Wei didn't know what to do at home.

There wasn't Kai there to accompany him. His mom was out working, and the house felt unusually quiet.

With a sigh, he wandered around, feeling a bit lost in the absence of the usual lively atmosphere that Kai brought.

Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was still quite early. Unsure of how to fill the time, he considered reaching out to a friend or finding a hobby to occupy himself until Kai returned.

He sat in his room listlessly. Not knowing what to do.

Maybe he should hit the gym? Get a routine going to show that he's doing more than just surviving.

Standing up, Wei decided that physical activity might be a good way to clear his mind. He changed into workout clothes and headed to the nearby gym.

Although he spent an hour lifting weights, he still felt unsettled and decided to go for a run. It was easier with the track here as there's not many people running around.

It allowed Wei to run carefree.

As Wei jogged, he found himself lost in thought, the rhythmic pounding of his footsteps providing a steady beat to the internal musings.

The cool breeze tousled his hair, and the sun began its descent, casting a warm, golden glow across the surroundings.

As he continued his run, Wei reached a serene spot with a picturesque view. The beauty of the scenery captivated him, and he decided to take a moment to catch his breath.

Leaning against a tree, he looked out over the landscape, the vibrant colors of the setting sun reflecting off the tranquil lake nearby.

Unexpectedly, Wei's gaze shifted, and his eyes widened in surprise.

There was Luca, not so far away, staring right at Wei, looking surprised.

Breaking the silence, Wei managed to utter, "Luca? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still at City D?" Luca asked, confused as well.

Wei's surprise mirrored Luca's, and a moment of mutual bewilderment passed between them.

"I'm here on vacation," Wei uttered.

Luca looked surprised as he furiously blinked, "what do you mean you're also here on vacation?"

"You're on vacation too? I thought you would be with your new boyfriend," Wei said bitterly.

Luca rolled his eyes as he walked closer to Wei, "What's wrong with me and my boyfriend? You and I broke up a long time ago. We're just friends now-you were the one that established that. I heard Kai found out about it first. How did he find out?"

Wei looked at Luca bitterly, "Does it matter how he found out about it? You're a public figure. Someone is bound to find out."

"Not someone who is super close to me. I haven't told anyone about our relationship," Luca said, annoyed.

"See, this is the problem. Ever since you guys started dating, it's like you're a different person and not in a positive way," Wei pointed out, pissed.

Luca's expression shifted from surprise to frustration, his brows furrowing as he responded, "Wei, you can't just blame everything on my relationship. People change, circumstances change. It doesn't mean it's someone's fault."

Wei crossed his arms, his bitterness fueling his words. "It's not just about change, Luca. No one changes that fast. You barely give other people the time of day. Look at you! You're on your phone right now!"

Luca was indeed on his phone.

Luca looked a bit to the side, looking a bit shameful. "He's just lonely right now."

"Do not make excuses for your boyfriend. If you don't want to be near me, then tell me now. I'll cut off contact," Wei flatly stated.

He was being too drastic, too dramatic.

But he knew he had to say it.

After days where he was brushed off by Luca and feeling like he wasn't given the time of day, he had to do something.

He made up his mind.

He needed to separate himself from Luca.

Luca's presence is like an indelible mark, a tapestry of memories woven into the fabric of Wei's being.

Every moment, every touch, every word would forever be ingrained in Wei's mind.

And if fate decides it, he will be together with Luca, but not right now.

"I'm going to go," Wei said after a little while.

Luca gave his answer. He didn't say anything at all.

Wei took that as a no and walked away.

As Wei walked away, he couldn't control the tears that slowly fell.

Wei's steps carried him away from Luca, each stride echoing the emotional distance that had grown between them.

The weight of his decision hung heavy on his shoulders, and the tears that slipped down his cheeks mirrored the pain that had settled in his heart.

But he didn't look back. He couldn't bear to see Luca right now.

The moment he came home, he made a beeline towards the bathroom and took a long shower.

The shower hid his tears from the rest of the world.

As the water droplets splashed against his skin, Wei closed his eyes, allowing the rhythmic sound to drown out the echoes of the recent confrontation. He could still feel the lingering imprint of Luca's presence, the warmth and comfort now replaced by a chilling void.

Each drop of water seemed to carry a fragment of the weight he had been carrying, a cleansing ritual that mirrored the emotional release he desperately needed. The steam created a cocoon, shielding him from the world outside, offering solace in the midst of chaos.

As he turned off the shower and wrapped himself in a towel, Wei looked at his reflection in the fogged-up mirror. Red eyes and wet hair stared back at him, a testament to the emotional storm that had just passed.

Determined to regain his composure, Wei took a deep breath. He knew that the decision to distance himself from Luca was a painful necessity, a step towards healing.

Dressed in fresh clothes, he stepped out of the bathroom, his demeanor more composed than before.

"Wei? I thought you were outside," His mom asked as she set the groceries down on the kitchen island.

"Oh? No, I came back a while ago. Do you need help?" He asked as he went to hug his mom from the back.

"What's with you, you big baby? Oh, did you cry? Who made you cry?" His mom asked as she turned around to look closely at her eldest son.

Wei tried to muster a smile, attempting to conceal the traces of his emotional turmoil. "No, Mom, just got something in my eye. You know, allergies."

His mom raised a skeptical eyebrow, not buying his excuse. "Wei, you've never been good at lying to me. Also, your eyes are red. What happened? You can talk to your mom."

The floodgates threatened to open again, but Wei held back the tide of emotions. "It's just me, you know. I'm still holding on."

His mom sighed, understanding washing over her face. "Love can be messy, Wei. Sometimes, it feels like we're drowning in it. Do you want to talk about it?"

Wei shook his head. His mom reciprocated the embrace, feeling the weight of her son's emotions in the tightness of his hold.

No words were exchanged for a while, as the warmth of the hug served as a silent understanding between them.

After a while, when the intensity of emotions subsided, Wei pulled away, meeting his mom's gaze. Her eyes held a mixture of empathy and reassurance. "You don't have to hold on all the time, Wei. Sometimes, it's okay to let go, to allow yourself to feel the weight of your emotions."

Wei nodded, absorbing the wisdom in his mom's words. He realized that holding on to the pain only prolonged the healing process. With a deep breath, he whispered, "Thanks, Mom. I just need some time to figure things out."

His mom smiled, brushing a strand of hair from his face. "Take all the time you need. I'll be right here when you're ready to talk."

With a grateful nod, Wei retreated to his room, feeling a mix of emotions swirling within him.

As he was scrolling through his phone, Kai had called his phone. Wei was a little surprised by the phone call but answered.

"Taya!" Kai yelled the moment Wei answered the phone. Kai had switched it to video call making his voice extremely loud.

"Man, do you not know what an inside voice it?" Wei grumbled.

"While you fix your mopey self up, I got tea," Kai was grinning.

"And that is?" Wei sighed.

"Lucy and Gabe is investigating Luca's boyfriend," He said proudly.

Who's Gabe?

Wei looked confused. "What do you mean investigate? Isn't that her nature though? She's supposed to have the ability to find every singly information about a random individual."

"Well yeah but there's more to that," Kai shrugged.

"What do you mean more?" Wei asked, getting a bit suspicious at Kai's behavior.

"I won't tell you," Kai kept his grin on his face.

Wei groaned. 

This was going to be a long phone call.

Lucy and Gabe were really invested in their investigation.

Late-night sessions of scouring through online archives and databases became routine for the couple.

One evening, as they gathered in Lucy's cluttered apartment, surrounded by laptops and scattered papers, Gabe exclaimed, "I found something interesting about Theo's past."

Lucy leaned in, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Spill it, Gabe."

Gabe flashed a triumphant smile. "It turns out, from elementary to high school, Theo attended the same schools as Luca."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, seriously? That's more than a mere coincidence."

"I mean we're in the same city, but the same exact school- they're not even schools that are linked with each other. I understand Luca and Wei because they're friends and they more than likely planned it, but this?"

Lucy was getting goosebumps on her arms. "This is kinda creeping me out."

Gabe nodded. "It gets worse. I had my friends reach out to Theo's friends. They're not actually friends. Theo just placed himself in their friend group. He also has another social account."

"What's wrong with another social account?" Lucy asked confused and then it dawned on her, "no wait-"

"One of them shared screenshots with me. How did you guys not see this, bunny?" Gabe asked with horror, turning his phone to Lucy, and watched as her face was filled with horror.

Lucy quickly got up and ran to the bathroom.

Gabe followed Lucy, concerned. He found her heaving next to the toilet. "Bunny, are you okay?"

Lucy took a deep breath, staring at him. "I can't believe we missed this. How did we miss this? How did that monster get access to all of this?"

"I don't know. I don't know." Gabe knelt beside Lucy, offering her a comforting hand on her back. "We'll figure this out, bunny. Right now, our priority is making sure Luca knows the truth. Whatever Theo's intentions are, he can't keep deceiving him."

Lucy nodded, wiping her mouth. "But what if Taya doesn't listen?"

"We have this amount of evidence. If we look more, we'll find more. Your brother is a journalist isn't he? He's keen on looking for the facts to prove the story," Gabe smiled, trying to inject some confidence into the situation.

Lucy managed a weak smile in return. "You're right. We can't let Theo continue manipulating Luca. We owe it to him to expose the truth."

Gabe stood up, helping Lucy to her feet. "Let's gather all the evidence, document everything, and then we'll talk to Luca together. Strength in numbers, right?"

Lucy was unsure how to bring this to Luca. She never interfered in any of Luca's relationships - well she didn't know any of them existed.

But Theo has been around longer than she thought. Way longer than she thought.

It didn't help that Luca was only here for two weeks.

This entire entire investigation has been taking longer than it should. It took 5 days to find out about Theo's other account and about his academic history.

As she was thinking, her phone rang.

"Oh, hey Kai," she said as she picked up her phone, putting it on loudspeaker.

"How's the investigation going, Agent?" Kai asked, his voice filled with humor.

Lucy glanced at Gabe, and they exchanged a look that spoke volumes about the seriousness of the situation. "It's... complicated, Kai. We've found some concerning information about Theo, and we're preparing to talk to Luca about it."

Kai's voice crackled through the phone. "Concerning? What do you mean?"

Gabe chimed in, "Theo has a history with Luca that goes way back—same schools, same city. It's more than just a coincidence. And there's an additional social account he's been hiding."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Why would he hide another account?"

"Because he's been stalking us for the last several years," Lucy said in a grave voice.

There was a moment of silence from the other end of the phone.

Kai's usual light-hearted tone disappeared, replaced by a seriousness that matched the gravity of the situation. "What do you mean by stalking?"

Lucy nodded, though Kai couldn't see her. "I know I didn't tell you exactly but basically, we were looking through old pictures and there happened to Theo in several of them. Especially the ones when Taya was there."

There was a brief silence before Kai spoke again, "I knew I recognized him from earlier. He was one of those admirers of Luca back then. Right? The ones that would follow him around? But I thought we put an end to it- Taya was very upfront about it. They even changed schools and everything. How did he find out?"

"The same way we did," Gabe spoke, "through public record. Each school has a public record of all of their student's names per graduation year so that whenever someone needs to look to find said student, they'll know where to find them.

It's not a common thing to do though since nowadays, we just add each other on our socials and get on with it."

Kai let out a frustrated sigh, "So, this guy managed to dig up all that information just to get close to Luca again? That's some next-level obsession."

Lucy added, "He's even in the same courses as Taya."

Kai's frustration grew, his voice tinged with disbelief. "This is insane. How does someone go to such lengths just to be near Luca? And why now, after all these years?"

"I don't know but we'll keep you updated," Lucy said as she ended the call.

She let out a deep sigh as she fell into Gabe's embrace

"This is too much," She sighed and Gabe just gave her a kiss on the cheek before nuzzling in between her neck and shoulder. "I don't feel safe in my own home anymore."

Gabe tightened his embrace, offering Lucy a sense of comfort amid the turmoil. "We'll get through this together, Lucy. Once Luca knows the truth, we can take the necessary steps to ensure everyone's safety. Theo won't get away with this."

Lucy nodded, appreciating the support. "I just can't believe how long he's been doing this. When was he able to install cameras inside Taya's room?"

Gabe sighed, "I don't know bunny. We're going to have to look more into it."

The two continued on with their investigation, however, this time, they became empty handed. Of course, compared to the last few days, they learned the most today.

It was getting late so Gabe dropped Lucy home.

Lucy didn't feel like going home, however.

It felt unsettling when she knew there's someone who got access and could be recording her at every movement.

Once she saw Gabe leave with his car, she walked over to the adjacent park and sat on a nearby swing.

The park, usually a place of solace, felt different tonight. The shadows cast by the dim street lights created an eerie atmosphere, and Lucy couldn't shake the unease that lingered in the air. She sat on the swing, absentmindedly pushing herself back and forth, lost in thought.

The weight of the situation pressed heavily on Lucy's shoulders. The violation of privacy, the sense of being watched, and the fear that Theo had infiltrated their lives for years left her feeling vulnerable. She glanced around, her eyes scanning the surroundings as if searching for any signs of danger.

As Lucy swayed on the swing, her phone interrupted her thoughts. Kai was calling again.

"Why are you calling?" She sighed.

"Just checking up on you. That conversation earlier- I know it was too much for you," Kai's voice came through the phone, carrying a genuine concern.

"It's...I'm going to look and make sure it's safe," Lucy sighed.

"Also, I forgot to tell you this earlier but- Wei saw Luca. They did not have a good conversation. I just wanted to warn you in case..." Kai said.

Lucy nodded, "Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind when I see Taya."

"Alright, bye," Kai hung up the phone.

Oh lord, Luca was going to be pissed.

Gearing herself up, Lucy made her way to the complex. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever awaited her inside. The unsettling feeling from the park lingered, but determination fueled her steps.

As Lucy entered the building, the soft hum of fluorescent lights overhead provided a stark contrast to the darkness outside. The hallway stretched before her, and she navigated through the labyrinth of doors until she reached the apartment.

She hesitated for a moment, gathering her thoughts, and then she unlocked the door.

Her mom wasn't home. That made sense, it wasn't too late outside but their mom was tending to the store.

She made her way to Luca's room that was closed.

She gave a couple short knocks as she waited for the door to open.

Taya was home. His keys and shoes were by the door.

Lucy was right. Luca opened the door, looking pissed off and miserable. More than usual.

Lucy took a step into Luca's room, sensing the tense atmosphere that hung in the air.

"You don't usually come into my room," Luca scowled, his frustration evident.

"You don't know what I've been doing while you were gone," Lucy retorted, her tone carrying a mix of determination and frustration.

"And I don't care. Could you leave my room? I'm talking with my boyfriend," Luca sighed.

Lucy glanced at the phone and did see that he was doing a video call. "Guess what, you had the entire day to talk with your boyfriend. Now it's me time."

She then walked over to the phone that was lying on the bed and ended the call after saying, "Hi! I'm sorry but I need Luca right now."

"Lucy, that was uncalled for," Luca snapped.

"Uncalled for? I'm trying to talk to you about something serious, and you're more concerned about your boyfriend?" Lucy retorted, frustration bubbling to the surface

"Is it about Wei? Of course it is about him. You guys are always on his side no matter what," Luca said bitterly.

"Weil he's not the taya that left me all those years back. Either way, it's more important than that. If you and Wei cannot speak like normal human beings and cannot communicate, that ain't my problem. Now move," Lucy shoved Luca away as she started rummaging through his things.

She turned off all the lights and closed the curtains before turning on her phone camera to see any purples or pinks coming from strange places.

Luca stood in the doorway, his frustration evolving into a mix of confusion and concern.

"What are you doing, Lucy?" Luca asked, his voice softer now.

Lucy continued her meticulous search, sweeping her phone camera across the room as if on a mission. "I'm looking for something."

"In the dark?" Luca asked with disbelief.

Lucy didn't pause in her quest, her eyes focused on the screen of her phone as she moved about the room. "Yes, in the dark. Some cameras have infrared lights that are not visible to the naked eye. If there's anything suspicious, it might show up on the camera."

Luca, though still puzzled, "What do you mean cameras?"

"I knew you were hard of hearing but I didn't know it was that bad," Lucy gave Luca a teasing grin, momentarily breaking the tension in the room. However, the seriousness of the situation quickly brought the gravity back.

"I mean hidden cameras, Luca," Lucy continued, her tone becoming more somber. "Someone placed these a while back. There are pictures of you Taya. Pictures and not the ones you'd like."

Luca froze. "What do you mean by pictures? Are you sure you didn't install any of these?"

"I have no reason to install a spy cam in my brother's room," Lucy shot back with a touch of indignation. "There are private pictures and they're being posted on social media."

Luca felt sick.

Someone has been recording him and sharing it on social media? Within the comfort of his childhood home?

Lucy noticed the shock and discomfort on Luca's face, and she immediately regretted her words. She paused in her search, turning to face her brother with a more empathetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Taya. I didn't mean to drop that bomb so abruptly, but I thought you needed to know," Lucy said, her tone gentler.

Luca, still processing the information, sank down onto the edge of his bed. "Why would someone do that? What's the point of violating my privacy like that?"

"We don't know the motive yet. It could be anything from personal vendettas to just sick curiosity," Lucy explained, kneeling beside Luca. "But we're going to find out. We'll expose this person for what they've done."

"But the pictures... social media?" Luca's voice wavered, a mixture of confusion and distress evident.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Lucy stated before going "Ah-hah!"

She was able to pull out a hidden camera from a discreet corner in the room. The small device, camouflaged to blend with its surroundings, now lay exposed in Lucy's hands.

"Got one," Lucy declared, her expression a mix of triumph and determination.

Luca's eyes widened as he looked at the tiny camera. The realization that someone had invaded his personal space hit him harder. "How long has this been here?"

"I dunno, but it seems like it's been here a while," Lucy replied, carefully examining the device. "If there's one, that means there's more."

Luca's eyes darted around the room, a newfound unease settling in. The sanctuary of his childhood home, once a place of comfort and security, now felt tainted by the presence of hidden cameras. Lucy's discovery had unraveled a disturbing reality that demanded swift action.

"We need to check for more of these. Everywhere," Lucy declared, her gaze scanning the room with newfound suspicion.

Luca nodded in agreement.

Lucy set to work, her determination unyielding. She meticulously searched every nook and cranny, exposing hidden cameras disguised as innocuous objects. The siblings uncovered the invasive devices one by one, each discovery intensifying their anger and resolve.

As they dismantled the hidden surveillance network within Luca's room, a disturbing thought lingered in the air. The violation extended beyond the physical realm; someone had been watching, capturing moments meant to be private and sacred.