Hello, everyone...

It's been a long time since my last update...I apologize 🙏🏻🙏🏻

I hope you like this chapter.

Warning: there is a little bit of light smut at the end...and lots of angst.

This chapter is edited only by Grammarly...so please, excuse my mistakes.

Ramadan is only a couple of days away...May God bless you all during this holy month and beyond ^^

Your votes, comments, and reviews are highly appreciated and will give me the motivation to write ...

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Next Morning...

Kongphop slowly sipped his iced coffee with a depressed expression on his face as he sat by himself in a café ten-minute away from the hospital. After what he had witnessed yesterday and today at dawn, he felt suffocated and wanted to have some time by himself, away from the hospital's atmosphere. He breathed deeply as he remembered what had taken place only a couple of hours ago.

FLASHBACK

Kongphop's eyes snapped open when the door of the room opened, and a male nurse entered, pushing a trolley in front of him. Kongphop flushed upon realizing that he had slept on the chair next to Arthit's bed with his head resting on the bed.

The man nodded his head towards Kongphop as he walked up to Arthit's side and started to take his vitals before he took out a needle and drew a few samples from the sleeping man's forearm. Arthit let a soft moan but didn't wake up. Kongphop watched the nurse as the latter moved to Arthit's upper arm while holding a different syringe full of a clear liquid.

"What is this you're injecting?" Kongphop asked.

"An anticoagulant," the nurse replied, giving him an amused look. "Since Mr. Arthit isn't moving, he must take a blood thinner to prevent the formation of blood clots."

Kongphop winced as the nurse stabbed the needle into Arthit's flesh. His eyes darted to Arthit's face, fearing that the older man would wake up and cause a racket. Surprisingly, all that Arthit did was let out a soft whimper as his eyes fluttered a little before they closed again.

Kongphop looked at the nurse and asked him why Arthit hadn't woken up.

"He's under sedation," the nurse replied coolly. "otherwise, he wouldn't have slept through the night or allowed me to carry out my duties."

The nurse then moved to the other side of the bed to change the IV bag before he started to insert a couple of injections into the line.

"What is that now?" Kongphop asked a little bit agitatedly. He didn't like not knowing what was going in front of him. Since Arthit was placed in his care, he felt it was his right to know what was being injected into his lover— ex-lover's body.

"Immunosuppressants and steroids," the nurse answered, giving him another amused smile. "They prevent the patient's body from rejecting the donated liver."

The man then moved to check the massaging device before he took it off and started to run his hands up and down Arthit's legs and thighs. Kongphop frowned at the scene, feeling jealousy raising its ugly face inside of him. Finding no abnormalities in his patient's legs and thighs, the nurse nodded in satisfaction before he hooked the device back and he left.

END OF FLASHBACK

Kongphop inhaled deeply before letting out a deep defeated sigh. Yesterday, it took all of his will-power to stop himself from breaking down in front of his P' upon seeing the sad state the older man was in. Although Siriporn had given him a full description of Arthit's condition, witnessing it first-hand wasn't the same, and Arthit wasn't making it easy either. The older man's struggle to keep a brave façade was making him even more pitiful.

Kongphop sighed again, wondering if he could survive seeing his beloved Arthit like this for God knows how long. He wondered how he could reach out to the older man since his initial strategy seemed to fail. He was still lost in deep thoughts when his phone suddenly rang.

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"Good Morning, Mr. Kongphop," Gun greeted through the hand-free set as he drove his car, heading to Siam Polimer Group Company to continue his investigation.

"Good Morning, Detective," the younger man replied from the other end. "how can I help you?"

"I've called to remind you that I'm going to interview the company's drivers today," Gun replied. "and to ask, should I head directly to the garages or should I stop at your office first?"

"I'm sorry, Detective Gun, but I will not go to the company today," Kongphop answered. "However, I'll call my office's manager and tell him to provide whatever help you may need. Please, stop by my office and ask for him. He'll be ready and under your command."

"Alright, thank you," Gun said. "Have a nice day."

"Thank you. You too. Goodbye."

With that, the call ended.

Gun frowned deeply, thinking of yesterday's interviews. He had finally interviewed Kongphop's brother-in-law; however, the interview wasn't exactly positive. At first, the man insisted on having one of the company's lawyers with him, saying that he would not speak unless in her presence. Although unnecessary, Gun allowed it just to keep things moving on. At first, the interview went relatively smooth until the name of Arthit was mentioned.

Gun was surprised at the way the man's face changed. It was evident that the man despised Arthit for with a passion, though the reason behind this hatred was unexplained. Gun was inclined at some point to wonder if the man was behind the attack. However, the detective couldn't think of a reason that would motivate the man to go to such extreme to shatter the life of a simple and innocent man such as Arthit, even if the man hated Arthit intensely.

At the end, interviewing Kongphop's brother and the rest of the employees hadn't added much information than he already got from reading their files and his investigations except maybe for their alibis during that weekend, though three of the employees couldn't remember their whereabouts on that particular weekend; not that he could blame them. It had been over a year.

That's why Gun decided that talking to the company's chauffeurs was his best bet. At least, it could give him a lead to who ordered the driver to pick up Arthit from his company and take him to the cabin.

Reaching the company, Gun headed to Kongphop's office to meet his office's manager, who quickly arranged an interview with the head of the company's chauffeur with the detective.

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The head of the company's chauffeurs was an elderly man with a bright smile and friendly attitude.

"I'm Detective Gun Aksornpan," Gun introduced himself. "I want to inquire about some issues regarding an incident that happened over a year ago."

"Oh, that's quite some time, young man." The old man said. "But I'll be happy to assist you in whatever help I can."

"I came to know that no car leaves the garages without a clearance, is that right?" Gun asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"Even after working hours?"

"Especially after working hours. Those require a signature from the 12th floor."

Gun nodded his head before he asked. "If I want to know if a car got out of the garages on a certain day and who drove it, would it be easy?"

"Yes, of course." The old man replied. "all the cars must be scanned and the driver's number must be entered into the system before the garage's door opened."

Gun smiled upon hearing that.

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A man sat on his deck with a grave, a serious expression on his face, lost in deep thoughts. It had ever occurred to him that that matter would come haunting him, after all, that time. He had thought that that matter was over and done with already. However, the presence of that detective who was snooping around, asking questions about the cabin and the incident that took place over a year ago had rattled him to no end.

The man sighed deeply. He was a little bit pleased with himself that he had managed to hide his tracks back then; however, he couldn't rest until the detective departed from the company forever.

"Mr. Onruang!"

Benz Onruang snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing his name. Looking up, he blinked at the secretary who called him. "Yes, P'?"

The secretary smirked. "Oh, young love!" she swooned, making googly eyes at him. "It's so refreshing to see a man who can't keep his mind off his fiancée."

"I beg your pardon?"

The old secretary smiled knowingly. "You've been dazed ever since you got that phone call from your fiancée this morning. Thinking of her, of course!"

Benz smiled nervously and just nodded his head in response. "You wanted something from me, P'?"

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Arthit laughed as he was pushed back on the bed before his lover topped over him, eyeing him with evident lust and passion.

"I love you, P'i-Aoon," Kongphop whispered in a husky voice. "and I want you so badly!"

"Same here, Kongphop," Arthit replied shyly, gaining a broad smile from his boyfriend.

"Same what?" the younger man asked mischievously, pleased to see his boyfriend blushing so intensely.

"What you said!" Arthit whispered, turning his face away from his boyfriend's teasing eyes.

"What did I say?"

"Kongphop!" Arthit snapped, glaring at the man on top of him, while the latter laughed in response.

Kongphop cupped Arthit's soft cheek with his hand as he lowered his head and pressed his lips softly against Arthit's.

Arthit moaned seductively as Kongphop's soft kiss slowly deepened, gently sucking his lips. The younger man started to devour his mouth with evident hunger before Arthit felt Kongphop's mouth slid down his jawline, neck and down to his chest and started to suck one nibble.

Arthit let out a soft scream of pain as the other man, out of the blue, bit his nibble hard. Opening his eyes, Arthit was about to call Kongphop when the other man looked up.

"Hello, kid!" a face, with a scar running across a glass eye, looked at him with a scornful smirk.

Arthit gasped loudly as he jerked up from his sleep. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and his heart pounded rapidly as he hyperventilated. His hands tried desperately to break free from their bonds, and his eyes darted around the room unfocused in explicit horror. Several minutes passed before his fear-muddled brain registered his whereabouts and he began to calm down; however, his tears didn't stop flowing down his eyes. It was the first time that he had such a dream. He had dreamt of his assailants daily since that incident over a year ago, but it was never like this. This was the first time that he dreamt of Kongphop before he was replaced by that gangster. Arthit almost choked on his tears, remembering how his lover's face had changed in an instant to the face of that hateful man. It was as if his beautiful memories were being dirtied and corrupted by his assaulters. He shook his head, desperately trying to erase that image from his head.

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Returning to the hospital, Kongphop headed directly to Arthit's room, carrying a bag full of several pink plastic bottles. Due to the medications, he was taking, Arthit was forbidden from consuming sugary or fatty food; thus, Kongphop had searched four supermarkets until he found one that was selling non-fat, sugar-free strawberry milk. The younger man knew that it wasn't Nom Yen (pink milk) but it was something close, and he hoped that his P' would be pleased with the milk enough to open up a little and drink some.

Kongphop smiled and greeted the nurses politely, who blushed greeting him back as he stood in front of the ward's reception to declare the things he had bought for Arthit before he headed to Arthit's room. He stood in front of the room and took a deep breath before he pushed the door and entered.

Just as the first time he had entered Arthit's room, Kongphop's heart clenched at the sight of Arthit's tear-stained face.

'Did he have another nightmare?' Kongphop thought as he hastily rushed to Arthit's side, throwing the bag in his hand on the couch.

"P'Arthit?" he asked softly, trying to gain the other man's attention without startling him, but the other man kept staring absent-mindedly at the shuttered window.

"P'Arthit!" Kongphop called louder but still no response. The older man seemed to be in a different place far away.

Kongphop called a third time, lightly touching Arthit's hand.

Arthit gasped as he felt someone touching him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He snapped, staring with wide eyes at the man standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, P'Arthit," Kongphop said softly as not to agitate the other man any further. "What's wrong? What is upsetting you?"

Arthit stared at him with eyes full of tears, pain, and sorrow before he turned his face away. "Go away." He whispered.

"P'Arthit, you can tell me if something's bothering you," Kongphop tried again. "Please, P'. I want to help you. Tell me what's wrong? What's hurting you so much? I will—"

"SHUT UP!" Arthit yelled, cutting him off. "Just shut up! Do you want to know what's hurting me?? It's you! You are the one hurting me! Seeing you in front of my eyes is hurting me! Hearing your voice with my ears is hurting me! Feeling your touch against my skin is hurting me!" –Arthit chocked a sob— "Why the hell are you even here?! To torment me?!"

Two nurses rushed the room upon hearing Arthit's loud voice. Hurriedly, one of them injected a sedative into Arthit's IV line while the other tried to calm the agitated man down.

Kongphop stood, frozen with shock at Arthit's outburst when he was only trying to help. He watched silently as the nurses tended to Arthit before he turned around and headed to the bathroom.

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Seeing Kongphop in front of him only brought memories of his horrifying nightmare back. Arthit felt his heart tightening in pain as that man's face flashed in front of his eyes instead of Kongphop's face. And the concern that shone in the young man's eyes and could be heard in his voice only added to Arthit's torment. Unable to take it anymore, he yelled in frustration, shutting the younger man off by spouting hurtful words that sliced through his own heart before Kongphop's. The clear hurt on other man's face was more than Arthit could take, not to mention the tear that he noticed escaping from Kongphop's eyes as he turned around and walked away. In an attempt to release his irritation, Arthit raised his head a little before throwing it back against his pillow with full force several times as pained sobs tore themselves out of his lips and hot tears flooded down his eyes, completely heedless of the nurse who was trying to calm him down.

Kongphop and their memories together were the only thing that the incident hadn't tainted, but now his dream had polluted the only pure and unspoiled thing in his life. As the pain inside of his chest rose to an unbearable level, Arthit cried until finally the sedative took effect and forced him to sleep.

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Kongphop stood in front of the washing basin in the bathroom, looking at his reflection in the mirror as he tried hard to contain himself. Arthit's pained words had sliced through his heart as they had confirmed his deepest fear...His presence was indeed hurting Arthit.

Kongphop let out a sob, feeling as if his heart was about to explode from all the emotions that were raising inside of him. Sitting on the toilet seat, the young man let his emotions and tears loose until he had no more tears to shed. Standing up, he washed his face, took a deep breath then exited the bathroom.

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Arthit was already fast asleep when Kongphop entered the room. Evident by his tear-stained face, the older man, most likely, had cried himself to sleep.

Sighing, Kongphop picked up the strawberry milk bottles and placed them inside the fridge before he sat by Arthit's bed, staring at the sleeping man and thinking about what had taken place moments ago. Kongphop knew that the tension between them shouldn't continue. In less than 24 hours, Arthit had gone into a couple of crying fits which couldn't be good for his health. Kongphop sighed, feeling doubts raising inside of him about this whole situation. He was supposed to help Arthit, but so far, he only managed to get him agitated and distraught. Letting out a deep breath, Kongphop picked up his phone and dialed the number of the only person who could give him a piece of good and objective advice.

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"Detective Gun, Detective Phet had asked me to inform you that he wants to see in his office."

Gun groaned inwardly as the station's receptionist informed him as soon as he entered the station. He still wasn't ready to report to the older man his findings or his inability to find Yu. Luck was by his side, and Phet was too busy with his work to follow up with him for some time, but now, it seemed that it was time to face the firing squad.

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Gun dragged himself to Phet's office like a man facing his execution.

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"Good morning, P'," Gun greeted Phet cheerfully as he entered the older man's office. "I see that you're back to the morning shift again! Congratulations!"

Phet was tempted to roll his eyes at the younger man's happiness but managed to hold himself. He wasn't sleeping very well lately, he hadn't seen his son for a very long time, and he was dead worry about the outcome of Kongphop being close to Arthit. In short, he wasn't in the mood to tolerate the young man's cheerfulness.

"Good morning, Gun," he replied tonelessly. "What is the news about your investigation?" he asked straight to the point.

"Well, I have some disappointing news and good news," the young man replied.

"Start with the disappointing news."

"My men have been looking for Yu and his gang," Gun reported. "But almost a year ago, Yu's gang was dispersed after a brawl with some members of the mafia. Fearing for their lives, most of them had left Bangkok, but we managed to capture the ones who are still alive...except Yu. He had completely disappeared."

Phet listened silently with a blank expression on his face. Gun didn't know whether to feel relieved or nervous about the older man's expression. Although Phet wasn't his superior, Gun had always respected the man and aimed to earn his reverence and approval.

"And?" Phet finally asked.

"Well, when we interrogated his men, they didn't know anything about his whereabouts, but two of his men confessed that they were in that cabin with him that weekend. The third one was killed some months ago." Gun said proudly.

"Did they said who was that employee who invited them to rape my son?" Phet spat.

"No, they don't know him personally," Gun replied. "All they've said that Yu introduced him as Z. None of them knew any additional information about him."

Phet sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "And what about the interviews of the employees...did you find anything?"

"The interviews didn't result in much," Gun said. "However, today when I was investigating the chauffeurs, I discovered few interesting things."

"What?"

"Well, although it's the company's policy to keep a digital record of any car that leaves the company's garages when searching the system, I couldn't find any record of a company's car leaving the garage on the same day and time that your son had specified," Gun said.

"Are you saying that my son is lying?" Phet asked darkly.

"Of course not, P'," Gun said with an easy smile. "I'm just reporting my findings. Anyhow, the head of the company's garages is a very punctual and orderly grandpa with a little faith in today's digital world, so in addition to the computer system used in the garages to scan the departing cars, he also likes to keep a hardcopy of the releasing orders, and upon searching the papers on that specific day, I found this interesting paper." Saying that Gun took out a paper from the folds of his jacket and placed it in front of Phet.

The older man took the paper and read it. It was a clearance paper with the day, date and time to allow a man called Mee Noi Kessara to drive a car out of the garage of Siam Polimer Group Company around 6:30 pm on Friday.

"Have you talked to this Mee Noi Kessara yet?

"No. He was dismissed from work after he got himself into a car accident a week later after that particular weekend." Gun replied. "According to his former superior, he had almost got killed."

Phet raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"So where is he now?" he asked after few moments of silence.

"That's what I'm going to find out today," Gun responded.

"Did you know who gave the order for the car?" Phet asked.

"As you can see, the order came as an urgent request from the 12th floor," Gun replied, looking at Phet pointedly. "There are the offices of Mr. Kerkkrai, his son and his sons-in-law are located."

Phet stared at the young detective with an unreadable expression before he asked. "Whose signature is on the paper?"

"It's Mr. Kerkkrai's oldest son-in-law," Gun replied. "But that doesn't mean that he was the one who had given the order. It's part of his duty to sign the releasing orders; however the actual request could've come from either the CEO or COO's offices."

"Alright," Phet said with a deep sigh. "Find where that driver is now and go ask him who actually ordered him to go and pick up my son."

"Will do, P'," Gun said, smiling brightly before he stood up.

"Gun," Phet said as the man was about to leave his office. "Thank you."

Gun smiled again, nodding his head before he left the office.

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Wad frowned as he looked up from his deck and noticed a weird movement behind one of the large shelves in front of his office. He could make out the clothes of two people standing behind the long shelves; one was wearing the company's working uniform while the other seemed to be wearing a gray suit. This wouldn't have interested Wad much, but the two men talking behind the aisle seemed to be in a serious conversation, judging by the wild hand gestures they were making. The young man tried to look at their faces, but the huge spare parts arranged hid them from his view.

Driven by curiosity, he stood up and walked out of the office, straight to them.

"Is there a problem?" he asked as he approached the two. He frowned upon seeing Mr. Benz Onruang himself standing with one of their workers.

'What's his name again?' Wad asked himself. 'Oh, yeah! Kla Gruemor!'

"No, not at all," Benz said, smiling confidently as he straightened the jacket of his suit. "I was talking to my friend, Kla. We're old friends."

"Oh," Wad said, not really buying the man's lame excuse. He battered himself for not trying to at least eavesdrop at their conversation before he made his presence known.

"Well, I must excuse myself," Benz said, nodding his head to both men before leaving.

As soon as the man disappeared, Wad turned his attention to his subordinate, wanting to inquire more but the man quickly excused himself too and walked away in a hurry.

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Siriporn had just reached her office after seeing a patient when her phone rang.

"Hello, P'Siri," Kongphop's voice came on the other side of the line. "I'm sorry for calling you at this time, but I need your help."

"Hello, N'Kong," Siriporn replied. "It's alright. How can I help you?"

"I need someone to talk to," Kongphop pleaded. "I'm reaching my wits' end."

"Alright, you can come to my office," the psychiatrist replied. "I'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you, P'."

Hanging up, Siriporn sighed deeply. The young man sounded desperate and helpless.

'He isn't going be give up so soon, is he?' She thought grimly. Though she was the one who suggested it several times, she didn't really want to send Arthit to a mental insinuation if there was another way. That's why when Knott called, saying that Kongphop might be able to change Arthit's mind, she was ecstatic. She even teamed up with Arthit's best friend to persuade his father to give Kongphop a chance. The two of them were positive that the young man would succeed where everyone else had failed. However, the uncertainty she had heard in Kongphop's voice over the phone made her worry.

'This certainly doesn't sound good,' she thought to herself.

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Sitting in front of the psychiatrist, Kongphop took a deep breath before he started narrating everything that had taken place between him and Arthit since his arrival yesterday. Kongphop still disturbed from his earlier encounter, found himself panting heavily as he continued to pour his heart out to the psychiatrist.

Siriporn listened attentively to the young man sitting in front of her, paying a close eye to his body language as well as his words.

"Tell me P'. What should I do now?" He asked desperately as he finished, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Well," Siriporn said in a low indifferent tone. "you can either continue to be by i-Aoon's side or simply walk away."

Kongphop's eyes widened in evident fright. "No, I don't want to walk away," he exclaimed. "I—I want..." His voice trailed away as he couldn't find the appropriate words to describe how he felt.

Siriporn let out a deep sigh before addressing the man in front of her. "N'Kong, would you answer me honestly if I asked you a question?" she asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Why are you here?" She asked. "I mean I understood your motives when you donated your liver to save i-Aoon's life. His family, friends, and acquaintances had volunteered too, so it wasn't strange when you did," —she looked deeply into his eyes— "However, to readily leave your life behind and dedicate yourself to taking care of i-Aoon during such difficult time isn't easy. His father and closest friends had a difficult time coping after seeing him in such a state. It almost drove them mad with worry and depression. You have your own life to worry about, yet N'Knott said that you didn't hesitate when he asked for your help. So, I'm asking you, why are you here?"

Kongphop didn't respond. He stared at her with doubt and uncertainty shining in his eyes.

"Listen to me, N'Kong," Siriporn spoke with a sigh. "Taking care of i-Aoon while he's in such state will not be easy. It requires strength, dedication, nerves and will made of steel, and most importantly an unbreakable motivation. If you don't have one of these things, then at some point you will break down, and all our work will be wasted. So, I'm asking you again. Why are you here? Is it because of guilt, pity, misguided sense of responsibility, a desire to play the hero or is it something else?" she looked pointedly at Kongphop as she spoke the last two words.

The young man stared at Siriporn silently for a few moments. "I love him," he finally said. Tears fell down his eyes as he lowered his eyes a little. "I want him to return back to the man I fell in love with." —He looked up at her and smiled sadly— "I don't want anything except to see him smile and laugh again. I don't want him to attempt suicide again! When P'Knott told me that you're thinking of sending him to a mental institution, my brain froze. All I could think of was him...no one else mattered."

Siriporn let out a soft sigh before she nodded. "As I said earlier, it will not be easy. Arthit had been suffering for over a year. What you're witnessing is the accumulation of his pain and agony. You must be strong if you want to see him smile and laugh again. Kongphop," Siriporn said as she leaned forward on her desk, looking deeply into the man's eyes. "What about your fiancée? I mean where is she from all of this?"

Kongphop looked anxiously at her before he replied. "I've broken up with her."

"Why?"

"I couldn't continue with her," he answered. "I couldn't lie to myself or her anymore. I don't love her, and I would've hurt her eventually if I allowed our relationship to continue."

Siriporn nodded. "Does i-Aoon know about this?" she asked.

Kongphop shook his head.

"You didn't tell him?"—another head shake was her answer— "Why didn't you?"

The man smiled sadly, remembering Arthit's word earlier. "I doubt he would be interested," He answered.

Siriporn stared at him, thinking that there was more than the man was letting out, but she didn't press.

"N'Kongphop," she said after a few moments of silence. "Arthit is in a delicate state nowadays. Please be careful when dealing with him."

Kongphop nodded his head before giving her a small smile. He stood up, apologizing for disturbing her before leaving the office.

Siriporn stared at the closed door long after Kongphop's departure, wondering about what was in store for those two. It was evident that both of them still have a lot of issues to deal with, but she didn't want to push them...at least for now.

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It was around 5 pm when Arthit finally opened his eyes. He saw Kongphop sitting on the couch, working on his laptop. The older man let out a deep sigh as he raised the bed a little while looking at the now opened window. Since he had been brought here, he developed a habit of looking out of the window in an attempt to distract himself since he didn't want to talk to anyone especially his father or friends who had been keeping a sharp eye on him for the past weeks.

Arthit sighed again. He had thought that Kongphop would leave after his outburst, but the younger man seemed determined to accomplish whatever he was here for. Arthit glanced at the working man and opened his mouth to say something before he closed it again and averted his eyes to the window.

"P'Arthit, you're awake."

Arthit looked back at Kongphop who closed his laptop and placed it on the couch before standing up and approaching the bed with an easy smile on his face.

"I have bought you something that you'll certainly like," he said with obvious delight. "Do you want to know what it is?" He asked as he flashed his beautiful bright smile.

Arthit blinked, wondering if the younger man had hit his head or something. A few hours ago, he was on the average of crying, and now he was acting all cheerfully as if nothing had happened.

Giving him another broad smile, Kongphop entered the bathroom for a few moments before he exited, carrying a bowl full of water, towel, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Standing next to Arthit, Kongphop wetted the towel and raised it to Arthit's face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Arthit demanded, moving his face away from Kongphop's reach.

"Washing your face," Kongphop replied innocently.

Arthit stared disbelievingly at the man in front of him before he let out a soft scoff. Shaking his head, he buzzed for a nurse.

"You called, Mr. Arthit?" a nurse asked as she entered.

"Can you help me wash up, please?" he asked, eyeing Kongphop who stood with a blank expression on his face.

Kongphop tried not to be hurt at the way Arthit rejected his help, reminding himself that some resistance from the other man was highly expected. He silently gave the nurse the things he was holding and watched her as she helped Arthit.

Few moments after the nurse's departure, the two heard a couple of knocks on the door. A food service worker entered carrying their food. She placed the trays on the table before she left.

"Perfect timing!" Kongphop exclaimed as he walked to the fridge and took out a pink bottle. "Look what I got for you, P'Arthit. It's not Nom Yen but you've once told me that you used to drink strawberry milk as a child, so I bought a few bottles for you."

Kongphop walked to the table and placed the bottle on it before he uncovered the tray.

"Shall we eat?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Arthit averted his gaze to the window, refusing to answer.

"P', please," Kongphop pleaded. "You have to eat something." But still, the older man continued to ignore him.

"Fine," the younger man said. "Don't eat, but at least drink the milk." Still no answer.

Sighing in defeat, Kongphop summoned the food-service worker to pick up the trays before he returned the milk to the fridge. He gave the lying man a gaze full of hurt before he returned to the couch and his laptop. He was starting to have a headache from the lack of food, but he stubbornly decided to stick to his hunger strike until the other man yielded.

The two sat in silence for two hours before a door was knocked and Arthit's doctor entered, accompanied by a nurse who was pushing a medical device in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Arthit and Mr. Kongphop," the doctor greeted.

"Good afternoon, doctor. How are you?" Kongphop greeted back, smiling.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Mr. Kongphop." The doctor replied. "How are you? I believe that your follow-up appointment is tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," Kongphop replied. "I'm feeling well. Thank you."

"Good to hear that," the doctor said, smiling before he turned to Arthit. "And how are you, Mr. Arthit?"

Arthit sighed. "I'm fine," he replied softly, not meeting the doctor's eyes. He knew the purpose of the doctor's little visit, and he didn't like it.

"You're still not eating, I see." the doctor chided the sick man gently. "Mr. Arthit, you're harming yourself by not eating, and not taking your medications. You're already on Immunosuppressants and steroids, but there are other medications that you need to take."

Arthit averted his eyes to the window, letting out a deep sigh.

Shaking his head, the doctor spoke. "Well, you know why I am here, Mr. Arthit," He said. "Shall we do it the easy way or the hard way?"

Arthit looked at the doctor pointedly and tried to raise his restrained hands.

"Touché." The doctor said as he moved towards the bed.

"Wait!" Arthit said as the doctor was about to lift off the blanket. "I don't want him here," he said eyeing Kongphop.

The doctor looked back at Kongphop who shrugged. "I'm here at Doctor Siriporn's orders," he said cheekily, gaining a glare from Arthit. "and I want to stay. Plus, I have Mr. Rojnapat's consent to be informed about P'Arthit's condition."

The two exchanged challenging glares as a heavy silence shrouded them until the doctor cleared his throat before he resumed what he was doing.

Arthit squeezed his eyes shut, taking several deep breaths as he felt the bed slowly being lowered down and the blanket being lifted off him before the folds of his hospital's top opened up, revealing his chest.

He heard the doctor tsked softly. "It's starting to turn into a hypertrophic scar," the doctor said disappointedly as he examined his surgical wound.

Arthit hissed a little when the doctor pressed gently down his scar. He didn't hiss because of the slight pain he felt due to the slight pressure on the wound but because of his fear at being touched that threatened to overwhelm his mind.

Tears started to form underneath his closed eyes, as he felt his control over his fears slowly slipping away. Suddenly, he felt a cold liquid being splashed on his naked flesh causing him to open his eyes. What he saw in front of him had shattered his heart into a million pieces.

Kongphop was standing at the foot of the bed, directly looking at him, with a shocked expression.

Completely ignoring what the doctor was doing, Arthit quickly averted his gaze, inhaling sharply, as tears slid down his cheeks. He didn't know how long time had passed before he felt the gel was wiped off his abdomen before his clothes were folded close again and the bed was raised to its previous position.

"It's over, Mr. Arthit," the doctor said gently, looking symptomatically down at the lying man.

Arthit didn't look at the doctor, nor he said anything.
Smiling understandingly, the doctor and nurse excused themselves and left.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Kongphop snapped from his shock as he heard the doctor and the nurse excusing themselves and leaving the room. He looked at Arthit who was looking at the sky outside the window before he turned around and entered the bathroom.

The young COO breathed deeply, trying to stop himself from hyperventilating as tears fell silently down his cheeks. The sight of Arthit's scarred body kept flashing in front of his eyes, taunting him mercilessly. What he had seen wasn't his beloved's beautiful body. Arthit had always been lean but was fitted, and his skin was smooth and flawless. However, now his body was frightfully thin to the point where his ribcages were visible under the pale skin. A long-inverted T scar ran from his chest to his abdomen. Though Kongphop knew it was the scar from the surgery, the wound didn't look good to him. He also had a surgical wound, but it didn't look like this. Kongphop also noticed a scar around Arthit's right nibble of what it looked like teeth marks.

Kongphop chocked back a sob, and his body trembled at the memory, feeling his heart clenching painfully inside his chest. He needed to vent his grief but knew that he couldn't do it here where Arthit could hear him. Swallowing his sobs, Kongphop splashed some water on his face before leaving.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Gun drove his car through the highway in the maximum speed limit allowed, wanting to reach his destination as soon as possible. After checking the police records, he finally managed to get hold of Mee Noi Kessara's current address. It seemed that after the accident, the driver had left Bangkok and returned to his hometown Noen Makok.

After two hours and half of driving, the detective finally reached the town of Noen Makok. Checking into a local inn, Gun then went to the check on the driver.

Mee Noi Kessara was a man on his mid-forties, living in a small house with his older brother and his family.

After introducing himself and explaining the purpose of his visit, Gun started his interview with Mee Noi Kessara. The two men talked for almost two hours, but Gun had all the information he wanted. Thanking the man, the detective excused himself and returned to his hotel room. There, Gun took the inn's notepad and started to copy down some notes from his notepad before he tore up the papers and arranged them in front of his eyes on the bed, trying to establish some connections.

Gun's eyes glinted as he managed to connect some dots of the puzzle. There were still some missing pieces, and he still had to find evidence to his budding theory, but he was starting to see the role of some of the players in this drama.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

A worn-out wooden door opened with a loud squeak, revealing a tall man in his early forties with a muscular build and a disfigured face. Entering the small room, he locked the door behind him before he took off his workshop uniform and threw it carelessly on a chair nearby. He made his way to a small refrigerator and took out a can of cheap beer before he went to the small iron bed. Opening the beer, he lay down his bed and took a sip as an ugly smirk appeared on his face.

"Arthit Rojnapat!" he whispered to the air as he sipped his beer. "Never thought I would hear this name again!"

Finishing his beer, the man took out of his phone and slowly slid through a series of photos taken over one year ago as he reached his hand down underneath his boxers and started to caress his member. Throwing his phone nearby, he closed his eyes as he recalled how soft Arthit's while skin felt under his touch, and how tight and hot his entrance was every time he thrust into him. A moan escaped the man's mouth as his hand picked up the pace and increased its thrusts. The memory of Arthit's cries and forced moans fueled his lust-muddled mind as he finished himself off and sprayed his essence into his hand. With an ugly pleasant smile on his face, the man slipped into sleep.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

To Be Continued...

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Glossary:

Benz (m.) = The Blessed One

Mee Noi (m.) = Little Bear

Kla (m.) = A Brave and Bold Man

Hypertrophic Scar = A thickened, broad, often raised scar that develops where the skin is injured.