Aurelian Vale;
I step further into the room, and my gaze moves across the space automatically.
Desk, chair, closet… Nightstand.
I know exactly where he keeps them. I've watched him for longer than he knows.
I know way more about him than I do about anything else.
I cross the room quietly and make my way into his bathroom. I pull the drawer open, and inside it is precisely what I expected.
Patches.
Dozens of them. Neatly stacked alongside boxes of pills… an inhaler, and injection pens arranged carefully beside the others.
For a moment, I simply stare at them.
At the evidence of years of suppression.
Years of quiet obedience to a rule no one ever bothered explaining to him.
My fingers curl slightly.
The doctor's warning echoes again.
"His pheromones are in disarray because of inhibitor abuse."
"At this rate… one year."
The words settle in my mind like a final verdict. I have no choice but to do this.
Slowly, I begin removing the contents of the drawer.
