—Varek's POV—
They think I'm a patient. That's almost funny.
They think I had an episode. That I lost control. That I need help.
They don't know I did all of this on purpose — just to see him again.
I planned everything. Down to the last detail.
Even the violence. Even the silence.
They called it a "psychotic break."But really, it was a door and Nolan Vale was the lock I meant to turn.
---
The first time I saw him again — really saw him —
he was standing in the doorway of Room 13, holding a file with my fake name on it.
And he looked… the same.
Older, sharper. But still him.
I had watched him from a distance for so long, I thought the moment would feel unreal.
But it wasn't.
It was holy.
He walked in like a prayer I had repeated so many times it became a habit.
Like a religion I built around his name.
For years, I followed him.
From hospital to hospital.
Watched him sit at cafes, smiling at strangers.
Watched him cry once, alone in his car.
He never saw me.
And that was fine. That was beautiful because I wasn't ready. Not until now.
Now I had a room. A file. A reason to speak to him.
I had bled for this. Killed for this.
And finally — finally — he was here. Breathing the same air. Looking at me, confused. Lost. Perfect.
He said, "Mr…?" like he didn't know me.
He didn't.
Not anymore.
But I knew him.
"I know you," I said.
It came out quieter than I expected. Like I didn't want to scare him.
Like I was scared I'd ruin it.
He flinched — just a little.
He didn't remember, but his body did.
His soul did.
---
He thinks I'm a patient.
But I'm not here for treatment.
I'm here to be seen.
To remind him.
To make him remember the promise he broke.
He was always meant to be mine.
And now…
now he's finally within reach.
------------------------------------------
— Nolan's POV —
I shut the door behind me and leaned against the wall, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
Room 13 had always felt cold — but today, it was something else entirely. A stillness that clung to my skin like frost.
I glanced down at the clipboard in my hand. Blank.
Not just the file — my notes too.
I hadn't written a single word.
He didn't give me anything.
Except a sentence."You came back."
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
---
In my office, I dropped the file on the desk and sat down.
No name. No background. No cooperation.
Yet... he wanted only me.
The staff said he refused every other doctor. Didn't eat. Didn't speak. Didn't move. Until they mentioned my name.
That should've meant something. But it didn't. Not yet. I didn't recognize him.
I would've remembered a face like that — pale, still, unreadable. Eyes like glass, not quite dead, but not alive either.
Still... there was a weird chill under my skin. Not fear. Not quite.
Something closer to being watched.
---
I rubbed the back of my neck and opened his file again.
Still nothing.
A small knock on the door broke the silence.
It was Mira, one of the nurses.
"You okay?" she asked. "You were in there longer than usual."
"Yeah," I lied.
"Just... new case tension."
She raised a brow. "He didn't say anything, right?"
"A few words."
Her eyes widened. "To you?"
I nodded. "We'll see where it goes."
But the truth was... I had no idea where this was going.