The Dream Life || Revamped

Chapter 45

 Libra hummed as he walked out of the lecture hall. He had just finished his only class of the day, so he would be making his way back to his condo. Virgo would be waiting for him. Libra smiled softly as he pulled his bag over his shoulder. He was excited to see what Virgo had prepared for lunch. It was a casserole of some sort, and it was Virgo's favorite meal from his childhood before his parents' true colors started coming out. Libra's eyes darkened. He was disgusted. He couldn't believe Virgo still respected Ceres and Pyxis despite all the abuse he had to endure.

Libra stopped in his tracks when he saw Ceres in the dining hall. Ceres was sitting at one of the two person tables with the extremely tall chairs. He was looking out the window. A solemn look was plastered over his face. His hands were holding an oven-toasted sandwich. Ceres let out a heavy sigh and looked down at his sandwich. He didn't have an appetite any longer, so he put his sandwich back into his container.

Libra hummed. He didn't see the harm in confronting Ceres, so he walked over to the table and sat down across from Ceres. Ceres looked up and flinched when he saw Libra. "H-How can I help you?" He asked, scared by Libra's presence. Libra hummed and shrugged. He had never taken any law-focused courses, so he didn't need help with his schoolwork. Ceres looked around the dining hall, but it was empty or students were coming in and leaving immediately after getting their meals. Ceres looked at Libra. "Uhm... Okay."

"You're Virgo's father right?" Libra asked. "I've heard a lot about you... That you abused your son and punished him over the smallest thing. I heard that you used to lock him in a small room underneath the stairs when he was a child." Ceres's eyes widened in shock. How did Libra find out about the treatments? Ceres pursed his lips. Anyone was bound to find out about the way he treated his son. Ceres leaned back in his seat and looked off to the side. He didn't have any excuse for his actions.

"I... I am his father," he told Libra. "And... it's hard to look at the son who looks exactly like me. If my wife never drugged me that night and raped me, maybe I would have treated Virgo better. Maybe Virgo would know that I was the one who was pregnant with him and not his mother." Libra's ears twitched, and he slowly turned to face Ceres. He wondered if what he was hearing was correct. Ceres gasped and covered his mouth. He wondered why he was telling Libra about his marital problems? Libra was a stranger and a student at the academy. Ceres shouldn't be dumping his problems onto a college student. "I'm sorry. Pretend you didn't hear that."

"Oh, I heard that," Libra replied. "Ceres Hawthorne, do you realize that I am your son's fiance?" Ceres gasped and looked at Libra with shock. He couldn't believe his own ears. He was in the presence of his future son-in-law. He hugged himself and leaned back against his seat. He was feeling scared all of a sudden. A feeling of dread and fear overtook him. Something was dangerous about the man sitting across him. Ceres smiled weakly. He didn't know that his own son was getting married to a dangerous man like Libra. Libra leaned forward. "Are you telling me that you and your wife have lied to your own son about your secondary gender for over eighteen years?"

"I... I... Yes," Ceres answered. He wondered why he was being so truthful all of a sudden. His gut was telling him to be truthful. If he lied, there was a chance he would die. His eyes darted around the dining hall. He didn't feel safe anymore. He wanted to go home, but his own home wasn't safe. His wife would have sexually assaulted him if he went home. Ceres was still in pain from this morning due to the unusual bleeding and unbearable pain. He didn't know where to go.

Libra leaned back in his seat, and he rubbed his jaw slowly. The more he looked at Ceres, the more he realized how feminine Ceres looked. Ceres and Virgo were nearly identical, but Ceres was more chubby and short. His chubby stature could have been from carrying a baby for nine months and not being able to lose his pregnancy weight. Libra tapped his finger on the glossy tabletop. He looked around the dining hall and said, "This isn't the most appropriate place to have a deep and troubling conversation. Let me take you back to my condo. There's someone who is eager to meet you again."