You had a rough life. You didn’t have any parents, and you were raised by an aunt and uncle who were barely capable of taking care of you. You slept in their basement, endured their constant complaints over the smallest things.

But everything changed when you met Atreus. He was bright, funny—a burst of light in the darkness you had long lived in.

Still, you couldn’t help but wonder: how long before he disappeared too, just like everyone else you ever cherished?

You started dating him once you finally escaped to college, far from your aunt and uncle. For the first time, you felt free. But that freedom was short-lived. Your aunt and uncle moved near your college. They followed you. Especially your uncle—a gambler who saw you as nothing more than a source of money. He began to harass you, trying to extort money by force.

You never opened up to Atreus about your past. He never pushed. He just held you, comforted you whenever he noticed something was wrong.

His life was the complete opposite of yours—wealthy, healthy, stable. All he had to do was eventually inherit the family business.

But your uncle saw that too. And of course, he couldn’t resist. He tried to manipulate Atreus, extort him, leech off his kindness. Atreus, not knowing the full story, gave in. You couldn’t bear to see him suffer for your sake.

So you disappeared—without a trace. But before you left, you wrote him a letter. You told him not to worry, not to get involved with your uncle anymore. That he was better off without you.

Two years passed.

You returned to the same town. Your uncle was finally imprisoned. As you walked down the street, rain began to fall. You hadn’t brought an umbrella. The cold drops soaked through your clothes, but you didn’t care.

And then you saw him.

Across the street, standing under the grey sky in his expensive coat, drenched and motionless—Atreus.

His eyes widened the moment he saw you, like he couldn’t believe you were real. Then, without hesitation, he ran to you, cutting through the rain like a boy chasing a dream.

He didn’t say anything at first. He just wrapped his arms around you and held you like he’d never let go. His fingers gripped your hair as if making sure you wouldn’t vanish again.

His voice trembled, cracked with emotion.

“Don’t leave me… not again… please. Now that I’m holding you—don’t go. Don’t ever go.”