Chapter 4 — The One Who Was Left Behind
The house felt different.
Quieter.
Colder.
Andru stood alone in the hallway.
The sound of footsteps that once echoed daily…
…was gone.
Millar no longer came home often.
No—
He barely came at all.
"…He's staying at the hospital again?"
Andru asked calmly.
A servant lowered their head.
"Yes, Young Master."
"I see."
That was all he said.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
But the silence that followed…
felt heavier than before.
Andru turned and walked away.
His expression unchanged.
His steps steady.
As if nothing had happened.
But something had.
For the first time—
Something had changed.
At the hospital—
Millar adjusted his sleeves, tired eyes scanning documents.
Work had piled up.
But he didn't leave.
Didn't want to leave.
He glanced at Chloe.
Still the same.
Still unmoving.
"…You're really testing my patience," he muttered quietly.
Yet—
His hand reached out instinctively.
Brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
Gentle.
Natural.
As if it belonged there.
Inside the silence—
Chloe felt everything.
His presence.
His touch.
His voice.
Every single moment—
She held onto it.
He stayed again…
At first, she was happy.
Just happy.
But now…
Something else mixed in.
Something darker.
Why… does he leave sometimes?
Even if it was just for a few hours.
Even if he always came back.
It still felt wrong.
Unacceptable.
He should stay…
The thought came quietly.
Softly.
But it didn't disappear.
It stayed.
One evening—
The door opened.
Footsteps.
Different.
Slower.
Andru.
He stood by the door for a moment.
Watching.
Millar noticed.
"…You came."
Andru nodded.
"I had time."
Silence filled the room again.
Awkward.
Unfamiliar.
The two brothers stood on opposite sides of the bed.
Between them—
Chloe.
"…You've been here every day," Andru said.
It wasn't a question.
Millar didn't deny it.
"…Yeah."
Another silence.
Then—
"You've changed."
Millar paused.
Those words…
weren't supposed to be said.
"…People change," Millar replied lightly.
Andru looked at him.
Carefully.
As if trying to find something beneath the surface.
"…Maybe," he said quietly.
But his gaze shifted.
To Chloe.
For a brief moment—
Something flickered in his eyes.
Something he didn't show before.
Regret.
Inside the silence—
Chloe felt it.
Another presence.
…Andru.
The one she once ignored.
The one she never chose.
But now—
He stood there.
Close.
Too close.
Her thoughts tightened instantly.
Why is he here?
The warmth she felt before—
shifted.
Slightly colder.
Slightly sharper.
Go away…
The feeling wasn't loud.
Not yet.
But it existed.
Clear.
Because—
Millar was here.
And that was enough.
That should be enough.
"…I'll leave now," Andru said after a while.
He turned.
No hesitation.
Just like always.
Walking away quietly.
Millar watched him leave.
For a second longer than necessary.
"…He really is like that," he muttered.
Always stepping back.
Always giving up.
Even now.
Inside—
Chloe held onto one thought.
Millar stayed.
And everything else—
Didn't matter.
Not Andru.
Not anyone.
Just him.
And slowly—
That thought…
became absolute.
He is mine.