?Chapter 2268


    Asher could not bear to imagine what his world would be like without Arnold. If he lost Arnold, it would be as if the sky copsed, leaving nothing but a deste wastnd behind.


    Gasping for breath, Asher rushed into the vi, his heart pounding. The ce was cold, dark, and eerily silent.


    Immediately, the buried memories he had long suppressed surged back with overwhelming force. Gripping his chest, he tried in vain to suppress the crushing pain.


    Since Kairos''s death, he had not set foot in this vi-not even once. His lover had died at the height of their affection. The gut-wrenching guilt and sorrow of that moment were emotions only someone who had lived through such devastation could understand.


    But now was not the time for sadness.


    Desperation took over as Asher called out for Arnold and frantically searched room by room.


    When he reached the second floor and saw the light on in the private cinema, his heart raced. He rushed inside.


    "Arnold!"


    The room was empty, save for Arnold, who sat motionless on the sofa, his eyes vacant. White rosesy scattered at his feet, their petals strewn across the floor.


    On the screen, the intimate video of Asher and Kairos continued to y on a loop, though the sound had been turned off.


    Arnold stared at it nkly, his pale lips curling into a small, bitter smile.


    He wasughing at himself.


    "Arnold... Stop watching! Don''t look at it anymore!" Asher had no way to turn off the screen, so he positioned himself between Arnold and the video, trying to block his view. "Elio is targeting me! Don''t let him get to you. Don''t believe what he says!"


    "Even if 99% of his words are lies, this one is true."


    Arnold slowly raised his swollen eyelids, his tear-filled gaze locking onto Asher''s sweat-soaked face. His smile was broken, his words hollow. "Your one true love... Was him, not me."


    Asher''s heart clenched painfully. "That''s not true..."


    "The truth is, your heart left with him a long time ago..." Amold''s voice was drawn-out and heavy, like someone who had walked a long, exhausting journey only to reach the end utterly drained. "He was your one true love, the person you were willing to give your life for. I''m just a painkiller, a temporary relief for your grief, and a substitute."


    His voice wavered with pain as he continued, "Those nights when you kissed me, when you held me... You were thinking of him, weren''t you? You were just grateful you found someone who looked so much like him, who just happened to love you so desperately."


    "But no matter what... No matter how simr we are... It''s all a lie-a lie you can never truly convince yourself of."


    Tears welled up in Asher''s eyes as he shook his head, unable to deny the truth Arnold was tearing himself apart with.


    "I will never be anyone''s shadow. I''d rather die than live as a substitute." With those words, Amold pulled out a white rose from behind him. His cold, resolute gaze met Asher''s as he raised the flower, revealing that its stem had been sharpened into a de.


    Before Asher could react, Arnold pressed the stem against his delicate cheek, dragging it across his skin with a swift, ruthless motion.


    A thin, bloody line appeared where the rose had cut him-a stark, raw scar that marred his once wless face.


    "Ash, tell me... Do I still look like him?" Arnold asked, smiling through the pain.


    "Arnold! No!"


    Asher''s eyes widened in horror. He reached out, but before he could stop him, Arnold shed his face a second time.


    The two red gashes stood out against his pale skin, like cracks in pristine porcin-violent, painful, and unforgettable.


    Arnold let out a brokenugh, tears mixing with the blood that streamed down his face. "Tell me... Do I still look like him? Do you still want me?"


    "Please don''t do this... Arnold, I''m begging you!"


    Asher dropped to his knees before him, gripping Arnold''s wrists tightly, his pride and arrogance shattered in the face of his lover''s anguish. Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, "You can hate me, hurt me, do anything you want to me... But please don''t hurt yourself. Not like this."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    He was willing to bear anything except watching Arnold destroy himself.


    "Are you feeling sorry for me now?" Arnold let out a bitterugh, the tears mingling with the blood staining his cheeks. "No. You''re not feeling sorry for me. You''re using me to save yourself, to fill the void left by the one you truly loved. You''ve been saved. But who will save me?"


    His hand, still holding the white rose, fell limp to his side. His voice grew faint as he closed his eyes. "Asher... Let''s end this."