Leo
I had fully expected the car to take us back to the administrative block, but instead, it turned in a completely different direction.
We drove away from the main resort area and pulled up to a massive white gate that opened into a huge private estate.
The property was incredible. A long stone driveway curved around a giant marble fountain that splashed water under the soft lights.
The night had gotten very dark, casting long shadows across the grass, but the rain had finally stopped, leaving everything quiet and wet.
When the car door opened, the cold air hit me. I was shivering violently because my clothes were completely soaked, and I wrapped my arms around myself to try and stay warm.
The guards didn’t say a single word as they led me toward the front of the mansion. Gerald was already waiting inside the warm house.
I kept my head down as I followed the guard into the large entrance hall, where a few maids were waiting with dry towels and fresh clothes.
Suddenly, I saw a familiar figure walk out from the next room. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first. I had just run out of our villa to hide from him because I was so ashamed of what I did, but Miller was standing right there in front of me.
The moment his green eyes found me, he didn’t hesitate. He rushed straight toward me, and I ran into his arms, hugging him as tightly as I could.
"You... you are here," I whispered, burying my face in his chest and squeezing him tighter as tears spilled down my face. "I am so sorry I left you alone. I should have never yelled at you like that. It was all my fault, and I hate myself for it. I am so sorry, Miller. I was just so scared and angry, but I never wanted to hurt you or run away. Please forgive me." I sniffled against his shoulder, letting out all the guilt I had been carrying.
Miller gently pulled back and cupped my face in his warm hands. "It’s alright, Leo. I understand, and I promise it’s okay. I should have just told you the truth from the start instead of letting you walk away," he said softly.
He took a large towel from one of the maids and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Right now, you need to get out of these wet clothes before you get sick."
"Right," I said, my teeth chattering as I pulled the towel tightly around myself. "Statistically speaking, if my core body temperature drops below thirty-five degrees Celsius, my metabolic rate will decline sharply and I will begin developing hypothermia. If we waste time standing here, the shivering will give way to cognitive confusion and cardiac arrhythmia."
Miller let out a small chuckle. "You are truly the only person who would use medical jargon to describe their condition even in a serious moment like this."
We both laughed at his words.
The servants then led us to a guest room where I could dry off and change.
Miller explained that Gerald had called him the moment the storm started, telling him that he had found me and asking him to bring a change of clothes to the mansion. Thanks to that, I was able to change into a warm, dark charcoal sweater and soft pants that Miller had brought, which smelled safely like him. Cedarwood.
Once I was changed, a maid took my wet clothes. "We will dry clean these for you, Doctor Ackerman. They will be ready before you leave tonight," she said with a polite bow.
After that, we were led into a massive living room. A warm fire was crackling in a large fireplace, cutting through the damp chill. Gerald was already sitting on one of the sofas, watching the flames.
Miller and I walked over and sat down close together on the opposite couch.
As I settled in, my eyes began to wander around the room. My gaze landed on a large painted portrait hanging above the fireplace. It was a beautiful woman with long, curly hair. Looking around the rest of the room, I saw smaller framed photos of her and Gerald, and then another large family portrait of Gerald, the woman, and two young boys standing together in a garden.
While I was looking at the pictures, a servant brought a tray of hot tea over to us.
"Here is some hot tea for you, Doctor," the servant said politely, pouring the cups.
"Thank you," I murmured, wrapping my hands around the warm cup. I took a slow sip, letting the heat calm my racing heart.
Gerald looked across at us and smiled gently. "I am glad to see you two sitting together and talking. That is what it means to have each other’s backs and support one another through hard times. I am sorry for almost causing a huge fight between you tonight."
"You didn’t cause it, Director," Miller said, resting a comforting hand on my knee. "The lack of honesty did. We should have been completely transparent with each other."
Gerald nodded sadly. He noticed me staring at the woman’s portrait and let out a heavy sigh. "I see you looking at her painting. Her name was Rebecca. She was my partner, and honestly, she was the whole reason this island was created in the first place. She was an Enigma who suffered from uncontrollable anger issues. Over the years, she became so violent—even toward our own children—that she ended up ending her own life because she was scared she would lose control. I still hate myself for not knowing how to help her back then."
Gerald paused, his voice cracking with real grief. "My partner died, and I miss her every single day. I don’t want the same tragic thing to happen to you and Miller. That is why I want to help. Lucas Ackerman really loved his family, Leo."
The moment he said my father’s name, I groaned and my whole body went stiff. "Please, Director. Do not talk about that man. He was a monster, and I don’t want to hear anything about his supposed love for us."
"Leo, please, just listen to him for a second," Miller pleaded softly, squeezing my hand to keep me grounded.
Gerald didn’t get angry at my outburst. Instead, he reached into a drawer and picked up a small, carved wooden box from the table, handing it to a maid who passed it to me. "Before your father left this island for the last time, Leo, he left this with me. He told me that if his son ever came here looking for answers, I should hand it to him directly."
I stared down at the wooden box in my lap, my jaw tightening. "I don’t care about anything he left behind. It doesn’t change anything."
"Leo, please look at it," Miller urged, leaning closer to my ear. "You need to see what is inside. For us, please just open it and maybe you might what you have been missing all these years.’’
I let out a frustrated sigh, but because Miller asked me to, I slowly opened the lid.
The first thing resting inside was a small silver picture frame. I lifted it out, and my breath caught in my throat. It was an old photo of my father, my mother, and me as a tiny baby in his arms. My mother was laughing, but what shocked me was my father’s face. He didn’t have that terrifying, cold glare I remembered from my nightmares. He looked genuinely happy. He had a warm, proud smile, looking completely human.
While I stared at the photograph, Gerald spoke softly. "That was who Lucas really was before the suppression treatments ruined his mind, Leo. He didn’t turn violent because he hated you. His biology was failing him, and the chemical imbalances completely changed his personality."
My hands shook as I reached back into the box. I pulled out a folded piece of paper and opened it. It was a crude crayon drawing I had painted for him when I was a kid.
Three stick figures holding hands under a yellow sun, with the words ’To Daddy’ written in messy letters at the bottom. He had kept it all this time. Underneath the drawing was a heavy gold locket. When I snapped it open, it showed a tiny picture of my mother on one side, and a picture of him holding me as a baby on the other.
My chest felt incredibly heavy, and tears blurred my vision. "Why..." I whispered, looking up at Gerald. "Why are you showing me this now? What does this have to do with me? It doesn’t change the fact that Lucas Ackerman was a crazy man!’’
"Because the exact same biological breakdown could be happening to you right now, Leo," Gerald said with absolute seriousness.
A flash of fear hit me, and I turned my head quickly to look at Miller. "What does he mean by that, Miller? What is happening to me?"
Miller let out a deep, heavy sigh. He held my hand tightly, his green eyes filled with deep worry and love.
"The reason I met with Gerald behind your back wasn’t to gossip about your past, Leo," Miller explained gently. "I went to find answers because of what happened when we were together in the bathtub. I noticed that your scent had suddenly changed. It didn’t smell like an Enigma at all; it smelled like sweet night jasmine. Almost like an omega. I was terrified something was wrong with your body, so I went to Dr. Joe, the pheromone coach and through our research, we found the truth. Leo... you are a Janis Enigma."