"You... you’re bad-mouthing me, you stupid witch! Goodness, who am I even talking to? I’m going crazy, crazy!" Karl shouted, his baby blue eyes flashing with anger as he dramatically flicked his sleeve. His voice was sharp, frustration oozing from every word.
Ruby, however, just sighed and rolled her eyes at his over-the-top reaction. "Who even wants to talk to you?" she muttered, clearly not impressed by his theatrics.
Karl’s glare deepened, and without another word, he spun around dramatically, stomping off toward Adrian room. "I hate that stupid witch! Do you know she called me a stupid ghost?" he ranted loudly, his voice laced with irritation as he paced back and forth in his room. His fists clenched in frustration, his face turning red with anger.
Adrian, who had been lounging lazily on the bed, barely acknowledged Karl. His arms were crossed, and his expression screamed boredom. "So? Why are you telling me this? What do you want me to do about it?" he asked flatly, clearly uninterested in Karl’s complaints.
Karl stopped pacing and turned to face Adrian, his eyebrows furrowed. "You don’t get it, do you? She insulted me! Me! And now she’s acting all high and mighty like I’m just some useless idiot," he huffed, pointing at himself dramatically.
Adrian sighed, rubbing his temples. Lately, he had been feeling restless. With nothing to do, the days felt long and pointless. "You’re not the only one feeling useless, Karl," he muttered, almost to himself.
Karl paused, tilting his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Adrian sat up, his eyes meeting Karl’s with a serious expression. "I mean, I can’t just sit here doing nothing anymore. It’s driving me crazy. I need to do something—anything—to feel useful. I hate this feeling of being useless and having no purpose," he admitted, his voice heavy with frustration.
Karl, however, couldn’t quite grasp what Adrian was feeling. He liked the life he had right now. Waking up late, lounging around, and barely doing any chores. It was easy and stress-free. "Why? I life. I don’t have anything to do," Karl said, genuinely confused.
Adrian rolled his eyes in response. "That’s why you’re growing fat," he said dryly.
Karl’s eyes widened, and before Adrian could react, he jumped at him, grabbing his long black hair—just a bit gray at the roots—and pulling it. "What did you say?" Karl shouted, his anger flaring.
"You’re fat," Adrian replied flatly, not showing any emotion.
"You, you, you... wahhhhhhhhhhh!" Karl shouted, his voice breaking into a loud wail. His cry was so loud that even the birds in the distance flew away, and the sound seemed to make the whole house shake.
"What’s wrong? Who died?" Ruby walked into the room, her voice filled with concern as she glanced around at karl.
"What happened, brother Karl?" Milo asked, his small face scrunched up in worry as he approached.
Even Julian, who had been in the kitchen, rushed over, his expression serious.
"Wahhh wooooooo!" Karl cried out loudly, his voice shaky and broken as he sniffled, struggling to speak.
Julian moved quickly toward him, pulling him into a tight hug. Karl, overwhelmed by the emotions, cried even louder, clutching Julian as if the world were collapsing around him.
Ruby and Milo stood by, exchanging confused glances, unsure what had set off Karl’s sudden outburst.
"He he he..." Karl pointed at Adrian, who was lying lazily on his bed, not seeming to care about Karl’s outburst.
"What did you do, brother Adrian?" Milo asked, walking over to Adrian’s side and shaking him gently.
"Nothing. I just told him he’s fat," Adrian replied, his voice casual.
When Karl heard this, he let out an even louder cry. Ruby couldn’t help but cover her ears at the noise.
"I don’t want to talk to you!" Karl shouted angrily, then quickly ran off to his room. Milo, always eager to follow, rushed after him.
Adrian simply rolled his eyes and sighed, not at all bothered.
Ruby took a bite of the food Julian had made, savoring the flavors. She glanced up and noticed him sitting across from her, quietly eating his own meal.
"You haven’t eaten?" she asked, her voice soft.
Julian lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. His shoulders stiffened slightly as he shook his head, refusing to say a word.
Ruby sighed softly, brushing the moment aside, and returned to her room. The rest of the free time she spent experimenting with different stitching techniques, her hands busy as she focused on perfecting her work. By late evening, her efforts bore fruit, and she felt a sense of accomplishment as everything started to come together.
When it was time for dinner, Ruby joined the others at the table. The atmosphere was quiet, almost too quiet. Nobody brought up the subject of divorce, and the meal passed without any awkward exchanges.
Later, Ruby retired to her room. As she prepared for bed, a strange heaviness settled in her stomach, making her uncomfortable. She paced around the room for a while, her steps light yet soothing to her discomfort. When the feeling finally subsided, she stretched out on her soft bed, exhaustion pulling her into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.
At the same time, in Adrian’s room, he slowly opened his eyes and glanced to his side. Milo was sound asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily with each breath.
Quietly, Adrian shifted, carefully getting up without making a sound. He tiptoed toward the door, his movements precise, almost practiced, as if he had done this countless times before.
Just as he reached halfway, Milo suddenly muttered something under his breath, his voice soft but startling enough to make Adrian freeze in place. His body stiffened, and his sharp gaze locked on Milo, watching him closely.
For a moment, Adrian’s heart raced as he tried to decipher if Milo was waking up or simply dreaming. He observed him with a critical, focused look. When Milo turned to his side, still muttering but clearly deep in sleep, Adrian let out a silent sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
He stood there for a moment longer, ensuring Milo was truly asleep before he continued his careful exit.
—To be continued...🪄