>Mallory
"What is the aning of this?"
A deep voice rang out behind us, sharp enough to slice straight through the air.
I stiffened. My heart kicked in my chest like I’d been caught doing sothing terrible—even though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. We both slowly turned, and there he was.
Venzrich stood in the doorway, tall enough to make the room feel smaller, his expression shadowed and unreadable. His dark eyes locked onto us like he was trying to solve a puzzle he didn’t like the shape of. In one hand, he held a small pet carrier dangling from his arm, the tal door clinking softly as it moved.
"Brother, you ca," Dr. Chesten said, sounding far calr than I felt. He stepped forward with a polite smile, but I could see tension in his shoulders.
"I won’t ask again," Venzrich repeated, voice even deeper the second ti. "What is the aning of this?"
"O-Oh, this?" I stamred imdiately because my tongue had decided to twist itself in knots. "U-uhmmm..."
Why on earth was I nervous? I didn’t do anything. Nothing. Absolutely nothing!
Dr. Chesten placed a steady hand on my shoulder as if telling not to worry. Then he walked toward Venzrich, his calm steps a complete contrast to the storm brewing in the air. His footsteps was heavy and I could feel the tension between them.
"Relax. Why do you look so worried." he started.
"My sister-in-law and I were just having a conversation," he explained easily. Then he turned back to with a small wave of his hand and the sa gentle smile. "Anyway, I’ll have to go."
He took a few steps forward, but paused—turning just enough for to see the seriousness in his expression.
"And rember what I’ve said," he added, it was just a split second but his gaze darkened, almost like a warning, before finally heading out the door.
I thought about seeing him off, but my instincts was screaming that it wasn’t a good idea. So I stayed nailed to the spot.
The door shut behind him with a heavy thud, and in the silence that followed, the entire room felt like it was holding its breath. It was suffocating, his gaze felt like peeling naked.
I fiddled with my fingers, unsure what to do. Should I speak first? Should I pretend everything was normal–I an everything was normal anyway? Why did I feel like I’d just been caught cheating on soone even though I’m sure that wasn’t remotely the case?
"Oh—thank you for inviting Dr. Chesten here. For my son, I didn’t know you would hire such incredible doctor just for my son." I blurted, desperate to break the silence. My voice sounded painfully awkward. There relationship felt like it wasn’t great either.
Ughh... I felt freaking guilty.
"Anyway, I was just about to cook lunch. What would you like to eat?"
Venzrich didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at with that sa unreadable gaze he has earlier.
"What did he say to you?" he finally asked.
"Hmmm? Oh." I forced a laugh that sounded way too thin. "We only talked about my son’s condition."
It wasn’t a total lie. The warnings he’d thrown at out of nowhere didn’t even felt like a conversation and he just blurted it out of nowhere. His reason was sothing I still didn’t understand myself. But technically... yes, we talked about my son since that was the entire reason of why he’s here after all.
"I see, I didn’t know he’ll co today." he said quietly then turned his gaze at . "Anyway, I’ll be fine with anything as long as it’s not beans."
I exhaled in relief so fast I nearly sagged. Thank goodness he wasn’t the type to imdiately twist things into sothing dramatic. Misunderstanding is quite draining and I need to remain calm if I wanted this contract to proceed smoothly.
"You don’t have to worry. I don’t usually cook beans since my son hates them," I said with a smile.
My gaze drifted to the carrier he was still holding. "Is that...?" I pointed with my hand.
He followed my hand and nodded. "Oh. This is the cat I was talking about. Her na is Serena. She choked on so yarn last week, so she had to stay at the vet for a few days."
Typical cat behavior.
His expression softened—like he was looking at sothing warming—as he crouched to place the carrier gently on the floor. I quickly crouched beside him without even thinking.
He pressed the latch, and with a soft click, the door opened.
A small short-haired cat stepped out, her fur smooth and well-grood. She had two different colored eyes—one a clear blue, the other a warm gold. What is this condition again? Heterochromia?
She shook herself slightly before walking toward Venzrich, rubbing her head against his hand. Her soft purr filled the quiet room.
"She’s beautiful," I whispered.
He brushed his fingers along her back, and Serena leaned into the touch. For that mont, he didn’t look intimidating at all. He looked... gentle.
My lips pressed into thin line. I want to pet her too.
"Do you want to pet her?" he asked, as if reading my mind. I perked up.
"Can I?" I smiled so wide it’s almost tearing my lips, my hands wiggle excitedly.
He nodded, and I reached out, brushing the back of my hand along Serena’s back. Her fur was incredibly soft—proof of how well cared for she was.
Encouraged, I gently scooped her into my arms. She didn’t resist. I stroked under her chin, and she tilted her head up happily.
Then—
A sharp pain split through my skull.
It was so sudden and so violent, that I gasped. My vision blurred and I stumbled on my feet, and in the next heartbeat, I wasn’t seeing Serena anymore.
Instead, I saw another white cat laying bloody, limp, and lifeless in my arm.
My stomach lurched. I jerked away and nearly dropped Serena in my panic, but managed to place her on the floor with trembling hands.
Pain shot through my chest, squeezing so tight I could barely breathe. My hands shook uncontrollably.
Then the mory hit.
"Rember this. It was you who killed that thing."
A woman’s voice echoed in my mind, his voice sharp, cold and almost unforgiving.
Who?
Who was that?
Why couldn’t I see her face?
Another mory flash in my mind. I saw my younger self, much smaller, clutching the sa lifeless body in my hands, crying so hard I couldn’t even breathe. Tears stread down my younger cheeks. Panic, fear, and confusion written across my face.
No.
No, no, no.
I don’t want this. I don’t want to rember this. It hurt—it hurt too much.
"What happened? Are you alright?"
Venzrich’s voice sounded close, and when he touched my arm, a jolt like electricity shot through . I flinched violently and swatted his hand away without thinking. I paused when I realized my mistake.
"I—I’m sorry. I’ll just... I’ll go to the bathroom," I managed to say before practically running away.
I locked the door behind and collapsed on the cold floor. The ringing in my ears wouldn’t stop. The sa mory kept flashing again and again like a broken projector I couldn’t turn off.
"It was you who killed that thing."
"It was you who killed that thing."
"It was you who killed that thing."
Stop.
Stop.
Please stop.
Who even are you?
Why does your voice feel like ice pressing into my skull?
A terrible chill crept over , sinking straight into my bones.
Wait.
Why... why am I so afraid?
What happened back then?
What are those mories?
Why do they feel real—but also impossibly distant?
I tried to think back—really think back—to my childhood.
But the mont I did, it felt like I slamd into a giant wall. A tall, solid, iron wall with no cracks, no way to climb, nothing to hold on to. And behind it... sothing was waiting. Sothing I couldn’t reach.
My childhood—
Why can’t I rember it?
Everything before a certain point was just... gone. A blank fog. All I could rember was the beating. The pain. Nothing else. No faces. No warmth. Not even my own mother’s appearance.
What did she look like?
I pressed my palms to my face, breathing hard. A heavy, shaking sigh escaped —so deep my chest ached from the strain.
Then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Pause.
Knock.
My breath hitched.
That pattern.
It wasn’t Venzrich.
It was my son.
I only used that knock pattern when he felt overwheld and needed to know if it was safe to co closer—just like I taught him.
And here I was... locked in the bathroom, spiraling, drowning in mories I didn’t even understand.
What was I doing?
What kind of mother makes her son worry like this?
My throat tightened painfully. I pressed a trembling hand over my mouth as the realization sank in.
I felt like a terrible mother.
What I didn’t know that day, I have awakened a monster.
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