Chapter 470: He Had Too Much To Lose
Micah’s gaze followed Darcy as he descended the stairs, before finally dropping back to the ground again.
He went over everything he knew, everything from the novel and reality. Who could it be? Apart from him and Silas, no one had been close enough to leave such a wound.
Micah clenched his jaw, frustrated. There was nothing like this in the novel. The author had described Darcy as kind, forgiving, and impossibly pure. Even though those four scumbags took advantage of him, he forgave them. He was portrayed as a sweet boy. Ugh, even the lines alone made his stomach churn.
Seriously...If he was not the catalyst, who was he?
Should he investigate? The fact that Darcy refused to name whoever had hurt him showed the wound was still raw, still unhealed.
That alone was enough for Micah to make up his mind.
He shot up to his feet in one sudden movement. His eyes hardened. Like hell he was going to let some shit toying with Darcy and walk away untouched! No way. He had to know it.
"Micah! I’m late! Get your ass down here this instant!" Darcy’s yell made Micah flinch. He quickened his movements and jumped the few steps, landing beside Darcy with a soft thud.
"Present!" Micah shouted, raising his hand.
Darcy glanced at him, speechless. The way the boy’s mood switched was faster than the changing weather. One moment he was gloomy, the next he was jumping up and down, energetic.
Darcy tightened his hold on the strap of his bag and turned around, completely ignoring Micah. He began walking toward the bus station, hands tucked casually into his pockets. The sky above was already beginning to dim, with dark clouds covering the sun.
Behind him, Micah followed him quietly, his expression had shifted from that goofy act to something more thoughtful. His eyes narrowed as he replayed the earlier conversation in his head. The words Darcy had said, the vague emotions of betrayal, they had struck something deep inside him. In his mind, he was already imagining beating the crap out of whoever had dared to hurt Darcy.
Meanwhile, Darcy glanced sideways at him as they walked along the narrow sidewalk. His gaze lingered for a moment, taking in the way Micah’s silver hair swung with the wind, and the way his brows furrowed like he was plotting something grand. But Darcy knew it was probably something stupid again. A quiet sigh escaped Darcy before he could stop himself. Honestly, he didn’t know what to do with Micah. The situation had an absurd kind of humour to it. The way Micah had spoken about Silas earlier, like he was a perverted manipulator, a creep who didn’t deserve trust, made Darcy’s heart swell.
In his previous life, Micah had been closest to Silas among the four. Maybe because Silas had been a doctor like his two aunts, or maybe it was because Silas had that calm, capable charm that drew people in. Back then, Micah’s gaze toward Silas had been filled with admiration and respect, a kind of subtle affection that had always made Darcy’s chest ache to watch. Even when Silas had been cold and detached, he had still been the one standing far ahead of the other three in Micah’s heart.
But now, hearing Micah talk about Silas with open contempt, his face twisted in disgust, that was something Darcy had never thought he would see. To think the same man who once loved Silas now couldn’t stand even the mention of him, Darcy found it ironic, and honestly, hilarious.
Darcy let a faint, quiet laugh escape under his breath. He shook his head slightly, lowering his eyes to the pavement as he walked. He liked this world. So much better than his own.
He knew Micah was not fond of Archie either, yet still he went out of his way to help his little brother. That, too, was different from what Darcy remembered.
In his past life, Russell had died before the baby switch was ever revealed. The tragedy had changed Archie drastically. He had been cooped up in training camp, struggling to process grief and guilt. And surprisingly, back then, Micah hadn’t even known that someone named Archie Norris existed.
Was it all a coincidence in this life? Or was Micah hiding something? He wasn’t reborn per se; Darcy had ruled out that possibility long ago.
The other change was how Micah had helped Leo...another of those four men who had been infatuated with Micah. It made Darcy think that maybe, on some subconscious level, Micah still wanted to help his past lovers even if he no longer liked them.
Well, after what happened, maybe Micah’s eyes had opened and realised what had been happening around him in reality. Perhaps guilt had driven him to change in this life, realising that while he had been busy playing heartthrob to those four men, his biological family had suffered, and even Darcy had been tormented.
Anyway, whatever the reason, it didn’t matter to Darcy. The outcome was what counted, and right now it was in his favour.
Still, there was one problem. One name that unsettled him more than any of the others: that madman, Clyde Du Pont.
He was hard to predict. Darcy had no idea what his next move would be. Clyde was too quiet. In the past three days... he hadn’t seen the man anywhere near Micah. Of course, what was in his memories was different from the man he remembered. But the fact that he was still obsessed with Micah showed that his behaviour probably wasn’t much different from before. That kind of fixation Clyde had for Micah didn’t simply vanish because of a twist in fate.
What if Clyde went against those four and dragged Darcy into the mess?
Darcy didn’t want that. Not now. Not yet. Right now, Darcy wanted peace, to stay clear of those four altogether. Maybe in the future, when he had the power, when he had gathered the resources and influence to stand his ground, he might face them head-on. But not now. Right now, he had too much to lose.