Chapter 24

Lucian

Johan’s fork hovered mid-air. Jessica awkwardly cleared her throat but said nothing.

Halo stood frozen, like he was deciding whether to fight or flee. His lips trembled slightly, but he refused to cry in front of me again. Not this time.

Slowly, he pulled the chair back and sat, jaw clenched, shoulders rigid, eyes locked on a spot far away from me.

He didn't pick up his fork.

“Eat,” I ordered, voice sharp.

Halo didn’t move. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

“Can you stop, Lucian?” Johan’s voice cut in, calm but firm. “The boy doesn’t want to eat. And with the way you’re talking to him, who would?”

“Stay out of this,” I shot back, not bothering to hide my irritation.

“If you want me to stay out of it, then stop treating him like a damn child. He’s over twenty, isn’t he?” Johan leaned back, folding his arms, clearly ready for a fight.

I huffed, my jaw ticking. “That boy isn’t the saint you think he is. He barely eats, and now the world thinks I’m starving him.”

“And the solution is to force-feed him?” Johan challenged. “That’s your grand plan?”

“Johan,” I growled, locking eyes with him. “Keep your mouth out of this. I’m dead serious.”

He went quiet then, sensing the shift in my tone. He knew when I was reaching the edge, and for once, he backed off.

I turned back to Halo, who looked seconds from breaking, his lower lip trembling, eyes glossing over.

“And as for you,” I continued coldly, “eat. Or you’re not leaving this table anytime soon.”

He didn’t argue like I thought he would.

Instead, he picked up his fork and began shoveling food into his mouth in rushed, frantic bites.

Too fast.

Before I could even turn back to my plate, he pushed his chair back with a screech and bolted to the nearest sink, gagging.

A beat passed. Then the sound of him vomiting echoed through the quiet dining room.

“I fucking told you to stop,” Johan snapped, rising from his seat. “But you never listen, Lucian.”

And for once, I had nothing to say.

Johan stayed with Halo until his breathing steadied. But even the lingering scent of food in the dining room made him gag again, forcing them to help him out and into his room to rest. William called the family doctor right away.

I stayed behind in the living room, drink in hand, ignoring the knot forming in my chest. Johan stormed in not long after, his face tight with frustration.

“Like how fucking dense are you, Lucian?” he snapped, pacing.

I didn’t flinch. “What now?”

“Couldn’t you tell? He obviously has an eating disorder!” Johan threw his hands up. “People with that shit don’t respond well to being body-shamed or forced to eat. You did both.”

I scoffed and took another sip of my drink. “Oh, forgive me for not seeing a sign on his forehead that says ‘Hi, I starve myself for fun.’”

“Don’t be an asshole,” Johan growled. “You live with him. How could you not see something was wrong?”

I leaned back on the couch, cold. “He barely talks to me. I don’t exactly have a manual on all his problems, Johan. I was just trying to do what I thought a guardian should. Sorry, I didn’t predict that yet another thing was wrong with that brat.”

Johan's jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak. The silence felt heavier than the argument.

Because deep down, I knew he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You are impossible, Lucian,” Johan said, pacing again, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe me. “Never have I seen you care about anyone like that—yet you do it so damn aggressively.”

“I don’t care about him,” I said flatly. “I’m just doing my duty as his guardian.”

Johan let out a dry, mocking laugh. “You must think I’m stupid. You kept picking on that boy all night like you wanted him to snap. Like you were craving a reaction from him.”

My jaw clenched. “That’s crossing the line, Johan.”

He didn’t back down. “Is it? Because from where I stood, that wasn’t a guardian talking. That was a man pushing someone fragile just to see them break. And it’s not the first time, is it?”

I stared him down, eyes sharp. “Watch what you say next.”

But he didn’t flinch. “No. You watch yourself, Lucian. Because one day, you’ll push him too far—and there’ll be no pulling him back.”

His words hung in the air like smoke, bitter and undeniable.

He stormed off after that, leaving me alone with his words echoing in my head like a damn siren I couldn't shut off.

Minutes later, the doctor arrived. Quiet, efficient—and annoyingly confirming exactly what Johan had said. Halo had all the signs of a classic eating disorder. Malnourishment. Food aversion. Anxiety around meals. It was textbook.

But how the hell did Johan figure it out so fast?

Then it hit me. Of course—he was a model. He'd probably seen it a dozen times in his line of work. He would know the signs better than most.

Still, that didn't explain why Halo, of all people, was dealing with something like this. What the hell was going on with that boy? Or maybe... maybe I didn't know anything at all. Not about eating disorders. Not about Halo. Not even about what kind of guardian I was pretending to be.

I groaned and ran my hands down my face, frustration rolling through me in waves.

Was I being an ass? Did I really push him too hard?

My fists clenched at my sides as the ugly answer sat heavy in my gut.

And now... now I was supposed to apologize? Damn it.

I found myself standing in front of his door, frozen, thinking and rethinking, wondering if I should even bother. Pride screamed for me to walk away, but something else—a low, uncomfortable ache in my chest—kept my feet planted.

Apologizing felt foreign. Weak. But maybe this once, I needed to be weak.

Maybe this once, it wasn’t about me.