Brother.

Nicole stood beside the fountain long after Nathan had disappeared.

The paper in his tiny hand crinkled softly as his fingers tightened around it like it was the only thing he had left.

Nathan.

The name lingered in his mind like something warm and unfamiliar. Like there was some sort of connection between the two of them.

He turned his head slowly, once again, looking toward the direction Nathan had run.

The garden was suddenly quiet. Like he was in his own small world, and nothing or nobody else was there.

Just him.

He lowered his eyes to the pencil scribble again.

A number.

His number.

“My number. If you want to talk”

He remembered his words.

But did he really want to talk?

Somehow, he felt like he could trust him.

Ever since the accident, he hasn’t spoken to anyone at all. Not even his father.

Even when he was given a paper and pen to communicate, he would rather sit still than write a word.

Yet, he wanted to talk to this boy called Nathan. He wanted to know how it felt like to talk to someone his age.

He didn’t fully understand why.

He only knew that when Nathan spoke to him, something inside him felt different.

Like some kind of recognition.

It felt like looking into a mirror that smiled back, instead of the usual stoic expression.

The boy didn’t notice the panic unfolding just a few meters away. He had completely forgotten, for a moment, about his father who had instructed him to stay close by.

Because at that exact moment, Rex was dying of panic.

“Where is he?!”

Rex Sinclair’s voice cut through with urgency.

His usually controlled composure had completely vanished.

Only one person could make him lose so much control—his son.

He rushed down the garden path, scanning every corner, every bench, every flowerbed.

Maverick, his PA, followed closely behind him.

“Sir, he couldn’t have gone far—”

“He was right here!”

Rex’s heart pounded violently.

He had only turned away for a moment.

One moment.

The guard he had instructed to watch over him bowed his head in shame.

He had been distracted by the waitress passing by with a flirtatious smile.

When he turned back, Nicole was gone.

And that single realization had sent cold fear racing through his veins.

“Sir—”

Rex suddenly stopped.

“And you? You could not even do a simple job as to watch over a little boy. You are fired!” He said, turning back without listening to his plea.

“Sir, look.” Maverick called his attention.

And there.

Standing beside the fountain…

Was his little boy.

Rex exhaled so hard, shutting his eyes tightly to calm down.

He crossed the garden in long strides.

The moment he reached the boy, he dropped to his knees and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry.”

His voice came out rough and hoarse.

“I’m so sorry.”

The boy didn’t resist.

He simply stood there in Rex’s arms, still holding the small crumpled paper.

Rex pressed his cheek lightly against Nicole’s hair.

“I shouldn’t have looked away.”

His voice softened.

“I won’t let that happen again.”

Nicole said nothing.

Just like always. He only stared at his father with those innocent eyes.

Two long years of silence.

Doctors called it trauma.

Psychologists called it emotional withdrawal.

But none of them had been able to break the quiet wall the child had built around himself.

Rex pulled back slightly and studied the boy’s face, but there was no expression.

“You scared me,” Rex murmured.

The boy blinked slowly.

Still silent.

Rex sighed softly and lifted him into his arms.

“Come on, let’s get back inside.”

He carried him back toward the hotel.

***

Inside the suite, Rex set the boy gently on the couch.

He crouched in front of him again, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Hey.”

The boy’s gaze drifted to the floor.

Rex tried to smile.

“You can talk to me, you know.”

No response.

Rex’s chest tightened slightly.

He had repeated those words hundreds of times over the last two years.

Every time, he was hoping.

And every time, it failed.

“You used to tell me everything,” Rex continued softly.

“When you were three, you wouldn’t stop talking.”

A faint memory crossed his mind.

A tiny voice saying Daddy look!

A small hand pulling him toward toys.

A bright laugh echoing through the house.

But those sounds had disappeared two years ago.

Replaced by silence.

Nicole shifted slightly on the couch.

Rex watched carefully, clearing his throat.

“Are you hungry?”

A small pause.

Then, Nicole nodded.

Rex’s face lit up with relief.

“That’s good.”

He stood and grabbed the hotel phone.

“Room service will be here soon,” he said gently.

Nicole nodded again.

As his father looked away, he tucked the paper into his pocket, mentally reminding himself to send a message before the end of today.

Meanwhile…

In another part of the hotel suite floor, Nathan had quietly slipped back inside his room.

The door closed quietly behind him.

He tiptoed across the carpet and dropped onto the floor where his toys were scattered.

Just in time.

Because seconds later, he heard his name.

“Nathan?”

His aunt stepped out of the bathroom after spending quality time on her skincare routine.

He looked up immediately, pretending to push two toy cars together.

“Vroooom!”

She smiled.

“Still playing?”

Nathan nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes!”

She didn’t suspect a thing, which made Nathan feel secretly proud.

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

Gracelyn walked in.

Nathan’s entire face lit up.

“MOMMY!”

He ran straight into her arms.

Gracelyn laughed as she caught him.

“Whoa there!”

Nathan hugged her tightly.

Gracelyn raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a very big hug.”

Nathan grinned sweetly.

“I just missed you.”

She studied him for a moment.

Something about his energy felt suspicious, but maybe he just really missed her.

“You saw me this morning,” she said slowly.

Nathan shrugged.

“I just love you, and I can’t stand seeing you once a day.”

Gracelyn narrowed her eyes slightly.

This boy was definitely hiding something, but his cheeky sweet mouth blurred her suspicion.

She kissed his forehead anyway.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

Later that night…

Nathan lay on his bed with his iPad.

His room was dimly lit by a soft bedside lamp.

The rest of the suite had grown quiet as the night drew closer.

His aunt was watching TV in the living room.

Gracelyn was still finishing some work.

Nathan scrolled through a game absently.

But his mind kept drifting back to the boy in the garden.

The boy who looked like him.

The boy who didn’t talk.

Something about that moment felt strange.

Like they were supposed to meet. Before now.

Suddenly…

Ping.

Nathan’s eyes widened.

A message request appeared on the screen.

His heart jumped.

Could it be..?

He opened it immediately.

The profile had no photo.

Just a picture of a small white puppy.

The message read:

Hi.

Nathan grinned instantly.

“It’s him.” He said to himself, getting excited all of a sudden.

He quickly typed back.

“Your puppy is cute. I love puppies too.”

A minute passed.

Then the reply appeared.

“I love puppies too.”

“This was mine before it died.”

Nathan’s smile softened.

“Oh…”

He typed slowly.

“What’s your name?”

Several seconds passed.

Then the reply appeared.

“Nicole.”

Nathan frowned slightly.

“That’s a girl’s name…” he murmured to himself.

But he didn’t question it.

Instead he typed:

“You look like my brother.”

Nathan stared at the screen for a moment before continuing.

His fingers moved slowly.

“My brother died after birth”

A long pause followed.

Then another message appeared.

“I’m sorry.”

Nathan swallowed.

Then he typed something unexpected.

Something that felt strangely natural.

“You look just like me. So I will call you brother from now.”

He paused.

Then added:

“Do you agree?”

No reply.

One minute.

Three minutes.

Five minutes.

Nathan began to worry he had scared the boy away.

Then, ten minutes later…a message appeared.

“Yes.”

Nathan grinned widely.

“Brother.”

He typed again.

“I’m sleepy now. Goodnight brother.”

The reply came quickly.

“Goodnight.”

Nathan placed the iPad beside his pillow. He wondered if Nicole was always like this.

One-word reply. Expressionless…

But for some reason…

He felt happy.

Like he had just found something he didn’t know he was missing.

Meanwhile, in another room across the hotel…

The quiet Nicole lay on his bed.

The phone in his hands glowed softly in the dark.

He stared at the last message.

Goodnight brother.

His fingers hovered over the screen as he thought of how his new friend—brother was just the opposite of him.

Then slowly…

A small smile appeared on his face.

It was the first real smile he had made in years.

Somewhere deep inside him, a silent connection had formed.

Something neither of them could explain.

Something stronger than just coincidence.

An invisible thread tying two lives together.

Back in Nathan’s room…

The door creaked open.

Gracelyn stepped inside quietly.

Nathan was already asleep.

His small chest rose and fell gently.

She walked to the bed and sat beside him.

Her hand brushed softly through his hair.

“My baby.”

She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

But as she looked at him sleeping peacefully, another image flashed in her mind.

Another small boy.

Another identical face.

Her other son.

Her chest tightened painfully.

“He should be here too,” she whispered.

Her eyes hardened.

Memories flooded her mind.

The betrayal.

The lies.

The moment they took everything from her.

“They killed you…”

Her fingers clenched slightly against the blanket.

A vow formed in her heart.

“I will make them pay.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“Every single one of them.”

Nathan shifted slightly in his sleep.

Gracelyn softened instantly.

She brushed a strand of hair from his face.

“You’re all I have left.”

But she didn’t know.

That somewhere else in this city, another boy who looked exactly like Nathan had just smiled for the first time in years.

And the invisible bond between them had already begun to change everything.