"Wait... what?"
The word hung in the air, thick and heavy. Mikael stared at his phone screen, the blue light reflecting in his wide eyes. Engaged? He whispered the word to himself as if it were a foreign language. He wasn't engaged to anyone. He hadn't even spoken to a woman in a romantic capacity in years.
He knew his mother was manipulative, but this was a new level of interference. She was currently away on a business trip with his father, leaving him alone in the massive estate with only his thoughts and his ghosts. He realized with a jolt of terror that the bridge between him and Ken was burning, and he was the only one who could put out the fire.
He quickly typed back: I am not engaged to anyone. And as for Emily... can I see you? I will tell you everything you need to know. Where are you?
A moment later, the reply came: West 57th Street.
Mikael didn't hesitate. He grabbed his keys, nearly tripping down the stairs in his haste. He looked like a man late for the most important appointment of his life.
Wait for me. I'm on my way, he sent as he climbed into his SUV.
The drive was a blur of neon lights and screeching tires. He found Ken sitting at a lonely bus stop, the overhead light casting long, tired shadows across his face. Ken didn't say a word as he got into the passenger seat. They drove in a heavy, suffocating silence to a nearby park, pulling into a secluded spot under a canopy of oak trees.
Mikael killed the engine. The silence was louder than the motor had been. Ken looked at him, his expression an unreadable mask of calm that made Mikael's stomach churn.
"Bae," Mikael began, his voice cracking. "I know you want answers. I know I owe you an explanation for everything... for the way I've been acting. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I tried, Ken. I swear I tried, but it wasn't easy. It's... it's a lot."
Ken's eyes remained fixed on him, steady and waiting. "I'm listening."
Mikael took a ragged breath and gripped the steering wheel. "Emily and I... we go way back. She was my first love. We met at a shopping mall when we were younger. I saw her staring at this expensive dress in a window; her face was lit up, like she was imagining a whole different life in it. I thought I was just doing a favor by buying it for her, but she looked at me like I was a miracle."
He smiled sadly at the memory. "It turned out she lived just down the street. We started as friends, and despite our families being from totally different worlds, we just... fit. It blossomed into something deep. Her smile could light up my darkest days. My parents hated it, but I didn't care. She was my everything. I even gave her a promise ring. We vowed to get married someday."
Mikael's gaze drifted to the windshield, staring at the dark trees. "Then, my parents forced a family vacation to Europe. A month away. We talked every single day—video calls, texts, everything. I was counting down the seconds until I could see her again. But a week before we were supposed to fly back, she went dark."
"Dark?" Ken asked softly.
"She stopped answering. No texts, no calls. I went out of my mind. When we finally landed and I ran to her apartment... it was empty. Sold. The neighbors said her father's business had collapsed and they had fled overnight to escape creditors. I searched everywhere. Private investigators, the internet, old school friends... nothing. It was like she had been erased from the world."
Mikael's hands began to tremble. "The search broke me, Ken. I stopped eating. I couldn't sleep. My mind just... snapped. I ended up in a psychiatric hospital for months. My parents used their money to bury the story, to cover up my 'descent into madness,' as they called it."
Ken shifted in his seat, his eyes softening, but he remained silent.
"We moved to a new location to start over. I tried to move on. I had other relationships, but I never gave them my heart. I was just filling a hole with expensive gifts and a fake smile. My last girlfriend before you... she didn't even like me. She liked the credit card. And I let her, because as long as I was paying, I didn't have to feel anything."
He turned to Ken, his eyes pleading. "But when I met you, the facade cracked. You had this presence—you were real. I approached you prepared for rejection because I knew I wasn't good for you. I was a mess. But I wanted to learn how to love again. I wanted to be the person you deserved."
"When you gave me a chance, it was a dream. But then... she appeared in that classroom. My first love, the girl I had finally convinced myself was dead... standing there like a ghost. I couldn't breathe, Ken. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my ribs. That's why I ran. That's why you found me in that shower."
Mikael cleared his throat, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Then, last night, I went for a walk. And I saw her. She lives in the apartment directly across from mine."
"Across?" Ken finally spoke, his mind clicking into high gear. She shows up weeks after we start dating, enrolls in our school, and moves into the building opposite his house? This isn't coincidence. This is a well planned script. Lucien... could he be behind this?.
"I was as shocked as you are," Mikael continued. "And seeing you two together in the cafeteria... I couldn't do it. My heart rate spikes every time I'm near her. I'm a coward, Ken. I'm terrified of the past. I stayed away today because I didn't know how to handle seeing you with my nightmare."
Mikael leaned back, exhausted. "I don't know who is pulling the strings, but someone doesn't want me near you. And they have the resources to move heaven and earth to make it happen."
Mikael believed it was his parents while ken, on the other hand,felt lucien had the one pulling the strings.
Ken looked at Mikael. He saw the trauma, the fear, and the genuine love in his eyes. He finally understood Emily's reaction and Mikael's panic. But there was one jagged piece of the puzzle that still didn't fit—the one Sara Newman had used to stab him.
"I see," Ken muttered, his voice cold but not unkind. "A lot happened. I have a lot to unpack myself, and I'll need time to think about all of this. But there is one question left. One thing you haven't explained."
"What's that?" Mikael asked, his voice shaking.
Ken looked him dead in the eye. "Why did your mother tell me to my face that you are already engaged?"