Cantro Twenty-Six: Lovely Toxin:

I should’ve seen it sooner. Bayu was the first to see what was wrong. I probably knew it then too but I didn’t want to listen. I guess part of me wanted to hang onto the illusion of family. Maybe I thought there was still a chance to turn things around. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I looked up when I felt an empty space next to me in my bed. Bayu sat at the foot of my bed.

“Bayu… -chan?” I asked.

“This was a mistake to come here,” she said to herself.

“What are you talking about?” I asked. My love turned and stared at me. She had tears in her eyes.

“Baby?” I asked. I reached forward but she pulled away.

“Bayu-chan?” I asked.

“Don’t!” she shouted. I looked so confused.

“You don’t understand!” she yelled. “This place is killing our son!” Tears came running down her cheeks.

“You can’t mean that,” I said. I didn’t sound so convinced. At the time, I couldn’t see how right she was.

Irani wasn’t doing so well in our kingdom. I hadn’t notice until after I talked to him about his sister. His eyes looked so dull and hollow. Boils started to form on his skin. I noticed how he kept scratching at his wrists as he talked. Blood started to stain his nails. My son also lost so much weight. He had stopped eating and wasn’t sleeping too well either. I had my spies watch him and report back to me.

The morning after Bayu’s breakdown didn’t do anymore favors. I sat on my throne with a bored look on my face. Three of my top spies stood before me. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“What’s today’s report?” I asked. I could already predict what they were going to say. One of my spies nervously stood up.

“My lord, it’s your son,” he said. I raised my eyebrow.

“What about him?” I asked. My spies looked so pale as they looked at each other. They started whispering to each other. My nostrils flared.

“Spit it out already!” I shouted. “What is it about my son?!” The spy standing up gulped.

“Lust dragged him into the hospital in the early hours of the morning,” he said. “Your son threw up blood on the floor. His hair and his teeth were falling out.” That was all it took. I rose to my feet and disappeared into thin air.

“My lord!” I heard after me.

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I found Lust sitting in the waiting room. She jerked her head upwards when she saw me. The look on her face told me everything that I needed to know.

“Dad?” she asked. She trembled as she looked at me. I opened my mouth to speak. Lust fell to her knees at my feet.

“I’m so sorry!” she wailed. “It’s all my fault!” My daughter spilled everything that her and her brother had been up to. She cried and wailed the whole time. My face was bright red when she was finished. The hospital heard me screaming in rage. I didn’t care who was looking at us. I kicked Lust aside and stormed down that hall.

“My lord!” one of the nurses yelled after me. I waved her off and kept walking.

“Papa!” Lust screamed after me. I didn’t even turn around to see her running after me.