Golden Melody

Chapter 4.2

His Pov

Nobody's home yet.

Mom and Dad said they'd be back later, so I decided to play a quick game of LOL.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't focus.
I kept touching my lips, grinning like an idiot.

Tomorrow, Mimi and I will finally be together all the time.
I jumped up, deciding it was time to pack.
I'm a minimalist, so I just grabbed one suitcase.
Of course, I made sure not to forget the essentials-my laptop and PSP.

As I was packing, I heard a car horn outside.

They're home! I went out to greet them and quickly picked up Dria, my baby sister.
Ate Margery handed me the Yoshino poster from Date A Live.
Yeah, we're all anime fans in this family, but I'm definitely the most obsessed.

On my way past the veranda, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
I didn't mean to, but I overheard Mom and Dad talking.

"Umamin ka! Kailan pa???" Mom was crying, pounding her fists on Dad's chest.
Dad just stood there, letting her hit him.

"There's nothing going on! It's long over, you know that I would never cheat on you. I love you, Hon. You and the kids. Please, listen to me," Dad said, his voice steady.

Mom finally stopped hitting him, took a deep breath, and sat down. She rubbed her temples, then waved him off.
But Dad didn't move; he just stood there, watching her, his hand on his forehead.

"I'll admit it... Cienna was my ex-fiancée. I loved her so much back then. It drove me crazy when she didn't show up for our wedding and ran off with Rikz. But when you came into my life, she was gone, here" he said, pointing to his chest.
"The only reason we see each other now is because we're business partners. I owe Mr. Wayne a lot, Hon. Please, please... I can't lose you."

Mom just cried and hugged Dad. Thankfully, they made up.

But I was shocked.

Dad had a past... and it involves Mimi's mom?
What would Dad say if he found out I'm head over heels in love with the daughter of the woman he used to love?

I left them and went back to my room, my mind spinning.
The room was dark, the only light coming from the glow of my computer screen.

I was lost in the virtual world of Yandere Simulator, trying to escape the real-life drama that had been plaguing me all day.

But even the pixelated violence couldn't drown out my father's words echoed in my mind:
"I can't lose you." But what if I was already lost?
What if I was destined to repeat his mistakes?
What if I was destined to hurt the people I loved most?

Flashback

I was haunted by the memory of that day, the day I had failed my cousin, the day I had lost him.

A group of older boys, their faces twisted in malice, appeared from behind a sand dune.

They were bigger than us, their voices deep and menacing.
They surrounded us, their eyes gleaming with a cruel amusement.

"Look at the little shrimp," one of them sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
"What are you doing here, little shrimp?"

Clovis my cousin, always the brave one, stepped forward, his small frame trembling, his eyes filled with fear.
"We're just playing," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

The bullies laughed, their laughter a cruel symphony that echoed in my ears.
They pushed Clovis to the ground, their laughter turning into a chorus of jeers and taunts.

Clovis tried to fight back, but he was no match for their size and strength.
They pushed him further into the water, their laughter growing louder as he struggled to stay afloat.

I watched in horror, my heart pounding in my chest, my limbs frozen with fear.

I wanted to help him, to save him, but I was paralyzed.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't speak.
I could only watch as the bullies pushed him deeper and deeper into the water, their laughter a cruel mockery of his desperate struggle.
I felt a surge of helplessness, a sense of powerlessness.
I was a coward.
I was a failure.
I had let him down.

Then, silence.
The laughter stopped.
The bullies were gone.
I looked out at the water, my eyes searching for Clovis, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The waves continued to crash against the shore, their rhythm arc a constant reminder of his absence.

I ran into the water, my feet sinking into the soft sand, my heart pounding in my chest.

I searched for him, calling his name, my voice a desperate plea. But there was no answer.
Only the sound of the waves, crashing against the shore, a constant reminder of his loss.

I stumbled back onto the beach, my body trembling, my mind reeling.
I had failed him.
I had let him down.
I had watched him die, and I had done nothing.

The guilt, the shame, the fear, it all crashed down on me, a tidal wave of emotions that threatened to drown me.

I collapsed onto the sand, my body wracked with sobs, my face buried in my hands.

I felt so small, so helpless, so utterly alone.

From that day forward, the beach became a symbol of my failure, a constant reminder of the pain I had caused.

I avoided it, I hated it, I feared it.

But the memory of that day, the sound of the waves, the smell of the salt air, it all came back to me, a haunting reminder of the boy I had lost, the boy I had failed to protect.

I looked at my reflection on the screen, a ghost of the boy who had once been so full of life.

I had become a shadow, a hollow shell of a man.
I had built a wall around my heart, a fortress of fear and guilt, to protect myself from the pain of the world.

But then I met Miexha.

Something about her, her vulnerability, her strength, her resilience... it touched something deep inside me.

It reminded me of the boy I used to be, the boy who had cared, who had felt, who had dared to dream.

Maybe, just maybe, she could help me break free from the chains of my past.
Maybe she could help me become the man I was meant to be.