The room was thick with an electric tension that refused to dissipate. Robert sat on the edge of the bed, his face drained of all color. His usual control over the situation had slipped, and for the first time in what felt like years, he felt helpless.
Across from him, Michel stood with his arms folded, his gaze cold and calculating. He knew how to read Robert—knew him better than anyone else ever could. But there was something unsettling in the way he looked at Robert now, something darker than the past they shared.
"You know," Michel's voice was low, smooth, "I always liked watching you squirm. Always wondered how long it would take before you cracked."
Robert's lips parted in a quick breath. "What the hell do you want, Michel?" His voice was barely a whisper, but the sharpness in it was undeniable. He was trying to hold on to what little composure remained.
Michel tilted his head, walking closer to Robert with slow, deliberate steps. "What do I want? I don't think it's a matter of what I want anymore, Robert. It's more about what you want." His smile was wicked, filled with knowing, and somehow, it made Robert's skin crawl.
Before Robert could respond, the door opened without a knock. It was him—the boy, the one who had been lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The boy stepped inside, his presence suffocating in its silence. He walked toward Michel, stopping just beside him. The boy's eyes glimmered in the dim light, but his smile was different tonight. It wasn't playful. It was dangerous.
"Did you miss me, Daddy?" the boy asked, his voice dripping with malice and sweet taunting.
Robert's heart skipped. He didn't know what was more terrifying—the fact that the boy had called him that or the way Michel's eyes locked onto him, a dangerous, knowing look that spoke volumes.
The boy grinned at Robert's reaction, his eyes dancing with excitement. "Don't worry, Daddy. It's not about the past. Not anymore. We're here for the future. Or maybe... we're here to finish what was started."
Robert stood abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the floor. "I won't play your games anymore." His fists clenched, but inside, his body was trembling.
"Oh, but you don't have a choice." Michel's voice was a soft whisper, but it carried with it the weight of a thousand unspoken threats. "You never did, Robert."
The boy took a step forward, his gaze still fixed on Robert. "You don't remember everything, do you? You think you can walk away from the mess you created?" He raised an eyebrow, his eyes glimmering in the low light. "I'm going to make sure you remember it all."
Robert's face paled. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. It felt like his very breath was stolen away by the room's oppressive atmosphere.
Michel walked around the room, trailing his fingers over the furniture, as though everything here was part of some grand design, something he controlled. He glanced at the boy, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than necessary, before returning to Robert.
"You see," Michel continued, his voice growing louder with every word, "I didn't just come back for you, Robert. I came back for him too." He nodded toward the boy, and the two exchanged a brief, knowing look.
The boy's smile only grew wider, and it made Robert's stomach churn. "We're connected, Daddy. You should have figured that out by now. It's not just about you and me anymore. It's about all of us."
Robert swallowed hard, trying to maintain the façade of control. "You're insane." He took a step back, his mind racing, looking for an escape. But the weight of their combined presence pressed in on him, making it hard to think clearly. "This... this is sick."
Michel took a step toward Robert, his eyes narrowing with something darker than anger. "What's sick, Robert, is that you still think you can control this. You've lost that power." He took another step closer, and Robert's breathing quickened, his back pressing against the wall. "Everything you thought was safe, everything you thought you understood... it's all coming apart now."
Before Robert could react, the boy stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. His touch was cold, as if his skin were made of ice. "You're trapped, Daddy. You have no choice but to play along. We're in this together. All three of us."
Robert's heart pounded in his chest as he looked between Michel and the boy. He was caught—trapped in a web of his own making, tangled in past mistakes and the monsters he thought he could escape.
Michel moved in closer, standing only inches from Robert now. "I'm giving you one chance, Robert," he said, his voice dangerously soft. "You can either accept what's coming or fight and risk losing everything." His hand reached out, grazing Robert's cheek with the lightest of touches.
The boy stood behind him, his eyes burning with desire and something far darker. "What's it gonna be, Daddy? You've always known how to play the game. Will you play with us?" His voice was a mockery of the affection he had once shown.
The air in the room was thick, too thick to breathe. Robert could feel his world narrowing. These two—Michel and the boy—they were the only constants in his life now, and they were both a part of him. His past, his present, all of it twisted into something unrecognizable.
"Tell me, Robert," Michel murmured, his face close to Robert's ear. "What's it like to be powerless for once?"
For the first time, Robert felt a surge of panic rise in his chest. He knew what he had to do, but could he? Could he survive the storm they were about to unleash?
A slow, cruel smile spread across Michel's face as he stepped back, giving Robert space to breathe—or was it to suffocate him even further?
"Time's running out, Robert," Michel said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. "Make your choice."
Robert's gaze flickered between the boy and Michel. He had no way out. He was surrounded, outmatched, and out of options.
"Don't worry," the boy said with a sly grin, his voice filled with dark amusement. "You'll make the right choice. Because whether you like it or not, we all have something to teach you."
To be continue ...