Chapter 35

There was an uncomfortable silence in Kaveh's room at the hospital. Noah and Edwin were sitting far apart with their backs turned towards each other.

Kaveh looked from side to side and sighed.

" Why are you like this? Earlier, you two were rather friendly with each other. But now this way?"

Kaveh made inquiries, bewildered.

There was no response.

"At least tell me what you were arguing about?"

Kaveh wished he could tweak their ears and put some sense into them. ' It is not the time for this childish row! Why are they this stubborn?'

The best way to reconcile them was to feign a sudden pain.

"Aw, aw... that hurts..." Kaveh whined, grabbing his side.

Edwin and Noah rose in unison and rushed to Kaveh. " Where does it hurt?"

"Noah, call a nurse and have him checked."

At the same time, they expressed concern.

Kaveh smiled at them. "At length, you speak!"

They both froze and then glared at Kaveh.

"Why you little… you better don't do this anymore."

Edwin scowled at him.

"Well, then, what was it?"

Dena breathed and sat on the side of the bed.

"That wasn't a big deal. I had a deep thought and, without realising it, I created a misunderstanding. There's nothing to worry about. " Dena stroked Kaveh's forehead, saying.

Dena had second thoughts about what Jack said. She wouldn't put past him to utter those comments, just toying with them.

' Ah, what am I doing? For God's Sake, I am a grown woman!'

Dena criticised herself. She glanced up at Noah, "Sorry. From now on, I will be wary of my surroundings and not let others have the upper hand against me."

Noah now understood that Edwin would never make such a blunder when he knew he would be exposed to Noah. 'Why am I as dumb as a doornail in matters related to Edwin?'

" It was partially my fault too. I concluded without thinking. Anyway, I better get going. I need to run a few errands."

Noah nodded at Kaveh, turned around and left.

Dena waited a while and said in earnest. "It's time to talk."

Kaveh gulped nervously. He was conflicted about how much he should tell Edwin. ' What if he didn't believe me? Or worse, send me to a psych ward? But with how I behave until now, not getting suspicious is out of the question.'

Kaveh refuted himself.

"Are you familiar with the boy with the black and blue hair?"

"Yes."

" Did he do something to you?"

Dena stared at Kaveh intensely. She didn't want to miss one tiny change in his expression. Dena's understanding of the relationship between Kaveh and Ryu was based on the memory of her wolf. She didn't have the inside story, but regarding their entanglement, she could guess it was one of those fucked up ones! She wished she could come forward and tell him she knew he was reborn. But explaining how she was aware was not possible. ' Hey, I possessed your brother's body!'

She could see how it would end. Even Dena told Kaveh she had experienced it like Edwin in the book. Because of her lacking knowledge about it, she could expose herself. After careful consideration, she shut her mouth and waited for Kaveh to reveal everything.

" It is hard to explain. But yes, he did."

Kaveh replied, fidgeting with the sheets. Dena was disappointed with his answer.

"I won't press you for answers, but you know that no matter what you say, I choose to believe you."

Kaveh held his head up sharply. His eyes were watery, and his look was pitiful. Dena's heart tightened on seeing this. She hugged Kaveh in her arms. Kaveh grasped Edwin's shirt forcefully and began to cry loudly. Dena gently tapped his back.

" You prefer not to see him, correct? We will make arrangements for your departure from this hospital tonight. My friend, Jack, will help us. "

Kaveh hearing the name Jack got stiff. The guilt he felt toward Jack was unbearable. But it would not be possible to disagree with his participation in this affair without offering a plausible excuse. Kaveh whispered to Edwin. "I'll tell you everything, but you should swear you wouldn't seek revenge right now or leave me alone."

"Right. I swear to God."

Kaveh started describing his previous life.

"It was like a long dream that I had in my coma. I saw myself waking up, being afraid of you and leaving you because of the persuasion of our father and sister. I've been to the same school as you. Yet, I've denied any relationship with you. The hurt I saw on your face was still fresh in my mind. But you never turned your back on me. Every step of the way, you were in the shadows, looking out for me until I became an adult.

The world went upside down. Inboard daylight, people harassed me and wanted to possess me. Once, they even attempted to rape me in my dorm in college. You, like a knight in shining armour, appeared and rescued me. It was all the beginning of the more bizarre incidents to occur. Our mom's behaviour changed drastically, and then she suddenly disappeared. I had no one close to me. Father didn't let me contact you, so I lost track of you. It was a coincidence that I met your classmate at the gathering. We clicked in remarkably fast. Your role of protecting me was switched to him. One night, you suddenly showed up and told me not to trust him, but I got into a fight with you and told you hurtful words. It was the last time I saw you alive. I hid in Jack's house and lived peacefully for a year. Then everything collapsed into a bloody scene where you and Jack were brutally murdered. At that time, I didn't know it was a scheme by my father to sell me off to higher bidding and gain more benefits from higher-ups.

I ended up in a research institute where they were experimenting on a variety of range of races. I ran into Ryu there. In the beginning, I was sceptical of all those who were there. I did not speak to them being there as prisoners like myself or as researchers. Yet he was a determined person who insisted on speaking to me daily. I didn't consider myself special. Nobody told me I was a rare dominant Omega. So I foolishly believed that Ryu was interested in me. I started dating him. I had never slept before, so Ryu was the same as Jack. After all this sexual harassment, I was mentally resistant. Ryu started to touch my face and body slowly to break that. We decided to go to the final base that evening. However, a young woman, detained near my room, told me that Ryu was the son of this Psycho we all feared. I denied it like crazy. Although, Ryu, with a stone face, confirmed it."

Kaveh paused in his speech. Dena clenched her hands viciously to stop herself from interrupting Kaveh or cursing like a sailor at all these shithead people. Her fingernails drilled through her palms.

In the novel, Dena had read about Kaveh's misfortune before, but hearing his description with a trembling voice was hard for her to control her emotions and not explode.