Embers of Hope// Hyunlix

Chapter - 10

Felix's father/Mr. Lee POV:

Dinner had gone as expected, with warm food on the table and polite conversation filling the gaps between us. I had been happy to see Felix and Hyunjin, though it was clear something was off. As we said our goodbyes at the door, I watched them head down the steps of the house, their figures outlined by the soft glow of the porch light.

My wife stood next to me, her arms crossed as she watched them leave. For a brief moment, her face lit up with an odd sense of delight, something I hadn't seen in a while.

"What's making you so happy?" I asked, curious and suspicious all at once.

She shrugged, her voice light. "I'm just happy to see our son and his husband after so long, that's all."

I didn't believe her. There was something else behind that smile, something sharper. But I kept quiet, not wanting to stir any more tension. With a small sigh, she left to head upstairs, and I lingered by the door, my thoughts racing. After a minute, I turned and made my way back to my office.

Sitting down in my chair, I rubbed my temples, the weight of the evening settling in. I replayed the dinner in my head, every word, every glance exchanged at the table. Something had shifted between Felix and Hyunjin tonight, something I couldn't ignore.

When I'd asked them about their married life, Felix's response had been quick, almost rehearsed. "It's fine," he'd said, with a casualness that didn't quite match the tension in the room. I hadn't thought much of it at first, but when Hyunjin responded—barely above a whisper—"It's fine," I saw the way his eyes dropped to his plate, as though he were trying to hide from us all. His voice had trembled just enough that I knew he was holding something back.

I could feel the shift, the way the air grew heavy with unsaid things. And then I saw it—the sheen of unshed tears in Hyunjin's eyes as he kept his gaze down, trying to hold himself together. The sight broke my heart.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Maybe asking Hyunjin to marry Felix had been a mistake. Maybe, in my desperation to help my son, I had thrown Hyunjin into something far more difficult than I realized. Felix was struggling, yes, but so was Hyunjin—quietly, and probably alone. I had put him in this situation, hoping he could heal Felix, hoping that Felix would find his way back to the person he once was.

But Felix hadn't changed. Not yet. And Hyunjin... how much longer could that poor boy hold on?

Guilt gnawed at me. I had asked Hyunjin to take on something I wasn't sure he could endure. Felix was cold, distant, not the person he used to be. And if Felix didn't come to his senses soon, I feared Hyunjin would break. I couldn't bear the thought of it. Hyunjin had such a gentle soul, and he didn't deserve this. He deserved love, care, and happiness—things that Felix, in his current state, wasn't giving him.

As I sat there, in the silence of my office, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd made a terrible mistake. The very thing I thought would help my son was tearing Hyunjin apart. If Felix didn't find his way back soon, I feared I'd lose them both—Hyunjin to despair, and Felix to his own demons.

Hyunjin's POV:

A few days had passed since that awkward dinner at Felix's parents' house, but the feeling of heaviness lingered. I couldn't shake the way Felix's mother had looked at me—those sharp, judgmental eyes that always made me feel like I was an intruder, someone who didn't belong. Felix, as always, remained oblivious to her disdain. And why wouldn't he? She hid it well enough when he was around, saving her cruel glances and subtle remarks for when we were alone.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the morning light filtering through the curtains. It was quiet in the room, too quiet. Felix hadn't come home again last night, probably out drinking with Minho and the others. I didn't even bother calling him anymore. There was no point.

I sighed, trying to focus on my breathing, anything to stop my thoughts from spiraling. The truth was, I didn't know how much more I could take. Every day felt like walking on a tightrope, and with every cold glance or dismissive word from Felix, I felt myself tipping further and further into the void. How long could I keep holding on?

Felix's father had been so kind during dinner, asking about our married life. But the second he asked, I felt my throat tighten. I didn't want to lie, but what was I supposed to say? That I was barely holding on, that Felix was slipping further and further away, and that I didn't know if I had the strength to save us?

So I'd just said, "Fine." A small, broken word. I couldn't even look up when I said it because I knew that if I met anyone's eyes, I'd break. Crying in front of Felix's parents would have been the final blow to my pride.

I still hadn't told anyone what I was truly feeling, not even Changbin when I visited him the other day. I couldn't. He was one of my closest friends, but even he didn't know the full extent of what I was going through. I could feel his anger toward Felix simmering every time we talked, and I didn't want to add more fuel to that fire. But a part of me wished I could just collapse in front of him, let all my pain spill out, and finally admit that I didn't know if I could keep this up.

I felt the sting of tears prickling at the back of my eyes again, but I forced them down. Crying wouldn't change anything.

The door creaked open, and I looked up in surprise. Felix stepped in, looking disheveled, his clothes rumpled from another night out. The sight of him made my heart clench, not in the way it used to, when I loved him with everything I had, but with a quiet, painful resignation.

He glanced at me, his expression unreadable as usual. "Hey," he muttered, almost as if he didn't want to be here.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Hi," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. There was so much I wanted to say, so much I needed him to hear, but the words never came. How could they? He wouldn't listen anyway.

Felix walked past me, heading toward the bathroom without another word. The sound of the door closing behind him echoed in the quiet room, and I felt the familiar ache in my chest return. Another day, another moment lost between us.

I sat there for a few more minutes, trying to gather myself, but it was getting harder to pretend that everything was okay. How long could I keep telling myself that things would get better? How long could I hold on to the hope that Felix would come back to me, that he would finally see me again?

I stood up, my legs feeling heavy as I moved toward the window. Outside, the world carried on, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, closing my eyes and letting out a shaky breath.

Maybe Felix's father was wrong. Maybe this marriage had been a mistake. And maybe I wasn't strong enough to keep pretending it wasn't.