C102 The Weight He Carries

The night was quiet inside the mansion. Only the sound of rain tapping softly against the window filled the space between them.

Arun sat at the low table, his hands loosely gripping a cup of tea that had already gone cold. Across from him, Riku watched silently — patient, unreadable, waiting for the words Arun had been avoiding for weeks.

When they finally came, they were quiet at first