"You must be crazy, Eryx. Let me go," Braylon groaned, wiping the blood from his lip. The mistakes made in anger couldn't be undone.
"Yeah, I must be crazy. I've been waiting for you all these years, but you're happy with your wife and even have a child with her!" Eryx shouted, visibly upset. What was he talking about? Had he really been waiting?
"What the hell are you blabbering about? For fuck's sake, explain clearly!" Braylon demanded, avoiding eye contact out of guilt. Four years ago, he had left Eryx after confessing his feelings and having sex with him while Eryx was drunk.
"You can forget easily, can't you, Braylon? You were the one who confessed to me first, but now you've moved on so quickly," Eryx's voice was filled with pain. Braylon's eyes widened in shock. He remembered everything, but he wondered why Eryx hadn't reached out all these years. Braylon had assumed it was because Eryx hadn't been informed about his circumstances.
"So you remember everything, right?" Braylon asked, a mix of relief and worry in his voice. He was concerned about Alan's existence—would Eryx accept him or reject the truth? After all, Alan was his own flesh and blood.
"Of course I remember every single thing, even when you cried out under me. Do you think I could forget?" Eryx replied, causing Braylon to shiver with goosebumps. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
For years, both of them had been living in a delusion—a delusion of love.
Braylon gently pushed Eryx aside and sat on the bed, adjusting his shirt. He needed time to process everything. If Eryx had spoken up earlier, Braylon realized he might not have avoided him after arriving.
Braylon sighed.
Eryx pulled Braylon back under him, climbing on top once more. Braylon had learned how to handle his intense partner. Although he had felt awkward just a moment ago, that was no longer the case.
"You dare to ignore me, Braylon? Don't provoke me," Eryx grunted.
"And what if I do provoke you, Eryx? You were rude to me when I came back from abroad. Do you think I'll always just listen to you like before?" Braylon struggled beneath Eryx.
"You know what I'm capable of, Braylon," Eryx said, and both of them tensed. As Braylon shifted, Eryx became even more excited. His arousal was evident, painfully pressing against the confines of his jeans.
"First, take care of your little guy. We'll talk later," Braylon said, and just then, they heard a knock on the door. Braylon pushed Eryx away and went to answer it. Eryx was flustered, his face reddening as he quickly blushed.
Damn…
He groaned in frustration and headed to the bathroom.
At the door was Franklyn.
"Mr. Braylon, these are the files I collected about the village before coming here. I couldn't find a senior, so I came to deliver them to you," Franklyn said, clearly reluctant to hand over the files to Braylon.
Braylon took the file from Franklyn and flipped through the papers. The amount of information collected in such a short time was impressive. If Franklyn hadn't been so rude from the start, Braylon would have been more inclined to praise his dedication.
After Franklyn left, Braylon closed the door and tossed the files onto the bed. He heard a soft grunt and chuckled to himself, realizing that Eryx was reaching his climax.
A few minutes later, Eryx emerged from the bathroom wearing a bathrobe.
"Your junior gave me these files. Let's go over them before you head to your room," Braylon said, picking up the file and walking toward the sofa. Eryx followed him quietly, aware of Braylon's intense focus when it came to investigations.
He had been the top student in college, acing all his tests with full marks. Although impressive, his performance was not quite on par with Braylon's.
"The first kidnapping occurred in 1976. At that time, there was a rumor that a devil was haunting the children due to hunger. The kidnappings continued year after year, resulting in a total of 88 missing children since that time. These are old police records about the village, and none of the children have ever returned," Braylon explained, detailing the contents of the file. Eryx listened with interest.
"When did you read all this? You only got the file a few minutes ago," Eryx asked, groaning as he sat down next to Braylon.
"When you were in the bathroom. It's not a big deal at all. Look here—this village has extraordinarily knowledgeable children, and the medical reports suggest it's genetic. I really don't understand why they're still living in this isolated place," Braylon continued, ruffling his hair in frustration.
"These villagers are very self-sufficient. Only a few have moved to the city for further studies, and they manage everything without relying on the outside world. Is this a coincidence or…," Braylon trailed off.
Eryx took the file and flipped through the pages, his eyes catching something of interest.
"Look here," Eryx said, pointing to the file. "They're relying on a major medical welfare company, Pro-Life Medical. It's odd—they provide the village with free medical check-ups twice a year and other resources." He closed the file and tossed it onto the table, leaning back against the sofa.
"It feels like we're standing in a blind spot. No cases have been solved in these 44 years—no complaints, no investigations. Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes. We need to find them before they target another victim," Braylon said, taking a deep breath as he looked at Eryx, who was resting with his head propped up on the sofa.
Eryx had his hand over his chest, eyes closed. His long nose bridge and dark eyelashes gave him a striking appearance. Braylon found himself mesmerized once again by Eryx's look.
"Ahem…"
"I'm going to sleep. It would be more convenient for me if you left the room," Braylon said, preparing to get up. But Eryx grabbed his wrist and pulled him into an embrace, causing him to fall against Eryx's chest.
"What the hell…" Braylon groaned.
Eryx wrapped his arms tightly around Braylon's waist, refusing to let go. All of Braylon's attempts to break free were futile against Eryx's strong grip. After a few minutes, exhausted and unwilling to continue the struggle with a stubborn partner, Braylon stopped fighting.