Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

“What… what have you done?” My voice tightened as I spoke, the urge to move forward gripping

1. me.

His skin was too pale, a bloodless, ghostly white that contrasted starkly with the dark crimson of his blood.

My breathing was shaky, my heart pounding with an unexplainable fear.

“Don’t come any closer…” He sounded frightened of my approach, scared that I would see him

as he was now.

He had been calling out for Phoebe in a panic, as if afraid of losing something precious.

“Stay away, don’t look at me…” Suddenly, he lost control; his eyes reddened as he turned and ran back to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

I couldn’t just leave him like that; I followed and knocked, but he wouldn’t open the door.

His bloody footprints were a jarring trail on the floor.

Since my rebirth, I realized I’d never truly faced Caleb’s condition. I knew he had mental health issues, that he could be unstable, even dangerous–maybe even a murderer.

But as I got to know him, I saw he could be calm if not provoked. I hadn’t paid enough attention. So, his bloodied appearance was a shock to me.

Eric, who had seen Caleb’s breakdowns many times before, quickly called for the family doctor and forced the door open.

I tried to follow, but Eric stopped me.

“Maybe you should stay out here. Mr. Caleb might not want you to see him like this.”

His episodes left him in a pitiful state.

“What… what on earth is happening?” I asked Eric in a hushed, frantic tone.

Eric hesitated, then spoke softly. “When Mr. Caleb loses control, it can be terrifying. He gets urges to lash out, but he… he never truly hurts anyone but himself.”

The kindest of souls could harm themselves to maintain their sanity in moments of chaos.

And Colin was one such soul.

I stood there, stunned, as Eric went in to sedate Caleb, listening to his gut–wrenching screams that made it hard to breathe.

What pain must he endure to have transformed from a prodigy to… this?

Even from outside the door, I could almost feel his agony and helplessness.

12:07

Without thinking, I reached out as if to embrace him.

When I came to my senses, I was bewildered.

Why was I crying?

Tears had silently streaked down my face without me noticing,

After the sedation, Colin finally calmed down and fell asleep,

Eric, who had been panting from worry and panic, finally relaxed. He stepped out, looked at me and seemed to hesitate.

“Does this happen often?” I asked quietly,

“Yes, frequently. It’s triggered by stress,” Eric nodded.

I thought back, realizing that it must have been my denial of being Phoebe in the hospital that set him off.

“Mr. Caleb is inherently good–hearted; otherwise, he wouldn’t choose to vent by harming himself,” Eric said with a heavy voice. “We remove anything from his room that could be dangerous, but today, he broke a glass and used the shards on himself.”

I was taken aback, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know. The glass was mine.”

I’d brought the glass in for some cold medicine and left it there, not knowing Colin’s tendencies. Eric said nothing more but glanced at the clock. “Would you like to learn more about Mr. Caleb? You are, after all, married now.”

Eric wanted to help me understand Caleb better.

I looked up, my eyes red. “Yes.”

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Silently, Eric led me to the abandoned orphanage.

“When he was nineteen, Mr. Brendan had planned to send Mr. Caleb abroad for his PhD. But that day, the orphanage caught fire. Someone maliciously locked Mr. Caleb and Carter in a room, and they couldn’t escape. They were trapped and would have perished if… we hadn’t arrived in time,” Eric explained with a somber tone.