The room lay in heavy, suffocating silence, the only sound the faint, rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. Sonic’s steps were restless and uneven as he moved through the house, searching every corner, every familiar space for his husband. An inexplicable tension coiled in his chest—an unease he couldn’t shake no matter how many times he called Shadow’s name into the quiet.

Eventually, Sonic’s eyes drifted toward the closet door. It stood slightly ajar, just enough to let a thin line of darkness seep into the room. A flicker of doubt—cold and sharp—cut through him. His breath hitched. With a hand that trembled despite his best effort to steady it, Sonic reached out and curled his fingers around the handle. For a moment he hesitated… then pulled it open. The world seemed to stop.

Inside, Shadow—his husband, the one he trusted most—was wrapped in the arms of another man. Not just anyone... Silver... Their bodies were close, too close, and their expressions shifted instantly from secretive warmth to frozen, horrified shock as they met Sonic’s eyes.

Shadow’s mouth parted, his voice cracking under the weight of what had been exposed. “Sonic… I can explain,” he whispered, barely audible, as everything inside Sonic shattered at once.