this Chapter is told from a third person’s pov .

The discharge process took longer than Ethan expected.

By the time the paperwork was finalized, Nathan had already gone downstairs twice for coffee and come back complaining about hospital vending machine prices both times.

Mrs Cruxs sat upright in the bed while a nurse carefully explained the medication schedule again, handing Ethan a printed sheet with highlighted sections.

"Morning pills after breakfast," the nurse said. "The blood thinner stays exactly on schedule. No missed doses."

Ethan nodded and took the paper.

"We understand."

Dr Kade entered a few minutes later carrying a tablet beneath one arm. He looked exhausted in the specific way doctors always did near the end of long shifts, but his expression softened slightly when he saw Mrs Cruxs dressed and ready to leave.

"Well," he said, "this is a much better sight than the last time I saw you."

Mrs Cruxs smiled faintly. "I’m trying my best."

"And it’s working."

Dr Kade turned toward Ethan and Nathan.

"Recovery’s going well, but that doesn’t mean we’re careless now." His tone sharpened slightly into something more clinical. "No unnecessary stress. No heavy lifting. Make sure she takes the medication exactly as prescribed."

Nathan raised a hand immediately. "What if she tries to do housework anyway?"

Mrs Cruxs looked offended. "I can still function."

"You tried to carry groceries three days after surgery," Nathan reminded her.

"Those oranges were not heavy."

"They were in a crate."

Dr Kade hid what looked suspiciously like amusement.

"Cardiac rehabilitation starts next week," he continued. "Light monitored exercise, breathing therapy, recovery observation. It matters more than people think, so don’t skip it."

Ethan nodded.

"We won’t."

"And if she experiences chest pain again, dizziness, shortness of breath, anything unusual..." Dr Kade looked directly at both brothers. "You bring her in immediately. Understood?"

"Understood," Ethan said.

Nathan nodded too.

Dr Kade glanced back toward Mrs Cruxs.

"You’ve got good people around you. That’s helping more than you realize."

For just a second, something emotional passed across her face before she smiled again.

"Thank you, doctor."

Dr Kade gave a small nod and stepped out.

A few minutes later Ethan heard heels approaching from down the corridor.

He turned.

Raina.

She was carrying a bouquet of white lilies in one hand, dressed simply compared to how most people imagined Lumi♡Live looked in public. Dark skirt. Light sweater. Hair resting neatly over one shoulder.

His mother smiled immediately.

"Oh, I know those flowers."

Raina looked almost relieved.

"I remembered you liked lilies."

Mrs Cruxs accepted them carefully.

"They’re beautiful. Thank you."

Nathan looked between Ethan and Raina once before a slow grin spread across his face.

"So this is official now, huh?"

Ethan sighed.

"Nathan."

"What?" Nathan held up both hands innocently. "I’m just saying, Mum already called this months ago."

Mrs Cruxs looked entirely pleased with herself.

"I did."

Raina laughed softly, though Ethan caught the slight tension beneath it.

Ethan stepped closer to her.

"Mum, you remember Raina."

"Of course I do," Mrs Cruxs said warmly. "I’d have to be unconscious not to remember the girl who practically bullied my son into taking care of himself."

Raina looked genuinely caught off guard by that.

"I wasn’t bullying him."

"You absolutely were," Ethan said.

"It worked though," Nathan added.

Mrs Cruxs looked back at Raina with a softer expression.

"And now you’re dating him."

Raina straightened slightly.

"Yes, ma’am."

"Oh no," Mrs Cruxs said immediately. "If you’re dating my son properly then you don’t call me ma’am anymore."

Nathan stepped forward and offered Raina his hand dramatically.

"Welcome to the family. Ethan’s weird but we manage him."

Ethan shoved his shoulder lightly.

"You’re making this embarrassing on purpose."

"It’s my responsibility as an older brother."

"You are six minutes older."

"You mean six years right ? cause I’m at least six years older than you"

" Same difference " Ethan said jokingly.

Raina laughed again and Ethan realized, not for the first time lately, how much he liked hearing that sound.

The drive home felt strangely peaceful.

Nathan drove.

Mrs Cruxs sat in the passenger seat while Ethan and Raina sat in the back together, their shoulders occasionally brushing whenever the car turned.

Neither of them moved away.

By the time they arrived at Ethan’s apartment building, the late afternoon sun had softened into evening gold.

Nathan helped carry the bags upstairs while Ethan carefully walked his mother inside.

The guest room had already been prepared earlier that morning. Fresh sheets. Medication organizer on the side table. Water beside the bed.

Mrs Cruxs looked around quietly.

"You did all this?"

Ethan shrugged slightly.

"Didn’t want you stressing about anything."

Her expression softened again in that way mothers had when they looked at their children and suddenly saw them older than they remembered.

While Ethan and Nathan started preparing dinner in the kitchen, Raina helped Mrs Cruxs unpack.

Most of the conversation started casually.

Clothes folded neatly.

Toiletries arranged carefully.

Small things.

But eventually Mrs Cruxs glanced sideways toward her.

"So," she said gently, "how long have you two been seeing each other?"

Raina paused for a second before answering.

"A few weeks."

"And how did my son manage that?"

Raina smiled faintly.

"We met through work initially."

Mrs Cruxs nodded slowly.

"Ethan mentioned that."

"He was handling some design work for me."

"And now you’re here unpacking my sweaters."

Something about the warmth in her voice made Raina unexpectedly careful with her next response.

"Yes."

Mrs Cruxs sat down slowly on the edge of the bed.

"I hear you’re a streamer."

"A V-tuber specifically," Raina corrected softly.

Mrs Cruxs looked curious.

"I’ve never actually used VTube before."

"You’ve never watched streams?" Raina asked.

"I barely understand how Netflix works."

Raina laughed quietly.

"A lot of people post content there. Music, livestreams, gaming, commentary... things like that."

"And people watch all day?"

"More than you’d think."

Mrs Cruxs studied her for a moment.

"You must work very hard."

That caught Raina slightly off guard.

Most people asked about fame first.

Not effort.

"I do," she admitted.

Mrs Cruxs nodded once.

Then, almost casually:

"Do you love my son?"

Raina froze.

The answer arrived instantly.

Which was precisely why she couldn’t say it out loud.

"Mrs—"

"Dinner’s ready," Ethan called from the kitchen.

Raina exhaled internally so hard it almost counted as survival.

Hell of a question...

Dinner ended up far better than Ethan expected.

Pork roast.

Mashed potatoes.

Green beans on the side.

Nathan insisted he deserved most of the credit despite spending nearly half the cooking time eating ingredients directly from the pan.

They gathered around the table together while Nathan said a short prayer before everyone started eating.

"Thank you for the food," Raina said automatically before taking her first bite.

Mrs Cruxs looked at her curiously.

Raina blinked once before realizing.

"Oh—it’s a Japanese thing," she explained. "You thank people before eating."

"I like that," Mrs Cruxs said warmly.

Conversation came easily after that.

Mrs Cruxs asked questions about streaming.

Nathan told increasingly ridiculous childhood stories about Ethan.

Apparently six-year-old Ethan once cried because a pigeon stole half his sandwich in public.

"It flew away looking victorious," Nathan said. "I’ve never seen someone lose a psychological battle to a bird before."

"I was six."

"You were devastated."

Even Mrs Cruxs laughed at that.

Raina laughed too, quietly covering her mouth while Ethan stared at his brother with exhausted betrayal.

The warmth of the room settled around her slowly.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just... peaceful.

And somehow that felt more dangerous than anything else.

Because she liked it far too much.

After dinner they cleaned together, arguing lightly over dishes and whose turn it was to dry plates.

Later they moved into the living room and played cards for almost an hour.

Mrs Cruxs won repeatedly with terrifying consistency.

Nathan accused her of cheating three separate times.

She denied all allegations.

Night arrived gently after that.

Eventually Malik texted that he was outside.

Ethan walked Raina downstairs.

The cold air outside felt quieter than the warmth upstairs.

For a moment neither of them spoke.

Then Raina looked up at him.

"Today was nice."

"Yeah," Ethan admitted. "It really was."

She smiled softly. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"I like your family."

"They like you too."

"I noticed."

Ethan laughed quietly.

Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Slow.

Warm.

Unhurried.

When they pulled apart, neither moved immediately.

"This might’ve been the most fun I’ve had in years," Ethan admitted.

Raina looked at him carefully before smiling again.

"Me too."

She got into the car a moment later and Malik pulled away from the curb.

Ethan stood there watching until the car disappeared around the corner.

Then he turned toward his building.

And stopped.

Someone was standing across the street beneath the shadows near the fence line.

Still.

Watching him.

For a second fear hit fast and sharp.

Then irritation followed immediately after.

This again.

Ethan stepped forward slightly.

"Whoever you are," he called out, "why are you following me?"

No response.

His pulse was hammering now.

"I’ll call the cops!"

The figure didn’t move.

Nathan’s voice drifted faintly from upstairs.

"Ethan! Everything okay?"

Ethan didn’t look away from the shadow.

"Everything’s fine!"

Then, more carefully:

"Look, I’m not gonna hurt you. Just come out so we can talk."

A pause.

Then the figure stepped slowly into the light.

Ethan’s stomach dropped.

"...Malcolm?"

Malcolm looked thinner than before. Tired. Hollow around the eyes.

But he smiled slightly.

"Relax," he said quietly. "I mean you no harm, Ethan."

Ethan took another cautious step forward.

"What do you want?"

Before Malcolm could answer—

Ethan heard a muffled thud somewhere beyond the alley.

Followed by the brief sound of movement.

Then silence.

Ethan turned instinctively toward the noise.

Only for a second.

When he looked back—

Malcolm was gone.

Ethan’s heart kicked hard against his ribs.

"What the hell—"

He crossed the street quickly, searching the shadows near the fence line.

Nothing.

No footsteps.

No movement.

No sign anyone had been there at all.

The street sat cold and silent beneath the lights.

And for the first time since this started—

Ethan felt genuinely afraid.