, But everyone was waiting,

Waiting for them to come back.

I sat near the living room window pretending to read one of the books Livia dumped beside me earlier.

I had read the same sentence six times already.

Aaron noticed obviously.

You’ve checked your phone fourteen times in ten minutes.

“I’m not checking.”

“You literally just checked again.”

I frowned at him.

Aaron softened slightly afterward

They’ll come back

That surprised me enough to actually look at him properly

His expression stayed calmer than usual now

Less sarcastic.

They’ve done this their whole lives, he continued quietly. “Lucian and Kael are terrifyingly hard to kill

Livia nodded immediately “Unfortunately.”

Lina looked toward the front doors nervously. It’s still dangerous

Yeah, Aaron admitted softly. “It is"

Silence followed after that.

Hours passed slowly, Darkness settled fully outside

Then finally—

headlights appeared through the windows

Everyone stood immediately.

The front doors opened seconds later

Men walked in first.

Armed

Tired

Then Lucian

Cold expression, Blood near his sleeve

Livia ran toward him immediately

You’re bleeding

“It’s not mine.”

Kael walked in next beside his father,

His black shirt was stained slightly with blood near the collar.

My heartbeat reacted instantly before I could stop it, The room stayed strangely quiet for a second

Like everyone was checking who made it back.

Then Aaron spoke first.

“So…”

Aaron spread his arms slightly

Did you win?

Kael’s father removed his gloves calmly

yes....It’s over

Those three words changed the entire room

Completely

Lucian leaned back against the wall tiredly while Livia kept aggressively inspecting his injuries.

Aaron looked toward Kael carefully, Completely over?

Kael nodded once

The shareholders are dead.

Years of fear,

Years of blood,

Years of surviving,

Gone.

Lina let out a small breath beside me like she had been holding it for hours.

Aaron sat down slowly afterward rubbing a hand over his face. “That’s insane.”

Kael’s father looked toward all of us calmly

It’s really over.

And for the first time since I met them—

I believed it.

Then his eyes shifted toward me again.

Your parents are on the way.

My breath caught instantly

The room disappeared around me for a second,

And before I could even process that sentence properly—

Kael’s eyes found mine across the room like all he needed was to make sure I was still there.