Recently, I heard that my nemesis of an ex-boyfriend found himself a new guy. Though his boyfriends always look somewhat like me, this one is apparently the spitting image. I didn't care. After all, a good ex should be as good as dead. That is, until Sebastian brought the guy to a gathering and, with deliberate provocation, sat him right next to me. When I finally saw his face, I froze. Instead of a distant greeting, what slipped out was: "How did you get so thin?" Sebastian watched with amusement, sneering, "Since when do you care about others, Lucas? Save the fake concern." I ignored him, my eyes fixed on the fragile figure beside me. Sensing his stiff posture and seeing his evasive gaze, I felt an odd sense of relief. The little ingrate. He still remembers me. 1 When Sebastian pushed the door open and walked in with someone trailing behind him, everyone had already arrived. Whispers rippled through the room as eyes landed on the guy my friends had dubbed "my double." Sebastian didn't bother giving me a friendly look. He was clearly here to pick a fight. His cold, dark eyes locked onto me, his tone icy and mocking: "What, no welcome?" I met his gaze but said nothing. It was Max, our mutual friend, who smoothed things over. "Sebastian, man, what are you talking about? Come on, sit over here." Max stood up and patted my shoulder, whispering an apology. "Sorry, man. He insisted on coming. I couldn't shake him, so I gave him the address." I shook my head. It was fine. Sebastian had always been arrogant. Our breakup was ugly. Knowing him, he wouldn't just let things go. I glanced at the guy Sebastian brought. Black hair, pale skin, wearing a mask that hid most of his face. But his eyes were stunning—even with the mask, they were hard to ignore. I didn't think he looked like me, but those eyes felt strangely familiar. Like I had seen them crying before. It was weird. I told myself I was overthinking it. Another thing—he looked unhealthily thin. Like he was sick. Combined with his pale skin, he looked frail and listless. 2 Sebastian took a seat, bringing the guy with him. It felt deliberate. There were plenty of seats, but he sat the guy right next to me. The boy was obedient, nodding and doing whatever Sebastian said. Sitting this close, I could catch a faint scent of medicine mixed with cedar. The latter was Sebastian’s scent. It was his signature cologne. The smell reminded me: this was Sebastian’s person. I shouldn't be curious. Even if I lacked class, I wasn't about to steal his boyfriend. After sitting down, Sebastian acted uncharacteristically gentlemanly. He refused the drinks our friends poured, ordering a juice for the boy instead. He leaned in close, asking if he felt uncomfortable anywhere. He acted like he cherished him deeply. But everyone in the room exchanged glances, knowing better. Someone with a temper like Sebastian's couldn't keep up an act for more than two days. Still, everyone played along. I found the whole charade laughable. Until Sebastian called the boy "Ah-Yan." Suddenly, I couldn't laugh anymore. 3 Hearing that incredibly familiar name, I froze. The glass in my hand almost slipped. I set it down, forcing myself to stay calm. It had been a long time since I heard that name. While I was dazed, Sebastian reached over and pulled down the boy's mask. Instinctively, I looked. The face under the mask was indeed flawless, just as I had guessed. I stared at him, lost in thought for a moment. Not because he was beautiful, but because that face was too familiar. I raised him myself. How could I not know him? 4 Ah-Yan’s full name is Julian. He was the son of my father’s friend. When he was ten, his parents died in a car accident. He became an orphan. His relatives fought ugly battles over the insurance money, but no one actually cared about Julian. They left him alone in his house, ignoring him even when he was sick. Eventually, my father, David, heard about it and brought him home. But David wasn't a good father. He didn't even take care of me, let alone Julian. In David’s mind, children grew up on their own, needing no care or concern. When Julian first arrived, he was a cold kid, distant from everyone. I was in high school then, busy all the time. Our schedules never aligned. Sometimes I stayed at an apartment near my school and didn't come home. Even when we were under the same roof, we rarely saw each other. We didn't even eat at the same time. I barely felt his presence in the house. He was practically invisible. Until one weekend, I came home late and found Julian sitting outside my door. I bent down and tapped his shoulder to wake him. It turned out he had a nightmare. The kid looked up at me with red, teary eyes and tentatively asked, "Lucas, can you hug me?" I hesitated for two seconds, then hugged him. Then I pulled him up from the floor. That one moment somehow convinced him I was a good person. Julian started clinging to me. One day, I came home early and saw him waiting at the dining table. The housekeeper told me he waited for me almost every day. But since I rarely came home, he almost never saw me. I felt a strange guilt. I decided to take him to live with me at my apartment. Suddenly having another person around was weird at first. But Julian was sensible. He cooked and cleaned without being asked. Over time, I got used to it. The only issue was his sleepwalking. He often ended up in my room. At first, I found it annoying. But seeing him crying in his sleep made it hard to be harsh. My leniency became his habit. Whenever he had a nightmare, he came to find me. Sometimes, even without a nightmare, he’d come. Julian was good-looking and incredibly obedient. Calling me "Lucas" all day, I couldn't get angry at him. Especially compared to my friends' bratty little brothers, Julian was an angel. I treated him well, putting real effort into raising him like a son. Even the housekeeper said I spoiled him rotten. I even hand-washed his school uniform. He was good, and I was willing to spoil him. But he shouldn't have developed feelings for me.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386172", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel