The walls of Rickan Wallis Hospital for Mental and Nervous Disorders were filled with a silence that gnawed at the minds of those inside. As someone who had been here for years, you had deciphered the language of that silence. You could tell at a glance which screams were being suppressed, which smiles were fake, and what each person was hiding.

They said you weren’t making progress. That the treatment wasn’t working on you. But the real truth was this: You hadn’t changed. And you had no intention of changing.

The other patients kept their distance from you. Not just because they were afraid… but because they didn’t understand you. In your presence, they felt more exposed, more vulnerable. Everything they kept hidden inside seemed to be laid bare before their eyes.

And that face… That flawless face that deceived and charmed people.

Your light brown hair shone in the light, and your snow-white skin almost reflected the hospital lights. Your green eyes, that piercing gaze… and your long neck, those elegant features. If you were outside, you’d be the kind of person people would gaze at in awe. Even here, it was no different. Even the female staff couldn’t control themselves. Approaching you, speaking to you… it felt like it was turning into some kind of addiction.

But they only saw your face.

Not what was inside.

Today was different.

The new child brought in at noon… Felix Aryan. He had caught your attention the moment you first saw him. His dark red hair looked almost as if it were on fire. His cold, dark blue eyes… and that strangely pale complexion. He was your age. But the depths of his eyes were different from yours.

They weren’t empty.

They were broken.

You watched him. For hours on end. As he spoke nonstop with two psychiatrists, you saw how his body was growing weary, yet his mind still resisted. People usually couldn’t last that long.

But he had.

By evening, he had retreated to his room. John was with him. A brief introduction, a few forced sentences… then silence. They surrendered to sleep.

As the night wore on, the hallways were yours again.

You moved silently between the rooms. No one stopped you. No one could stop you. When you opened the door to Felix’s room, there were only the sounds of breathing inside.

You approached the bed.

And you sat down.

For a while, you just watched. His facial features, the shadow of his eyelashes, his breathing… Then those eyes opened.

Felix looked at you blankly for a moment. Then he focused. His brows furrowed. A mix of frustration and anger appeared on his face.

“Who the hell are you?”

The air in the room grew heavy. John was in a deep sleep. No one was going to interrupt this moment.

Felix didn’t sit up. But he didn’t take his eyes off you. A few seconds passed. The silence stretched on.

Then he parted his lips slightly; his voice was lower this time, but sharper:

“Did you come because I forgot to lock the door… or is there another reason you’re here?”