Chapter 2: Brothers
Chapter 2: Brothers
Gabriel walked away.
No one stopped him.
Not even Damian.
Not even Eliza.
He reached the mansion gardens and stared into the darkness.
All his life he had wondered why he never belonged.
Why every room felt temporary.
Why every smile felt distant.
Now he knew.
Or perhaps he knew less than ever.
Footsteps approached.
Oliver.
The boy sat beside him.
Neither spoke for several minutes.
Finally Oliver broke the silence.
"Do you hate me?"
Gabriel looked down.
The child was terrified.
"No."
"You should."
"Why?"
"Because Mom chose me."
Gabriel laughed bitterly.
"She was scared."
"She still picked me."
"She picked a baby."
Oliver shook his head.
"She picked a son."
Those words hurt.
Yet somehow they healed.
Gabriel stared at the stars.
"You know what I wanted my whole life?"
"What?"
"A brother."
Oliver smiled through tears.
"Then you're unlucky."
Gabriel frowned.
"Why?"
"Because now you got one."
For the first time that night, Gabriel laughed.
A real laugh.
The kind he had never allowed himself before.
At that moment Marcus's voice erupted from hidden speakers again.
"Touching."
Both boys stood.
Marcus appeared on every monitor.
His smile had vanished.
"The reunion ends now."
The lights throughout the estate suddenly failed.
Emergency alarms screamed.
Arthur looked toward the security panels.
His face turned white.
"Marcus has armed the explosives."
May you like
Everyone froze.
The mansion had become a trap.
