After his deep but short conversation with the head of the family, Jul fell into a deep sleep.
He didn't wake up until two days later.
Throughout, he was completely unaware of the worry he had caused his mother and sister.
Only afterward did he slowly open his eyes.
The same ceiling. The same hospital room.
'I feel… better.' Jul thought. Perhaps it was because he had suddenly woken up to discover he belonged to one of the wealthiest families in the country.
Or perhaps it was simply because the pain had lessened.
Either way, he felt lighter.
'I really have to applaud them... or should I say, my family? Hah... it still sounds strange.' He flexed his fingers carefully. The pain was still there, but it had dulled considerably.
'Their medical technology has advanced this much already?' He knew better than anyone how badly his body had been damaged.
By all logic, he shouldn't have been able to leave the bed for another month.
Yet…
His legs actually felt capable of supporting him.
Slowly, he pushed himself upright. Pain immediately shot through his ribs, his muscles trembled, and his breathing became uneven.
Still, he stood.
"…"
The moment his feet touched the floor, three attendants—Two men and one woman— waiting inside the room hurried toward him.
"Sir, please—"
"Stop." His voice was low and firm. Coupled with the cold glance that was enough to freeze the three attendants where they stood, none of them dared move another step.
They just flinched and backed away as per his command.
Jul silently observed them. 'In my current state, I can't have anyone close to me.'
His body was still too weak, and if anyone got close enough to become a threat…
He wasn't confident he could stop them.
"Leave."
The three attendants exchanged hesitant looks before quietly obeying.
Only after the door closed did Jul continue walking.
The hospital had brought in several rehabilitation machines to assist his recovery but he ignored every one of them.
He chuckled darkly with a faint smirk crossing his face as he stepped down from the bed. 'If my old comrades ever saw me using those things… I'd never hear the end of it.'
Step… Step...
Each movement sent dull pain throughout his body, but he forced himself to endure it until eventually he reached the mirror.
He was a young man of about twenty-three years old, standing nearly six feet three inches tall.
Even with bandages wrapped around much of his body, his physique was difficult to hide. Broad shoulders, a defined chest, and well-developed muscles gave him the build of someone who had trained his body for years. His arms were thick and firm, though some of the muscle had visibly diminished from his prolonged injuries and inactivity.
His face, however, was what drew the most attention.
He had a strong, well-defined jaw and high cheekbones, with a straight nose sitting above thin, naturally firm lips. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, falling loosely across his forehead. Beneath his brows were a pair of sharp, deep-set eyes that seemed unusually intense for someone his age.
They had once been red. Now, they were black.
There was something cold about his gaze—not the emptiness of someone without emotion, but the quiet alertness of someone who was always watching. Despite being covered in bandages and weakened by injuries, he carried an air that made it difficult to see him as an ordinary young man.
'I have lost a significant amount of my muscle.' His gaze slowly drifted upward. 'And...' He closed his eyes and placed his hand on his chest. He waited for seconds; however, nothing happened.
He sighed, then opened his eyes. 'So my imitation actually disappeared?'
Though there was no disappointment in his gaze. After all, that was the plan. It was meant to be closure.
However, he was.
'There is no need to rush. I'll figure it out once I've fully recovered. And besides, perhaps it's for the best. This way, I wouldn't be recognized.'
A small smile appeared but faded as soon as another figure appeared in the mirror. Through it, he caught a reflection staring at him.
Jul turned around to see Jada standing quietly near the doorway.
Gone were the swollen, tear-filled eyes from before. Today she looked composed, elegant, and almost cold.
She slowly walked forward before sitting opposite him.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Finally…
"You know…" Her fingers intertwined on her lap. "Dad always believed you would come back."
Her voice was calm. "So much that eventually… I started believing it too."
A faint smile appeared before quickly disappearing. "Even on his deathbed…he kept saying your name."
Jul remained silent.
"I never understood why." She lowered her eyes. "But I trusted him."
Another silence followed before she looked back at Jul.
"Though what I don't understand…is why you never came home."
Her voice remained gentle. "I mean, fifteen years; there must have been several opportunities to seek us out. A phone call, a message, a letter, anything. So why didn't you?"
Her eyes searched his face for an answer, just anything.
Jul stared back without answering.
She rose to her feet, her voice rising, "Why didn't you? At least a word. I watched Mum cry herself to sleep. We thought…
"…we thought you were dead."
A heavy silence fell.
Her voice trembled as she continued, her breathing uneven. "And then...I realized something. It wasn't that you couldn't come back. It was that...you chose not to."
She clenched her fists. "If no one had found you, would you have ever come home?"
There was still no answer from Jul.
"We heard you were discovered by accident, a pure coincidence at that. So now tell me…was this family really that easy to abandon?"
Her voice finally broke.
"Or maybe…once you recover, you'll disappear again—"
"Jada!"
A sharp voice cut through the room.
Standing at the doorway was Katelyn. Her expression carried disappointment…but behind it, there was fear.