CHAPTER 413: WHAT THE

"Call Max and tell him you will not see him again."

It took him a minute to understand what he was saying and even after that, another minute to understand the implications...

He looked up slowly, almost cautiously, at the man in front of him. Then, without saying a word, he shook his head. There was no way he could do that. They had already agreed to cooperate in the future. There had been no problem, no tension, no reason to break things off. Of course he knew the context was completly different but he would not lie to Cadence just for the sake of it.

Cadence’s fingers tightened on his wrists until Elais knew there would be bruises later. Yet he didn’t pull away. He simply stared back at the man until Cadence finally let go.

Then Cadence spoke, his tone dropping low. "Why did you never tell me that you liked men?"

Elais frowned at the question. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Cadence was jumping from one thing to the next, his thoughts running ahead of Elais’s own. Still, without stopping to think, he answered the only way he knew how.

"I don’t like men," he said quietly. "I liked you."

Cadence blinked. For a moment, his expression shifted—confusion, surprise, maybe even something darker flashing through his eyes. Then, in one sudden movement, he pulled Elais up and onto his lap, holding him firmly in place.

"So," Cadence said, his voice softer now, "you liked me, hmm? Then why didn’t you tell me, Dr. Jung?"

Elais shook his head, unable to find the right words.

But Cadence didn’t give him time to answer. "Oh. Wait," he said lightly, almost mockingly. "I should call you Elais now. Because Dr. Jung is not my doctor anymore." He leaned in slightly, eyes fixed on Elais’s face. "So listen to me carefully, Elais. You are my family. Always have been. So why would I need a Melody or a Melanie to love?"

Elais froze, hearing the names, not understanding where this was going.

"The only reason I went looking for Melody," Cadence continued, "was because I couldn’t handle my feelings for you anymore. Do you remember the last episode I had? Before I found her?"

Elais nodded blankly, his throat tight.

Cadence’s hand clenched once against his side as though the memory stung. "I almost choked you to death that day. You kept asking me why. Over and over. But I couldn’t tell you. Couldn’t tell you that there was only one thought in my head at the time—just one." He paused, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "If I kill you... and myself... then maybe we can be together in the afterlife. Right?"

Elais went still, hardly able to breathe.

"After that," Cadence went on, his tone uneven now, "I was terrified. What if next time I didn’t stop? What if I woke up one day and you were dead because of me? I couldn’t risk it. So the first thing I did was find a woman to hold on to. Someone I could... direct all those feelings toward instead. Because if they weren’t aimed at you, then maybe you would be safe."

Elais couldn’t breathe after hearing all of it. It wasn’t just the shock of Cadence’s words, or even the happiness—the quiet, aching happiness—of knowing that Cadence had loved him all this time. It was something heavier and sharper.

Because underneath it all lay the ugly truth that he had ended up harming Cadence in ways he had never realized. Not with his hands, but with his decisions, with his failures to see what was in front of him. His judgment had been so clouded that he hadn’t noticed the man falling apart right before his eyes.

And Melanie had been right, hadn’t she? If he had just stepped back... if he had let another doctor take over Cadence’s case instead of stubbornly holding on because he thought he knew best... things might have been different. They might have been so different.

The weight of that thought pressed down on him like a stone. He felt as though he were sinking, drowning in guilt and self-blame.

And then, sharp fingers twisted into his hair, yanking his head back.

Elais froze, startled, and looked up. Cadence’s eyes locked onto his, steady, unyielding, as he said, voice low but certain, "But now... things are different, Elais. Now I know I can be with you the way I want." His hand slid up the back of Elais’s neck, firm and possessive. "So you better prepare yourself. I’m going to be your family."

"You’ve always been my family," Elais answered automatically. The words slipped out before he could stop them, quiet, unthinking, almost instinctive.

Cadence’s hand tightened at the back of his neck at that. He pulled Elais’s head down, his breath brushing close to Elais’s ear as he whispered, almost threateningly, "Then I’m going to be your lover. Your one and only. Understand?"

Elais nodded. He didn’t even know what he was agreeing to. His mind was a blur, tangled somewhere between guilt and confusion and the raw nearness of the man holding him.

Because somewhere along the line, his attention had shifted.

He was no longer thinking about what Cadence had said. He wasn’t even thinking about the promise—or the threat—Cadence had just made. All his focus had narrowed to the hard, insistent length pressing against him from beneath.

Heat climbed into his face.

He tried to shift back, tried to push himself off Cadence’s lap before things went any further, but the man’s grip didn’t loosen. If anything, it only grew firmer, his arm locking around Elais’s waist as though daring him to try and leave.

He watched as Cadence moved and whispered in his ear,"You feel that... Elais Jung... That is years and years of my desire for you."

Elais shivered as Cadence continued," I hope you have your trusty medical kit with you... We are going to be needing a few creams..."

As Elais’s eyes widened, his lips were taken...