'How would they feel if they knew their son was dead… and someone else was living inside his body?' Jul thought about it, watching his mother and sister eat across from him.
'Would their relief disappear? Or would they end up worse than they were when they thought he was simply missing?'
Jul lowered his gaze toward his food.
'Well, it's not like I'm planning to tell them. Not now, not ever.'
As far as they were concerned, he was Jul Mercer. And they would simply have to live with the fact that he had changed.
The formerly blinding pain had gradually now turned into something closer to numbness. His body was nowhere near fully healed, but his condition had improved enough for most of the casts to be removed.
Only his body and legs remained heavily bandaged, but for the first time since waking up, Jul could move without feeling as though every bone in his body was being crushed.
The small table in the hospital room was filled with food. Various dishes, snacks, fruits, and drinks were spread across it, together with a bottle of champagne that sat in the middle.
The room was quiet.
The only sounds were the occasional clinking of cutlery against plates and the soft fizz of the champagne.
Jul took a bite, and his eyebrows lifted slightly. He didn't realize that Katelyn and Jada noticed it.
Katelyn smiled. "Wait until you meet the chef at the main house. Fabulous doesn't even begin to describe his cooking."
Jul nodded approvingly and took another bite.
Then, Jada's expression changed. "Speaking of the main house…"
Jul looked at her.
"You should be careful when you get there." Her earlier smile had disappeared. "There are a lot of people in the family you need to be mindful of."
Katelyn nodded, her expression becoming more serious. "She's right. As the days go by, the question of the next family head becomes more important."
Jul stopped eating, clearly interested in the subject. "Family head?" He tilted his head slightly. It was a piece of information he didn't know about.
"I thought there already was one?" His mind drifted to his encounter with Rose.
"Interim." Jada sighed as she pointed out, placing her fork down. "Grandmother is only the interim head. After Grandfather died, she was given temporary leadership of the family"
Jul listened quietly.
That information was already familiar to him. The Mercer family was one of the most influential families in the region. Its major members appeared on television, in newspapers, at business conferences and government events.
He even knew insignificant details about some of them, down to their habits, businesses, and private relationships.
Even the favorite food of the woman sitting across from him. Yet knowing them as public figures was entirely different from knowing them as family.
'This is strange.' Jul leaned back slightly. 'People I've spent years observing from a distance are now suddenly my relatives.'
Jada continued speaking. "From the looks of things, Grandmother could make her decision anytime soon. But now that you've returned…" She paused, searching for the right word. "…things are going to become complicated."
'Hoh…' The corner of Jul's lips lifted. 'So family politics?' Jul glanced down at his hands. 'Honestly, I don't know which is better. Fighting with my fists or fighting with words.'
He thought for another moment and shook his head. 'No. Fists are definitely better.'
Jada and Katelyn exchanged another look. Both had noticed the expression on his face this time too.
Was he enjoying this?
Jada suddenly wondered whether her brother was a troublemaker. Neither she nor Katelyn had tried too hard to investigate what had happened to him during those fifteen years.
They had deliberately chosen not to. Whatever he had experienced, whatever he had done, they had already decided to accept him.
However, now and then, Jul revealed another side of himself. And every time he did…
They became more curious.
Again, Jul didn't need to hear about most of them. He already knew. He had thought that perhaps he would hear something he wasn't aware of, but there was nothing.
Still, this was a conversation they needed to have.
After all, this would be their last meal before leaving the hospital.
...
Katelyn and Jada left the room shortly after their meal, leaving Jul alone with his thoughts.
Home.
The word still felt strange.
He never thought he would think of a place that way. Rather, he had never thought he would experience it.
But there was something else bothering him.
Something he had been trying not to think about ever since he woke up.
'Why haven't they mentioned it till now?' He wondered.
There was no reason to question it, as he had seen the reports.
He remembered the diagnosis, and he remembered being told that there was nothing that could be done.
So why had nobody mentioned it? Why hadn't the doctors said anything?
'Did Rose hide it from them?'
At that moment, the door opened, and his doctor entered, carrying a small tray.
"Mr. Mercer, how are you feeling today?" She asked with a polite smile.
Jul didn't respond.
The doctor didn't seem bothered.
She was already familiar with his personality. He only responded when he wanted to, and she had learned not to take his silence personally.
She proceeded with her work while explaining.
"I'm sure you must have heard. From today, you're free to leave. However, before that, I need to run one final—"
Jul suddenly reached out, and his hand closed around her wrist.
The doctor froze. The sudden movement had caught her completely off guard, but she quickly composed herself.
She adjusted herself despite the grip and spoke calmly,
"Mr. Mercer, I am not trying to hurt—"
"How long?" Jul cut her off.
The doctor stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"How long do I have left?" Jon repeated.
Her expression suddenly changed. "How long... for what?"
Jul's grip tightened slightly, and his voice dropped low.
"I won't ask you again. How long do I have until my disease takes over?"
The room went silent.
The doctor stared at him, completely confused, and asked,
"What disease?"
Jul's eyes slowly widened, his grip slightly softening.
"...What?"
"Mr. Mercer, I'm not sure what you're talking about."
Jul's heart began to race. "You are telling me that you don't know?"
"No." The doctor carefully pulled her hand free and rubbed her wrist, but Jul barely noticed it.
He seemed like he had seen a ghost. "No. no. No."
Suddenly, he looked up and barked, "Check my records."
"I have checked them several times." The doctor took a cautious step backward, her face filled with genuine confusion.
"And?" Jul asked, his voice slowly rising.
"Your records show severe physical trauma. Multiple fractures. Muscle and nerve damage. Internal injuries. There are also several old scars and what appears to be extensive tissue damage."
Jul stared at her. "Anything else?"
"No."
"What about the terminal illness located in my lungs?"
"No." Her answer was immediate and full of certainty.
Jul's face went still.
No.
His mind raced. The reports, the diagnosis, the words, and the certainty. Everything he had believed.
'Then what the hell did I see?'
His thoughts collided with one another.
For years, he had accepted his death as an absolute certainty.
And now—
It had never existed.
"Mr. Mercer?"
Jul finally looked at her. His gaze feral and his voice dangerous, he pointed to the door.
"Leave."
The doctor shivered, nodded, and quickly walked out.
After the door closed, Jul remained motionless, his heart hammering against his chest.
For the first time in a long time, he was afraid.
The disease.
The reason he had accepted his death, the reason he had destroyed Jungle, and the reason he had thrown himself into the river.
All because he had believed he was dying.
For several minutes, Jul stood there.
Then—
A laugh escaped him. It was quiet at first.
Then it grew louder.
He laughed until his shoulders shook and he nearly lost his balance, then caught himself against the table.
After several minutes, the laughter finally subsided.
Jul slowly straightened, and he exhaled.
A deep, almost regal smile spread across his face.
His eyes were cold.
"Someone tried to kill me."