Episode 19

He swallowed, believing he was about to be confronted with people intent on taking everything from him. Unsure of what to say, he tried to close the door when Maiston blocked it with his arm. There was no discernible emotion on his face, just seriousness, and Prince had never seen him like that before. And it wasn't just seriousness, it struck him as almost hurt.

Neither of them spoke; they just stared at each other for seconds that turned into minutes.

It had been a while since they had been this close, a while since they had looked at each other like this. Prince now saw Maiston as much taller, and Maiston saw Prince as smaller and more fragile. He felt fear but didn't wish to show it, so he fought to appear as strong as he always did when reporters asked questions just to hurt him and break him down. He swallowed again, ignoring the fear welling up inside him.

He straightened his back and forced his feet to the ground to become an unbreakable barrier. He knew he was going to face this, but at that very moment, he hadn't had a single second to prepare.

He needed to act quickly, and Maiston saw him shift from looking scared to appearing utterly distant. He had to speak, but he didn't immediately, choosing to take a few more seconds to study his face and see his eyes, red from tears. He wanted to ask why, but knew he didn't have much right to question.

Prince parted his lips, determined to direct him clearly to the building's exit.

"Everything okay?" someone asked before he could speak.

Reich took the door to fully open it and revealed himself. Maiston looked him up and down as he approached as if he had any right to anything. His posture suggested he owned the apartment.

Maiston was calm, he had no intention of causing trouble or arguing, he just wanted to see the baby to verify the truth. Just seeing Reich and remembering what he had said, provoked an anger he knew he shouldn't harbor.

"Maiston, how are you? I heard you were on vacation, was it good?" he inquired with curiosity.

Prince felt him stand behind him, which gave him a bit more confidence to continue appearing firm, so he cleared his throat to say:

"It's better if you leave; you're not welcome here."

The darker-skinned man looked down upon hearing this. He studied Prince so intently that Prince struggled to maintain eye contact.

"I need to get in and…"

"No, you're not going in. I told you to leave," he said, raising his voice.

They locked eyes, but Prince didn't look away. He didn't appear frightened, much less eager to run into his arms as he had often done before. Maiston saw him as completely distant.

He swallowed, and momentarily, his gaze lowered.

"Maiston, it's better if you leave now. This isn't the time for talk," Reich suggested.

Hearing his voice only irritated him more, and he forced a smile.

"Who the hell asked for your opinion, eh?" he shot back, staring at him eye-to-eye, as Prince was only chest-high between them.

"He can say whatever he wants," Prince insisted.

"He has no right to say a damn thing because this is between you and me! What are you doing in there as if it were your damn house?!"

"You're not going to come here shouting!" Reich yelled.

"Let me see her."

"No, you're not seeing anyone."

His words were firm, and if he had ever been scared, he now felt capable of facing the worst of monsters and emerging unscathed. He didn't care about anything and showed no signs of weakening his words or stance.

"I have a right, and…"

"You lost all your rights when you slept with someone else. Don't talk to me about rights when you easily forgot that you should respect me. Get out of here or I swear I can call the police to remove you from the building."

"Prince, what's goi...?"

His mother stopped speaking when she realized who was at the door.

Maiston looked past everyone to see the woman holding the baby in her arms. He noticed her clutching a small toy and looking small and pretty. He saw her hair was the same color as Prince's, and he was nearly charmed because he had never seen something so pure, beautiful, and sweet. He stopped breathing because it was true. The magazines and television media hadn't lied at all. For the first time, they were all telling the truth.

He let out a quick breath, wanting to hold her close because she looked adorable. His heart constricted.

He had never felt this type of emotion before. He had always been clear that he would do anything to protect Prince, but seeing the baby, he felt he could give his life without hesitating for a second.

He heard him tell the mother to leave and wanted to beg her to stay a few more seconds so he could continue admiring her. He could hear her making sweet sounds and the feeling growing in his chest was so intense he didn't know if he was on the verge of crying.

"Leave," Prince ordered.

He lowered his gaze, not understanding how he could act so coldly, but Prince was also struggling. He was forming fists so tightly that he felt he was about to dig his nails into his palms.

"Let me see her a little more."

"You've seen her, Maiston, it's better that you go," Reich spoke.

"Why do you interfere, damn it?!"

"Because he lives here and he can say whatever he wants," Prince stated firmly.

"What? What...?"

"He lives here and we're getting married. So stop insisting, you have someone too, and they must have been more valuable and important than me, so why are you here? Go be with that guy. Have a child with him because my daughter already has a father. After all, a father is not who makes, but who raises."

He said nothing.

At that, he was completely taken aback. He had never felt that way before. He had been sick many times, with discomfort from fever, colds, or even being physically injured, but it paled in comparison to the pain now forming in his chest.

Prince felt his gaze all the while, and for the first time, he saw him as vulnerable and weak. He didn't say a word, nor did Prince say more.

He knew that if he spoke again, he would cry out of rage for the dark-skinned man. He wanted to hit him, wanted to say much more, but knew enough was enough. He needed to breathe in peace because he was on the brink of suffocation. He stepped aside, and it was Reich who closed the door slowly, uttering at the last second:

"Good luck, Maiston."

And that echoed in his mind a thousand times.

"Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston. Good luck, Maiston."

He didn't know how long he stared at the door, but when he left the building, it was starting to rain, and he didn't know where to go.

Jim was busy with his family for a celebration, and he didn't want to bother him as usual. And for the first time after many years, he felt alone in the world. He had no living parents, a brother he never spoke to, and not even grandparents. He had never felt such intense family emptiness, and his chest ached.

When he reached his home, he couldn't bring himself to go to that bed knowing someone was there. He spent the entire night alone, sitting on the sofa watching the hours pass until dawn.

"Maiston? What are you doing there?" asked Obelly as he approached because he had simply risen for a glass of water.

He sat beside him.

"Why didn't you come to bed? I waited, but then I fell asleep."

The darker-skinned man intended to kiss him, but the other man just pushed him away without a word.

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