The World Above

Chapter 32: Secrets

Felix's Pov

"Where do you want me to take you?" I ask the brother of my lover. "No where special, just a place where we can walk and talk. Take me to Jaseongdae Park." He replies

Jaseongdae Park. What memories I have of there. We reach the Park in a few minutes.

The Park is isolated lest for a few people. Mike and I find a sunny spot and sit on the grass. Mike brought with him a backpack which is filled with snacks. We eat and drink as we talk.

"Mr Xiao..." He starts but I stop him, "Call me Felix."

"OK then, Felix. I hope you don't mind me asking but as the twin brother of Haven it is my duty to be wary of the men around my sister, especially those who have plans to date her..." He rubs his hands as if he's getting into his role but I stop him again, "I also have plans to marry her."

Mike chokes on his water and it sprays everywhere, "Marry! How can you say that with such a straight face?!"
I shrugged. It is what it is.

Mike narrows his eyes but then sighs.

Felix I'm sure you don't know this, but growing up wasn't easy for Haven," Mike began, his eyes clouded with memories. "Our parents, they always wanted a boy. When we came along as twins, I became the center of their world. Haven was left in the shadows."

"And then there was our father," Mike continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. "He had big dreams for me, wanted me to become a lawyer. But I had different plans, dreams of my own. Haven, on the other hand, she was always the smart one. Dad started putting pressure on her too, expecting her to excel academically."

"She tried so hard to please them, but no matter what she did, it was never enough. Dad's expectations were suffocating, and when she couldn't meet them, he... he became abusive."

My eyes widened in shock. "Abusive?"

Mike nodded grimly. "Both mentally and physically. It was torture for her, Felix. She felt like she was drowning in expectations."

"Our father... he was a monster," Mike continued, his voice trembling with rage. "He didn't just abuse Haven; he destroyed her, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but a hollow shell of the vibrant girl she once was."

"She was the target of his rage, the scapegoat for his insecurities and failures, the canvas upon which he painted his darkest impulses."

Tears welled up in Mike's eyes as he recounted the horrors his sister endured, the memories like daggers piercing his soul.

"I swore to protect her, Felix," Mike's voice cracked with emotion, his hands trembling with the weight of his vow. "I promised her that I would shield her from harm, that I would be her guardian angel in a world filled with darkness."

"But even I couldn't protect her from the depths of our father's depravity," Mike whispered, his voice barely a whisper. "

So, I made a deal with our father-I'd become a lawyer if he promised to stop abusing Haven."

"And did he agree?"

"He did, but then he started blackmailing Haven with my sacrifice," Mike confessed, his eyes brimming with tears. "He told her that if she didn't live up to his standards, my sacrifice would be in vain. It pushed her to the brink and I almost lost her, Felix. That's when I knew I had to do something."

"I made a video, of him abusing Haven. " Mike's voice quivers with emotion.

"I thought it would be enough," Mike continues, his voice heavy with regret. "I thought if I could capture his violence on camera, no one could turn a blind eye to the truth."