Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 83. What She Needed

Lying on his bed, Misha absently stared at the ceiling, his thoughts swirling about in his head like a storm. Today, too many things happened one after another, and now that he was alone in his room, Gabriel being in the shower and their guests having returned home, he couldn't help but think back on what he had discovered. It shed some light on a few events he had never understood, yet it also shrouded others in mystery.

Truthfully, his sister's sexual orientation did shock him, but only because he had never seen a hint of it in his past life. She had concealed it perfectly, pretending to be in a relationship with Gabriel for years and never acting lovey-dovey with Camille. Gabriel was also the same, never showing any signs of his sexual preferences.

If Misha hadn't overheard their conversation, he had a feeling he would never have found out about it, even though he was reliving his life all over again.

Soon, memories of when his sister collapsed in his arms surfaced in his mind. Her last words, which Misha could never forget even if he wanted to, seemed to resonate in his head like a broken record. Back then, she said that all those years, she was never loved, only played with. But those words didn't mention anyone; they didn't clarify who toyed with her heart, which led to Misha thinking she was talking about her long-time boyfriend.

Now, Misha knew she wasn't talking about Gabriel but Camille. And after learning the truth about their relationship, Gabriel's reply to his queries also seemed to make more sense.

Years ago, his teen self stormed into his office like a tornado, demanding an explanation right here and then. He didn't give Gabriel time to think about what was going on and grabbed his collar to pull him up from his chair, waiting for an answer he hoped would deny his sister's words. But his hopes were doomed to be crushed to dust.

"I've never once seen your sister as my lover," the child snorted to himself. "Wasn't it?"

At the time, Gabriel spoke the truth; however, it also hinted that he was the one who had broken his sister's heart, considering her previous wording. It made him appear heartless and cold-blooded, destroying the kind and gentle image Misha had of him. It shattered his whole world into pieces, and he lost it.

As that dreadful day flashed before his eyes, Misha chewed on his lower lips, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He had worn blinders for a very long time, only seeing the tip of the iceberg without knowing that there was so much more hidden under it. He was too caught up in his own problems to notice his loved ones' struggles.

Back then, he went to see Gabriel before discovering Masha's death, and he now had a hunch that Gabriel wasn't aware of the real situation at hand, or else he wouldn't have played along, pretending to have a falling out with his sister. And surely, he wouldn't have taken on the bad-guy role so that Misha didn't discover who had truly broken his sister's heart.

Perhaps, Gabriel was planning to discuss with Masha first to ask her what she wanted to do. Should he tell the truth or continue to lie to her little brother? Knowing him, he probably intended to let her choose, even if he had to become the bastard of the story and carry on the blame.

That guy would do anything for his loved ones, or so that was what Misha had come to believe. That idiot risked his life to protect him when he fell down the slope, not even hesitating a second before jumping to catch him and cushion his body with his own; that spoke volumes.

At long last, Misha could tell that years ago, Gabriel probably acted this way to protect his sister's secret, as they were afraid he wouldn't accept her sexuality. But in the end, it only led to a lifetime of misunderstandings.

Because after returning home, Misha fell upon his sister's corpse, and it became impossible for Gabriel to clarify the whole story and clear his name. From then on, Misha wouldn't believe anything that came out of his mouth, and his first reaction whenever he met him would be to beat him up, just like he had done at the bar.