Hi everyone...

I'm taking my Mac for repairs tomorrow, so I thought I'd post a new chapter before Thursday. I'm not sure when I'll get my Mac back...hopefully before next Thursday.

Enjoy reading and don't forget to vote, comment and review

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Next day...

Gentle and warm sunrays caressed his face as the light of the morning sun filled the room, brightening up the place. Slowly opening his eyes, Arthit blinked twice before his vision became focused.

The sight of his father sleeping on a chair beside his bed was the first thing that met Arthit's eyes before he turned his face lazily to the other side, observing his surroundings. He wasn't in that isolated glass cube that the medical staff claimed to be a room anymore. Instead, he seemed to be in a regular room with a couch few centimeters away from the foot of the bed, a couple of chairs and small table under a large window at the left side of the bed, at the far-left corner was a door that probably let to the bathroom, a mid-sized chest of drawers next to a one-door cupboard occupied the right-side wall, followed by an entrance door at the far-right corner of the room.

Turning his gaze to the left, he looked outside the window, silently staring at the blue sky.

"Arthit!"

Looking at his father, Arthit tried to smile at the old man but couldn't.

"How are you, Son?" Phet asked softly as he stood beside the bed.

"Thirsty," came the hoarse reply.

Smiling, Phet poured some water into a plastic cup from the jug on the bedside table before helping his son to drink.

Arthit closed his eyes as the cold water soothed his burning throat. He had four cups of water before his thirst was quenched. Leaning back on the pillow, Arthit watched silently as his father called the nurse and asked her to call the doctor.

Phet looked at his son and smiled as he pulled his previous chair nearer to the bed and sat down.

The two sat in silence; neither of them knew what to say. Both of them wanted to say many things but didn't know how to begin.

Phet, for one, was wondering whether he should tell Arthit that he knew about the incident or feint ignorance and wait for Arthit to tell him himself.

He found himself unable to utter a single syllabus, though, because it was tough to either admit knowing the horrible truth or feint ignorance. So, he kept watching his son's pale face silently in a poor attempt to read what was running inside his son's head.

Arthit, on the other hand, was dreading the moment either of them uttered a word. He was sure that his father would surely demand an explanation for his attempt to throw his life away in that manner and Arthit had none to offer. He tried to avert his eyes away from his father's face as long as he could but driven by curiosity, he glanced at the old man eventually, and what he saw, gave him shivers. Though his face was blank, his father's tensed body and clouded eyes told another story. The older man's eyes spoke of deep pain and a sense of being betrayed. Arthit's heart clenched painfully, wondering if his father already knew about what had happened to him or he was just sad because of his suicide attempt.

Before either could decide on a course of action to break the heavy silence, the two heard a couple of knocks on the door before the hepatologist and Siriporn entered the room.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Arthit stared ahead of him with blank eyes, not paying any attention to what the doctors were saying. He had made it crystal clear when he was in ICU that he didn't want to be treated. He even was prepared to sign a waiver, refusing any treatment and taking full responsibility for it, but Siriporn intervened just in time and stopped him by declaring that he wasn't in a stable mental state to make such decisions and handing this right over to his father.

The three other people in the room exchanged worried looks as they conversed, realizing that treating Arthit wasn't going to be easy, seeing how indifferent he was to what was being discussed.

Phet sighed and merely nodded to the doctor, silently reassuring him that he would do his best to convince Arthit to cooperate.

As the doctor and Siriporn were leaving, the psychiatrist mentioned for Phet to come closer.

Standing near the door and out of Arthit's earshot, she asked.

"P', how was he last night? Did he sleep peacefully?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

Phet shook his head. "It was even worse than when he was at home," he replied gravely. "He screamed in his sleep several times during the night, but since he was already under sedation, he didn't wake up. I was helpless to do anything to stop it." He let out a suffering sigh.

"His nightmares won't simply go away, P'Phet," Siriporn whispered. "We must commence therapy as soon as possible."

Phet nodded in response. "Was he like this when he was in ICU?"

Siriporn nodded in confirmation.

After the doctors' departure, a heavy silence shrouded the room once more as Phet returned to his previous seat beside Arthit's bed.

Arthit tried not to be affected by his father's intense stare at him, keeping his gaze on anything but the other man. However, like a piece of metal forcefully drawn to a magnet, his eyes finally landed on his father's blank face.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered brokenly.

Phet raised a dark eyebrow. "Sorry for what exactly?" he asked with a cold tone.

"For making you worry over me so," Arthit said softly, staring shamefully down at his hands. He didn't know why he had apologized, but he felt a desperate need inside of him to do so as his heart swelled with an unbearable sense of guilty for dragging his father through all that trouble. While he was in the ICU, Siriporn had briefed him of what happened to him from the day he was brought to the hospital until that moment and all the trouble that his father and friends had gone through to save him.

"If you're concerned too much about me, then why did you give me a cause for worrying in the first place?" His father's tone was apathetic, yet it cut through his heart like a dagger.

Phet stood up and sat on the edge of his son's bed, looking directly at his son. "Why didn't trust me with your problems instead of hiding them from me?" He asked. "I'm your father, yet I had to hear the truth from a stranger's mouth."

Arthit jerked his head up, staring at his father with utter shock. "Wha-What truth?"

"What had truly happened to you a year ago...in your boyfriend's family cabin."

Arthit felt his heart stopped beating for a moment. He stared wide-eyed at his father before he lowered his head in shame.

"Do you know the pain I felt seeing you suffer while I was too powerless to offer any comfort to you, Arthit?" His father's chastising words were making his heart bleed. Hot tears welled up inside Arthit's eyes upon hearing those words. He tried hard not to cry in front of his father but without avail. It was bad enough that he had to face his father with such matter; he didn't want to appear even more pathetic in front of him. However, the pain that washed over him was too great to bear, and soon pained sobs began to tear themselves out of his mouth.

Sighing, Phet took his crying son into his arms, ignoring the way his son's body stiffened at the contact, allowing him to cry his pain out.

Pulling away gently, Arthit looked up at his father with sad eyes. "It was Knott who told you, wasn't he?" he asked softly.

"I have started to suspect that something like that had happened shortly after you had moved in with me," Phet confessed. "I'm not an idiot, Arthit. And I've recognized all the signs that you were showing, but I couldn't be sure without you admitting it to me." —He sighed deeply— "I've tried to make you confide in me, but you refused to talk. I asked Siri to try talking to you, but she failed as well. I had no other option but wait for you to speak to me yourself. I never thought that you would try to end your life that way. It's only recently that Knott confessed everything to me."

Tears were falling like two rivers along Arthit's face as he lowered his face in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Dad," was the only thing he could say between his sobs.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Gun followed an employee through the corridors of Siam Polimer Group Company, heading towards the office of the company's COO. He had spent most of the previous night thinking and debating how to approach the matter especially after discovering the identity of the man who was involved in this case.

'Detective Phet will surely lose his mind upon knowing!' The young detective thought grimly. Luckily, since his discovery, Phet had been too busy with work and taking care of his son to have the time to ask him about his progress. However, Gun knew that the time would surely come when he had to inform the senior detective about his findings. Gun sighed, shaking his head. He would think of this problem when the time came, right now he had to focus on the task at hand.

Reaching Kongphop's office, Gun introduced himself to one of his secretaries as Mr. Gun Aksornpan and asked if it was possible for him to meet the COO. He was immediately admitted as soon as the secretary informed her boss of his arrival.

"Detective Gun," Kongphop stood up and greeted him. "Good day."

Gun frowned deeply, noticing the dark circles under the young man's eyes and the tired lines on his forehead. Kongphop looked as if he had aged considerably since he had seen him yesterday.

"Good day to you, Mr. Kongphop," Gun greeted back. "I'm sorry to come here without a prior appointment."

"You are always welcomed, Sir," Kongphop replied as the two sat on the small sitting area in the office. "I was a little confused when my secretary announced that a Mr. Gun Aksornpan wishes to see me."

"I introduced myself as such for a purpose, Mr. Kongphop. I didn't want her, or anyone present in your office to know that I'm a detective just yet," Gun explained. "I hope you didn't correct her?"

Kongphop shook his head.

"Good," Gun said. "Now, for the purpose of my visit. I came here to do two things, Mr. Kongphop. First, I'd you like to identify the man whom you've seen at Mr. Arthit's apartment,"—the detective pulled a bunch of photos out of his jacket's pocket and presented them on the table in front of Kongphop— "Is he one of these men?"

Kongphop frowned, staring at the photos. They were all frontal pictures of grim-looking men as if they were taken for 'Wanted' posters. Nevertheless, he stared carefully at them before he pointed at one of them.

"This one," he said. "This is the man I had seen."

"Are you sure?" Gun asked.

"Yes. He's hard to miss; don't you think?"

The detective let out a deep sigh before nodding his head and taking the pictures back.

"Do you know who he is, Detective?"

Gun nodded in reply, not trusting his voice. He didn't want to alarm the man in front of him by saying that he had just identified a known gangster; a low-ranked one but a gangster nevertheless...a true lecherous low-life.

"Detective?!"

Gun was pulled from his thoughts by Kongphop's worried voice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kongphop. I just spaced out a little," He said, forcing a kind smile on his face.

"You know the identity of the man; I take it?" Kongphop repeated his question, looking at the detective piercingly.

Gun smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he skillfully changed the subject. "I also came here because I want to take a tour around the company, if you don't mind, especially, I want to meet the employees whom you were kind enough to give me their files."

"Will you start interviewing them today?"

"No, no," Gun replied. "That's why I didn't say I was a detective to your secretary. I just want to meet them without them knowing that I'm a policeman."

Kongphop blinked several times in confusion while Gun just smiled in response.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Arthit drifted back to sleep soon after he cried his heart out. When he opened his eyes again in the afternoon, his father wasn't there. Instead, he saw Knott half-lying on the couch, reading a magazine.

"Knott!" Arthit called softly.

Looking up, the other man smiled as he dropped the magazine and stood up.

"Hey, Arthit," he said as he approached the bed. "It's good to see you awake, pal."

The corners of Arthit's lips tugged upwards in a ghost smile, but he said nothing.

Knott pulled a chair and sat next to his friend's side. "How do you feel now? Are you feeling better?"

"I'm sorry, Knott...for breaking my promise," Arthit said weakly instead.

Knott let out a deep sigh, eyeing his friend sadly.

FLASHBACK

Two weeks before Arthit's car accident...

Knott let out a deep sorrowful sigh as he watched over his sleeping friend. Arthit had tried to commit suicide again by slicing his wrists; luckily, his father had caught him in time before he could inflect a deeper, more life-threatening wound. Siriporn had administered a mild sedative to make him rest.

Nearly a year passed since his ordeal, yet Arthit seemed to be caught in a repetitive hurtful cycle. Often, Arthit would manage to slip away from under his father's watchful eyes and try to commit suicide, luckily in those times; he was caught before something serious happened, though there were a couple of close calls. Siriporn would be called to administer a mild sedative, and he would seem to calm down for a few days before he repeated his attempts.

Arthit's eyes fluttered rapidly before they were opened. Knott felt as if a knife been stabbed through his heart, seeing the amount of pain and despair inside of them.

"Why do you keep doing this, Arthit?" Knott found himself asking softly. "Why do you keep hurting yourself?"

Arthit closed his eyes as tears flooded them in an instance. "Because I don't want to live anymore, Knott," came the weak reply.

"Don't say that!" Knott exclaimed passionately as he seized his friend's hand. "It's been a year, Arthit. You can't keep this going!"

Arthit shook his head weakly, tears flowing down his face. "I can still feel them, Knott." He whispered between his sobs. "They are haunting me still...every time I close my eyes and even when I'm awake." —He slowly started curling into a fetal position— "I can't chase them away..." —He, then, buried his face deeply into the pillow underneath his head— "and...and I miss him so much, Knott," he whispered, changing the topic all of a sudden.

Knott clenched his fists. His friend was suffering, from more than one type of pain, and he was unable to take them away.

Knott was seriously tempted to storm downstairs and confess everything to Arthit's father and get over with the whole matter, regardless of the consequences; however, Knott knew that what his friend needed most right now was comforting, not outbursts.

"Arthit," he finally said in a calm voice that didn't match the storm that was raging inside of him. "Will you promise me something?"

Raising his head, Arthit looked questionably at his friend.

"Will you promise me that you'll never try committing suicide ever again?"

"Knott—"

"Please, Arthit," Knott pleaded desperately. "When you start having those thoughts, try to distract yourself with anything...watch TV with your father, talk to him, read your comics, play your guitar or do whatever. Trying to kill yourself will not end your pain but rather will hurt those love you!" —Knott breathed heavily, looking directly into his friend's eyes— "Please, Arthit, promise me!"

Arthit stared intensely into his friend's eyes before he whispered. "I promise."

END OF FLASHBACK

Knott shook his head at the memory. At that time, he had hoped that Arthit would keep his promise, but after Arthit had thrown himself in front of the car, it became clear to Knott that Arthit would not stop trying to kill himself.

Opening his mouth to say something, Knott had a change of thought and closed his mouth again. He sighed deeply before he shook his head.

"Don't think about it, Arthit," he finally said. "You're fine now, and that's all that matter."

Arthit stared at his friend silently for a few moments. "Were you the one who told Dad about what happened?" he asked.

Knott sighed. "No," he said. "I don't know who told him. He confronted me with it, and I couldn't deny it."

Arthit nodded his head. "I'm sorry for burdening you all this time, Knott."

Knott smiled softly. "It's no burden, Arthit. It's my duty as your friend. Now, don't talk or overthink. Rest."

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

With his son in Knott's care, Phet went home to take a nap before his duty. He was taking way too many permissions from work, and he didn't know when the chief's patience would wear out. Thus, it was agreed between him and the chief that he would take care of the station during the night, leaving him free during the day.

A little before sunset, he woke up, changed his clothes and headed to the station.

"Good evening, Detective Phet," the personnel at the station reception greeted him. "how are you today?"

"Fine, thanks," Phet replied tonelessly as he walked by, heading to his office.

The receptionist sighed deeply, feeling sorry for the senior detective. The detective had been working the night shift for four nights, and he looked so tired, burdened and seemingly unable to rest properly. The young officer wondered when the other man would collapse from exhaustion.

Reaching his office, Phet threw himself on his chair with a sigh before he shook his head, straightened himself up and started to look into his files. It was better to occupy himself with work than allowing his mind to wander.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Siriporn watched with a stern expression as the nurse administered a sedative into Arthit's IV line. The young man was lying on the bed with glazed eyes, hyperventilating, face drench in tears and sweat, and his limbs were tightly restrained to the bed rails, preventing him from moving or hurting himself.

The psychiatrist inwardly cursed that stupid physical therapist who caused this mess.

Arthit was relatively calm during the day until around sunset when the physical therapist arrived to start Arthit's physical therapy. There was already a note in Arthit's chart for the trainer, instructing him to deal with Arthit with utmost care, especially when physical contact was required and not to force him to do anything. However, that moron ignored the note, and when Arthit refused to cooperate, he tried to make him stand up forcefully by roughly holding his arm and trying to force him to stand up.

Arthit, of course, after being held in that rough manner, panicked, became hysterical and pushed the man away violently.

It took Knott and another male nurse to hold the agitated patient down and restrain him before Siriporn's arrival.

The psychiatrist took a deep breath as she watched Arthit slowly drifted into sleep. Tomorrow, her therapy sessions were supposed to start, but she was feeling a little apprehensive at the prospect.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Phet took a deep breath as he finally finished what he was doing before he threw his head back on the leather chair and closed his eyes.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes and straightened up and picked up his phone.

"Hello, Gun,"

"Hi, P'," Gun replied.

"Gun, I need to talk to you. Can you come to the police station? I need to talk to you."

"Sure," Gun replied. "I'll be there soon."

It didn't take long for Gun to arrive.

"What are you doing here, P'?" he asked as soon as he entered Phet's office.

"I've been assigned the night shift," Phet said annoyedly. "I wanted to ask you about your investigation. Anything new?"

Gun stared at the older man, unsure if he should inform him about his discovery or should he withhold it for the time being.

"There's a lead to whom attacked your son, Sir," he replied hesitantly after few moments of heavy silence.

"Who?"

Gun seemed a little disturbed before he sighed. "Yuthakon Tangtrongchit AKA Yu, the Impaler." He said softly.

Phet's expression froze upon hearing the name.

"P'Phet," Gun said quickly, trying to assure to the older man. "I know this is a great shock but don't worry. I'll arrest him, and this time he won't get away with it, I swear."

"How did that scum put his filthy paws on my son?" Phet asked coldly.

"I don't know how yet..." Gun replied in a low voice, ashamed that he still hadn't find answers to his seniors' questions.

"And his connection to that man's company?"

"Still no idea."

Phet sighed, closing his eyes. "Are you sure it's Yu?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, P'," Gun replied tensely. "The CCTV photos we obtained from building cameras showed him clearly. And Mr. Kongphop identified him as the one he had seen leaving your son's apartment once." Phet let out another deep sigh but said nothing.

Gun stared sympathetically at the older man. He could guess what was going through his mind for it was the same thought that crossed Gun's mind once he identified Yu's picture; however, they still had to figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit with each other.

"It was revenge, wasn't it, Gun?" The young detective heard Phet asking.

"I'm not sure yet, P'," Gun replied. "First, we have to know what's the connection between Yu and the company of Mr. Kongphop's family; then we will know for sure if the attack on your son was because of revenge or not."

"Even if it wasn't at first," Phet said as he opened his eyes and looked at Gun. "I'm sure that Yu was more than willing to do it once he heard my son's name."

Gun nodded, unable to deny the truth in Phet's words. Yu was a known sex offender gangster whom they weren't able to apprehend either because of lack of substantial evidence against him or because the witnesses refused to testify at the last moment. Around three years ago while investigating a case of a missing person, the Phet who was the one handling the case, found out that Yu was behind the disappearance of a young female, whom the gangster had kidnapped to rape. The old detective almost caught Yu red-handed, but the bastard, after a fierce battle during which Phet managed to inflict bodily harm to the gangster, fled away and disappeared...until now.

They all thought that he had left Bangkok, but apparently, they were wrong.

The idea that Yu would try and seek revenge on Phet by assaulting his son had never crossed the minds of any of them. The young man was sure that his senior would certainly start blaming himself.

"P'," he said. "I went to Siam Polimer Group this morning and informally met all the possible suspects who could've used their positions to lure your son to the cabin. Please, trust that I will get the culprits."

Phet nodded convincedly.

The two sat in silence for a while before Phet spoke.

"Arthit was moved from ICU," he informed.

"Really?" Gun said. "Good, then I can interview him."

"No!"

"But, P'—"

"Arthit is still unstable, Gun. I will not risk sending him back to the ICU. His mental state will not bear any more anxiety."

Gun sighed. He had hoped that Arthit would finally shed some light into the matter, but this had to wait.

"What is your next move now?" Phet asked.

"First, I'll eliminate as many suspects as I can, then I'll check more in the backgrounds of those who remain and try to find a connection between one of them and that scumbag before interviewing them," Gun said. "Unfortunately, none of their files show anything suspicious. They all seemed to be honest, respectful, hard-working people who couldn't have any connection with the likes of Yuthakon Tangtrongchit."

Phet nodded his head. "Fine, do what you see fit and tell me if you need any help."

"Alright, P'," Gun said before he stood up and left.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

The next morning...

"Why my son is restrained to his bed?"

Siriporn almost jumped from her seat when the door of her office burst open with full force, revealing a very angry Phet.

"And good morning to you, P'," the psychiatrist said, putting down the file in her hand. "I'm fine. Thank you."

The detective glared at her with eyes that promised agonizing death.

"Sit down, P'," she said calmly. "Let's talk quietly and calmly."

Taking a deep breath, the man sat in front of her desk. "Why is he restrained?" he asked quietly.

"Yesterday, Arthit had a hysterical fit after the physical therapist touched him," Siriporn replied. "They had to restrain him until my arrival."

Phet sighed deeply.

"P'," Siriporn continued. "We almost lost i-Aoon during the past two months alone in many many occasions. He will not get better unless we do something. His fear of physical contact, despair, sadness, and depression will not disappear by simply pumping sedatives into his body every now and then. He must undergo proper psychotherapy. Today, I'm supposed to start his therapy; however, without his cooperation, I highly doubt that I'll achieve much. Tell me, have you talked to him about accepting therapy?"

The older man shook his head. "I didn't have the time," he recounted the conversation that took place between him and his son yesterday. "he was too distraught for me to talk to him about anything."

"P', yesterday i-Aoon refused to eat. N'Knott had a tough time convincing him to eat some porridge which he threw up later on," the psychiatrist said. "This can't keep on going, P'Phet. He must start eating, walking and going to the bathroom or else other medical complications will surely arise."

"I'll try to talk to him," Phet said defeatedly before he looked pointedly at her. "And the restrains?"

"I'll take them off once I'm sure that he has calmed down."

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Gun spread the files of the suspects on his desk, trying to eliminate those who had no means to pull such an elaborate plan to lure Arthit into the cabin and attack him and thus reducing the number of suspects he had to deal with. He reasoned that whoever ordered it must at least have some authority at the company; thus, he disregarded those who held no power in the company. He then proceeded to disregard female employees and very old employees. Being left with fewer files than before, Gun then arranged the files into a certain order in which he would start to investigate people. He would eliminate the remaining suspects one by one until he reached the true culprit.

Writing down his next few steps, Gun smiled in satisfaction at himself before he closed his notebook. At that moment, his phone rang.

"Good day, Detective Gun," a voice said from the other line. It was one of the rookie detectives, reporting his findings.

"Did you find him?" Gun asked.

"I'm sorry, Detective," the rookie answered. "After the showdown with Detective Phet, Yu had disappeared for sometimes, but he was seen in some parts of the slums from time to time. However, now he had disappeared once more, and no one knew about his whereabouts."

"What about his gang members? Surely, one of them must know his location."

"They are all missing as well."

"That's impossible," Gun almost snapped. "Did you check the airports? Have anyone of them left the city or even the country?"

"I checked. None of them went through the airports' security during the last three years."

"Where the hell are they, then?" Gun barked.

"They could've gone out of Bangkok by land transportations." the junior suggested.

"Then check in every goddamn province until you find them," Gun barked. "Contact the main police headquarters in all the provinces and inform them to look for Yu or anyone of his gang. Tell them it's a case of high importance, do you hear me? I want him arrested as soon as possible!"

"Yes, sir."

"And listen, I don't want Detective Phet to know that we haven't found Yu yet, or else, he'll kill us all! Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

With that, the call had ended. Gun let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his temple.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

When Arthit opened his eyes, he was alone in the room. He groaned, feeling a mild headache. He tried to raise his hand only to realize that they were both tied to the bed. Memories of yesterday's panic episode flooded his brain. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down as his heart swelled with emotions of anger, frustration, panic, and distress but without success. Tears started to brim his eyes when a sudden memory popped into his mind.

FLASHBACK

Arthit took a last look into the mirror, making sure that his hair was neatly combed, and his clothes were straight and neat. He was going with Kongphop to meet the younger man's family for the first time, and he wanted to give them all a good first impression. While he was admiring himself in the mirror, a hand suddenly snuck and messed up his hair.

"Kongphop!" he yelled, trying to straighten up his hair again as his boyfriend laughed.

"Relax, P'," Kongphop said. "You look as adorable and cute as ever."

"I'm not adorable or cute!" Arthit protested as he combed back his hair.

Kongphop laughed as he encircled the other man's waist from behind. "You are the most handsome and beautiful man in the whole world," he whispered as he planted small kisses on Arthit's nape.

Arthit shivered as he tried not to melt under his boyfriend's kisses. He couldn't even utter any protest against being called beautiful.

"Kong," he said in a rasping voice after a while. "We should get going."

He tried to wiggle out of his boyfriend's arms but without success. Kongphop simply wouldn't let go. His kisses started to get more profound and more passionate.

"Kong—Kongphop!" Arthit bawled, finally managed to free himself. He looked at the mirror, studying the hickey that his boyfriend had just made at the base of his neck before he glared at the smirking man.

"Look what you've done!" he exclaimed as he re-examined the hickey. "What would your parents think if they saw this?! Or your sisters? Or their husbands?"

"They would think that I'm so much in love with you, P', I can't keep my hands off you," Kongphop said with a wild smile. "My sisters may even get jealous of you for having such an affectionate doting boyfriend!"

Arthit huffed in annoyance as he closed the last two buttons of his shirt, covering up his neck, though his cheeks were still colored with a rosy-red shade.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Arthit let out another deep breath as the taxi car drove through the streets, heading to the Suthiluck villa. He was very nervous about meeting Kongphop's family, especially his father. He felt a little guilty for not mentioning his relationship with Kongphop to Mr. Kerkkrai when they met in Ocean Electric. At that time, the older man asked him to take care of his son, thinking that they only shared a senior-junior relationship. Arthit couldn't admit to him that they were more than that ... that they were lovers. He hoped that the older man wouldn't hold that against him.

He took a glance at the man sitting beside him and sighed. Of course, Kongphop was calm and smiling happily as he gazed out the window. The younger man was going to a reunion with his family so why wouldn't he be at ease?

It was Arthit who would be under the spotlight for the duration of their stay. Arthit's eyes landed on the back bag that was resting between them. Narrowing his eyes, Arthit wondered suspiciously at it. It seemed to him that his boyfriend's bag was less full when he arrived at Arthit's room, so why it appeared to be full now?

Arthit's eyes traveled up back to the other man, wondering if he was planning something again. Shaking his head, Arthit looked out his window, in an attempt to distract himself until their arrival to their destination.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Arthit rolled his eyes as Kongphop hurriedly jumped out of the car as it stopped in front of his house, paid the taxi's driver then pulled Arthit towards the main door. He opened the door with the enthusiasm of a child who was going to the amusement park for the first time.

"Dad, Mom, everyone, we're here!" Kongphop exclaimed as he entered the house, pulling Arthit by the hand inside.

Arthit froze as he stood next to Kongphop at the house's entrance, staring at the seven people standing in the living room, looking at him with curiosity. He heard his boyfriend greeting his family before introducing him to them.

"P'Arthit," Arthit looked at Kongphop as the latter pulled him to the living room.

"Of course, you already know my father," the younger man said.

Arthit respectfully greeted the older man who smiled warmly at him.

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Mr. Arthit," Mr. Kerkkrai said, giving the young man a warm pat on the back.

"Thank you, Sir. Likewise," Arthit whispered embarrassedly before Kongphop pulled him towards the woman standing next to Mr. Kerkkrai.

"This my mom, P'Arthit," he said.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am," Arthit greeted the lady who merely gave him a small smile and a nod before Kongphop proceeded to introduce him to his older sisters and their husbands, and of course, his niece, Sura.

"Sura, do you remember the bear I've given you for your third birthday?" Kongphop asked.

"Yes," Sura replied. "I still have it. It's one of my favorite dolls."

"Well, it was P'Arthit who helped me choose it for you. You should thank him."

"Thank you, P'Arthit," the eight-year-old said with a bright smile on her face.

"You're welcome, sweetie." He smiled back, patting her head gently.

After all the introductions were done, everybody sat in the living room while dinner was prepared. In the beginning, everyone was asking him questions about his family, job and so on but as the time passed, the conversations seemed to diverse, and thankfully, soon not all of Kongphop's family were focusing on him.

Arthit watched Kongphop as he conversed with his family and could see how much his boyfriend loved his family and his family loved him back, especially his sisters. The two were teasing and joking with their younger brother with evident fondness shining in their eyes and faces. Arthit also had become the center of their teasing once they became more familiar with him.

Arthit couldn't help but feel a little envious of the bond that Kongphop shared with his sisters. Since Arthit was an only child, he only had his parents in the house as he grew up. And due to the nature of their jobs, they often had to leave him alone with a sitter or one of the neighbors for a considerable amount of time during the day, though they tried their best to make up for it later. The only two who were really close to him, other than his parents, were Namtarn and Jay but those only came when he was 12, and once they had entered college, they slowly drifted apart. Sure, he had new friends who loved him very much. However, he could only imagine that the love between siblings must have a different feeling to it.

"P'Arthit!"

Arthit snapped from his thoughts by Kongphop's voice. "Yes?" he asked, looking questionably at the younger man.

"It's time for dinner," the other man replied, smiling gently.

Nodding, Arthit stood up and followed Kongphop to the dining room.

During dinner, the conversation between Mr. Kerkkrai, his son and sons-in-law drifted to business while the women talked about their social lives. Arthit decided that he preferred talking to Sura instead of talking about work and it looked like he was forgotten for a while until...

"Mr. Arthit, you said you're working in Ocean Electric, right?" Kongphop's oldest brother-in-law asked suddenly.

"Yes," Arthit replied.

"It must be tough working in that company after that major scandal last year." The brother-in-law remarked.

Arthit let out a short nervous laugh. "Not really. Thanks to everyone's efforts, the company managed to get over what happened."

"I heard that Ocean Electric ratings had dropped at least two points in the market after the scandal," the second brother-in-law remarked. "If Father hadn't intervened at that time, Ocean Electric would've suffered greatly to the point of bankruptcy."

"The company was indeed lucky that Kong was doing his internship there when the crisis occurred," The oldest brother-in-law said. "His presence was certainly a blessing. And, considering the relationship between you two, I suppose he was eager to help his boyfriend's company."

"That's not true, P'," Kongphop said. "I helped because I've seen how everyone in Ocean Electric was trying to help as much as they could. Every single employee had worked their best to overcome the crisis, and that's what motivated me to do my best as well. And it's the reason why Dad decided to help the company after he declined P'Arthit's request the first time." At that, Kongphop looked at his father, who nodded in agreement.

"That's true," Mr. Kerkkrai said. "And when I met with Mr. Arthit and Mr. Todd, I became more determined to aid that company. It's indeed a lucky company to have such loyal and hard-working employees."

"But wasn't it one of the company's employees who caused this scandal in the first place, Mr. Arthit?" the eldest brother-in-law asked.

"Sadly, it's true," Arthit replied; cheeks flushed in evident uneasiness.

"And he was in the same department as you, wasn't he?" the older man asked.

"P', what are you trying to say exactly?" Kongphop asked in a clearly annoyed voice.

"I'm merely making an observation, Kong," the older man said. "After all, you know what they say, 'one bad apple spoils the barrel.'"

"I suppose not every company had a careful and thorough president of Human Resources such as you, P'," the second brother-in-law commented. "Maybe you could offer the head of Human Resources in Ocean Electric some tips on the basics of hiring new employees."

"Of course," the older man said with a smirk. "We can't afford to hire rotten apples in our company."

"That's a good thing to hear, Sir," Arthit said in a clear voice. "Because Mr. Kerkkrai certainly doesn't deserve to go through what my company had gone through."

"Mr. Arthit," Mr. Kerkkrai spoke suddenly. "I think it's more appropriate if you start calling me 'Dad'. After all, you've become a member of this family, the moment Kongphop chose to be with you."

A rosy blush tainted Arthit's cheeks as he gave the older man a shy smile. "Thank you, D-Dad," he said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "And it's Arthit."

Mr. Kerkkrai smiled warmly, seeing how his son and Arthit exchanged happy smiles.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Sometime after dinner, Kongphop somehow managed to drag Arthit to his bedroom upstairs. They were all sitting in the living room having dessert and tea when Kongphop asked him loudly in front of everyone to come up with him and check out his bedroom. Feeling utterly embarrassed, Arthit stood up without daring to look at anyone in the room and slowly started to follow the younger man; however, Kongphop suddenly grabbed his hand and hurriedly dragged him up.

"This is my bedroom, P'," Kongphop declared as they entered. "What do you think?"

Arthit looked around the room with a neutral expression. The room was as elegant and stylish as the rest of the house; a shiny wooden floor, dark wood furniture that made a sleek contrast with the beige-colored wallpaper. A studying desk was at the far-right end of the door next to a wall TV set, along with some shelves that held some books, trophies, and pictures. A couch was placed in front of the TV. Behind it a little far away, there was a king-sized bed, and in front of it, there were some wall-sized mirrors that seemed to make up the doors of several built-in wardrobes. At the very far corner, there was a door similar to the room's door, Arthit assumed it could be the one that led to the bathroom. The wall opposite the bedroom's entrance was made up of two huge glass-doors, and Arthit thought they could be the doors to a balcony. The older man smiled slightly, thinking of the difference between this bedroom and his bedroom at his parents' house or his own apartment.

"Well, P'," He heard Kongphop saying. "What do you think?"

Looking at his boyfriend, Arthit smiled warmly. "It's you!" he replied, gaining a wild smile from the other man.

"Does that mean that you like it?" the young man asked, gaining a nod in reply. "Well, I'm glad you liked it, P'," he said, closing the distance between them. "I would be greatly disappointed if you didn't."

He tried to wrap his arms around Arthit's waist, but Arthit was faster in dodging his advances.

"Is that a balcony?" the older man asked, crossing the room with long strides to the glass doors. Opening them, he entered the balcony and was amazed by the sight that greeted him. The balcony overlooked the beautifully designed garden that surrounded the villa. The small lights that were strategically placed in the garden created a stunning view of the garden from above. Arthit could even see a glimpse of the swimming pool that was on the right side of the house.

"Wow...this is a beautiful view!" he breathed.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you, P'..."

He felt Kongphop's arms slowly circled his waist from behind, and his nose gently nuzzled his nape.

"Kong, someone could see us," he whispered, yet did not attempt to break free.

"Then let them see," Kongphop whispered back.

The two stood, enjoying each other's warm embrace for a while before Arthit suddenly broke from the embrace.

"I really should head back home," he said before he hurriedly re-entered the room. Walking to the door, he tried to open it, but it was locked.

Looking back at his smirking boyfriend, Arthit narrowed his eyes. "Kongphop!" he exclaimed. "Open the door."

"No!" Kongphop replied playfully.

"Kongphop, I'm tired. I want to go home and have some sleep."

"There is a bed right here in front of you!" the young man said as he half-lay on the bed, gesturing for the older man to join him.

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't have any spare clothes," Arthit tried to reason.

"Yes, you do," Kongphop said as he got up into a sitting position and showed up his back bag. "I have some spare clothes for you right here including underwear, plus your towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, and cologne. You're set to spend the whole weekend here."

Arthit frowned. "Kongphop! You planned this, didn't you?"

Kongphop simply smirked at him.

Arthit sighed, giving his boyfriend a pointed look. "What would your parents think of us?" he asked.

Kongphop smiled widely. "They won't think of us any different than they would think of my sisters and their husbands."

Arthit flushed. "What! I'm not—We're not—!"

Kongphop laughed, seeing how red his boyfriend's face had become.

"Now that we've agreed that you are spending the weekend here," he said as he stood up. "You can go and change while I go down a little." With that, he opened the door, left the room before he quickly re-locked it again behind him.

Arthit let out a defeated sigh as he resigned to his fate.

His eyes widened as he entered the bathroom and saw how large it was. It was almost as big as the bedroom and as luxurious as well.

As he showered, Arthit ran the conversation that took place at dinnertime in his mind. He didn't miss the way Kongphop's brothers-in-law tried belittling him by bringing up the crisis that his company had gone through last year and was saved by Mr. Kerkkrai's intervention or how his relationship with Kongphop had supposedly benefited him or how they tried to put him and John at the same level.

He let out a deep sigh. In all honesty, he had expected some hostility or at least some upset glares, just like the ones his own father had bestowed upon Kongphop during their visit to his parents' house. However, Arthit felt that what happened at dinner was more than simple disapproval of Kongphop's choice of a lover. It was an open attack at him as a person. He felt as if the two men felt insulted by the mere thought of him being in the same room as them.

'They probably think I'm not good enough for him,' He thought bitterly. After witnessing with his own eyes the level in which Kongphop's family were living in, he was starting to feel very humble in comparison.

Arthit sighed deeply.

Since the moment he had discovered that his boyfriend was Mr. Kerkkrai's only son, Arthit had been having anxieties about their relationship and where he stood with Kongphop. Part of his anger at his boyfriend for hiding this from him at that time was due to his insecurities whether he was good enough to be Kongphop's boyfriend or not. He was, after all, from a middle-class background while Kongphop was the heir to his father's fortune and company. He feared that he would be pulling Kongphop down.

Arthit shook his head, chasing those thoughts away. Kongphop knew everything about him from the beginning, and he didn't seem to mind. Their families' social classes were never an issue between them before, and besides, it didn't matter what the rest of Kongphop's family thought of him. As long as he got Kongphop's love, Arthit didn't want anything more. The two of them got each other, and that was more than enough for both of them.

Finishing his shower, he dried himself and got ready for bed. Getting out, he saw his boyfriend already back and waiting for his turn to use the bathroom. Arthit frowned, noticing Kongphop's dark expression and clouded eyes but decided not to comment. He waited under the covers as the other man got ready for bed before he joined him in.

Turning off the lights, they lay facing each other before Kongphop ran his hand through Arthit's silky hair, slowly closed the gap between them and started planting soft kisses on his boyfriend's lips, jawline and neck.

"Kong," Arthit whispered suddenly. "are you happy with me?"

Kongphop stopped his ministrations; his body stiffened with surprise at the unexpected question for a moment before he smiled softly, allowing his body to relax once more.

"Of course, I am," he replied. "What about you, P'? Are you happy with me?"

Arthit stared intensely into Kongphop's eyes that seemed to glint under the dim light of the moon before he snuggled closer to the other man, burying his face into Kongphop's chest. "Ahuh..." was his reply.

He felt Kongphop's warm arms wrapping around him before a soft kiss was planted on his forehead.

"I love you, P'," Kongphop whispered as he buried his face into Arthit's silky hair. "And I always will. My love for you is true and will never change or falter... I promise."

Arthit felt his heart clenched as a strange unnamed dread suddenly filled his heart. He unconsciously raised a hand and got hold of Kongphop's shirt, fearing that if he let go, the other man would suddenly disappear.

END OF FLASHBACK

A sad smile graced Arthit's tear-stained face. The two of them left the Suthiluck villa after two days, thinking that their love would last forever now that they had their parents' blessings. It never occurred to either of them that merely six months after that visit, everything would fall apart.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

When Phet returned to his son's room, he was greeted with the sight of his son crying his eyes out. He quickly rushed to his son's side, asking what happened but the younger man didn't answer and simply continued to sob.

Phet took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He felt himself reaching his limits and would take only one straw for him to lose control. Taking another long deep breath, Phet braced himself and looked directly at his son.

"Arthit," he spoke in a commanding tone. "All of this has to stop! Today, Siriporn will start your psychotherapy, and I expect you to cooperate with her fully."

Arthit looked at his father dejectedly before he turned his face to the other side.

"Arthit!" Phet called his son in a warning tone, feeling his patience wearing off rapidly but Arthit didn't turn his face. In a moment of anger, Phet grabbed Arthit's hand causing the young man to gasp loudly and stare at him with apparent horror.

Seeing his son's terrified expression, Phet felt as if the world had crumbled all around him. Unable to withstand this sight anymore, Phet hurriedly left the room.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Siriporn rushed to the rooftop as soon Phet called her, asking her to meet him there. Her friend sounded anxious and stressed over the phone.

She found him, standing by the edge, smoking a cigarette.

"Did something happen, P'?" She asked as she stood in front of him.

Phet remained silent for a couple of minutes, dragging deep breaths of nicotine into his lungs before exhaling them.

"Siriporn," he finally said in a grave tone. "I don't care what will you do or how you do it," —he looked at her with pained expression and eyes full of tears— "Just bring my little Sun back to me. I want my cheerful, happy son back."

Siriporn's eyes watered, seeing her very proud and robust friend so helpless and broken.

"Did you talk to him?" She asked, swallowing down her sob. It wasn't a good time for her to breakdown too. She had to remain strong.

"He wouldn't listen," Phet said before he narrated what had occurred between him and Arthit earlier.

"P'," Siriporn said. "I will try my best to help him, but as long as he's refusing to cooperate, it would be challenging to achieve any notable progress."

"And the solution?"

"As I said, I will try, however, we also must keep on trying to convince him," she said.

Phet nodded his head, taking another deep drag of his cigarette.

The psychiatrist frowned deeply as she studied the man's features. He couldn't possibly take more of this or else he would snap as well. Siriporn knew what she must do for him but knew at the same time; it wouldn't be easy to convince the man.

"P'," she spoke. "I don't' want you to come for the coming two days."

"What?" Phet asked in surprise.

"P', please," she begged. "You are on the averaging of breaking down. It's clear that you have reached your limits — the pressure and tension from everything that happened since i-Aoon had returned home, then the operation and now the pressure from work. Go home, P', take a rest and come after two days. Hopefully, i-Aoon would be in better shape by then."

"But—"

"No buts," she cut off. "i-Aoon will not be alone, I promise. I'll ask N'Knott if he or any of i-Aoon's friends can stay with him. I'll prescribe you some Xanax. Take one pill a day for two days...sleep well and don't stress yourself." —She looked deeply into Phet's eyes— "Do it for i-Aoon's sake. He needs you strong, relaxed and in full control of your emotions."

Phet thought for few moments before he nodded. "Take care of him, Siri," he whispered.

"You know, I will, P'Phet."

Nodding his thanks, Phet walked away, heading towards the exit.

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To Be Continued...

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Glossary:

Sura (f.): Brave