Chapter 36: Secret.

"No!" Crystal yelled, rushing to Shane with Steven.

Her sister's magic was very strong and she would have to sacrifice a lot to undo it. She used her magic to listen to the walls and everything that happened in the room before she arrived played in her head, helping her know what happened.

She broke down in tears knowing she could only do little about the situation.

To revive Shane back to life, she gave up her life, after all she was going to die soon anyway, so instead of wasting her life, she decided to save someone with it. But she didn't tell Steven because she knew he would object to it.

As Shane coughed back to life, she fell weakly into Steven's arms. "I don't have much time, so listen carefully."

"I can't break my sister's curse, her magic is too strong for me. But I can provide a remedy," she began.

"I don't need the remedy. I'll gladly suffer for you," he spoke.

"Well I don't want that," she countered him.

"Before the one thousand years is complete, I'll be reincarnated. Only my reincarnation can break the curse, with a life for a life equation. I'll be reborn in my bloodline, and the hairpin you gifted me will be a guide to help you identify my reincarnation. I've gifted the hairpin to my daughter Dalia, and ordered that it be passed down to the next generations until I take possession of it again," she continued.

"Stop rushing your words, Crys... take your time, please..." Steven's voice was shaky with fear.

"Your brother will wake up, but there will be a change in his fate. If after the one thousand years and you don't find my reincarnation, only you will die, your brother won't. He's already died now, he can't die again except the curse is broken," she continued from where she stopped.

"I'm sorry, this is how far I can help," she said with tears.

"Don't say that..." Steven cried. "Please don't leave me," his voice was like a whisper.

"I love you." Crystal whispered and passed away, leaving Steven wailing hard.

Back To The Present.

Steven's past flashed before him in his unconsciousness like he was having a dream and his eyes shot open.

Dua turned to him and when she saw him awake, she heaved a sigh of relief, "oh, thank goodness you're awake."

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"You don't have to tell me about Crystal, I swear I'll never ask you about her again," she said, worried that it was the reason he slumped.

Steven attempted to stand up from the floor but she stopped him. "Don't you think you should wait a little? Do you think you can get up now?" They were still on the spot, Steven slumped. She didn't move from there, hoping and praying that he'd regain consciousness soon.

He kept her quiet and stood up, striding towards the bed. "Looks like he doesn't need the wait." Dua shrugged and followed him to the bed.

"Are you alright?" She asked and he nodded.

"Thank you," he suddenly said out of the blue.

Dua's eyes shot in surprise as she asked him, "me?"

Steven nodded and she nodded too, "you're welcome."

"So what happened, why did you suddenly collapse?" She asked and he was quiet for a few minutes.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to answer. I don't even know why I asked," she said, her eyes dropping.

"I have a hole in my heart," he said.

"Oh," she looked down, feeling bad for him. "You must have had a painful past," she said, thinking he was referring to his past.

Steven tried to stipple a chuckle. "It's not my past, it's my present. My medical report says I have a hole in my heart," he replied.

Dua's eyes widened as she finally understood him, "what?!" She was shocked. "Why? How?" She asked and Steven finally let out a little chuckle.

"How am I supposed to know the answers to those questions?" He asked.

"No, I meant how can a 24 year old have a hole in his heart? It's too early to have such a health condition," she explained herself.

"Does Shane know about it?" She asked.

"No, I didn't tell him, and I don't want him to ever find out," he sighed.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because he'll be dead worried about me, and I don't want that," he said and Dua sighed.

"Dua..." he called, contemplating if he should speak or not.

Dua turned to him, anticipating his next sentence.

"Nevermind," he concluded.

Dua sensed his hesitancy, and held his hand, giving him an assuring touch. "I know we both have our differences, but you can trust me."

"Can I trust you with a secret, and I hope you don't tell my brother," he finally spoke.

"Yeah, and I swear Shane will never find out," she assured him.

"But before you tell me your secret, I have a question. Why didn't you opt for surgery?" She said.

"I have very little time left to live, and the chances of me surviving the surgery is slim. So I'd like to live to my last breath without issues," he replied.

"It's also why I wanna have a baby soon, so I'd know I didn't live a wasted life. I'll have someone to always remember me after I'm gone, he continued and Dua sighed. She finally understood him.

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier, baby making machine stuff and every other bad word I said to you," he added and Dua had to pinch herself to make sure she was hearing correctly. Did Steven just apologize to her?

She simply nodded at him then asked, "what's the secret you wanted to trust me with?"

Steven facepalmed himself and shook his head at her. "It's the answers to the question you asked me," he replied.

"Oh," she could only say.

Dua's heart raced as she absorbed his words. The weight of the secret hung in the air, heavy yet somehow liberating. Steven's vulnerability was a stark contrast to the brash bravado he often displayed, and she felt honored that he deemed her worthy of knowing this part of him.

She held his two hands rubbing them gently with hers. "Don't worry, you're not alone," she gave him a supportive look. "I'm here with you...you can lean on me."

"Lean on you?" Steven scoffed.

"Are you underestimating me?" She scoffed too.

"That's not it... it's just that...can you bear my weight when I lean on you?" He asked, his gaze searching deep into her soul.

"Let that be my headache, not yours," she replied bravely.

He looked at her as his lips curled up a little into a half smile, admiring her courage and resilience despite their clashes.