The living room was eerily quiet.
No one spoke.
The ticking of the old wall clock echoed through the house, each second stretching the silence even further.
Benny looked at the three people before him.
The man who had called himself his foster father.
The woman who had never once held him when he cried.
And Daniel...
The son they had always loved more.
He slowly placed the medical reports back on the table.
"I've read them."
His foster father leaned forward slightly.
"Then you understand the situation."
"I do."
"Good."
The older man folded his hands.
"We're not asking for much."
"Just contribute what you can."
"We'll find the rest."
Benny stared at him.
Not asking for much?
A heart transplant cost more money than he had ever seen in his life.
He was a nineteen-year-old freshman.
He rented a tiny apartment.
He worked part-time whenever he could just to pay his rent, buy food, and afford his university expenses.
Did they really think he had that kind of money?
Or...
Did they simply not care?
"You think I have money?" Benny asked quietly.
His foster father frowned.
"You're studying Computer Science."
"I've heard students in that field make good money online."
Daniel scoffed.
"You were always the smart one."
"Surely you've saved something."
Benny almost laughed.
Saved?
There had been months when he survived on instant noodles because he couldn't afford anything else.
Some nights he skipped dinner just so he could buy textbooks.
The only reason he had managed to enter Crescent University was because of the scholarships he had earned through years of hard work.
Everything he owned...
He had earned himself.
No one in this room had ever helped him.
His eyes slowly met theirs.
"When I was twelve..."
"I asked for money to join the school science club."
"You told me it was a waste."
His foster father remained silent.
"When I was fourteen..."
"I won second place in a regional programming competition."
"I came home carrying the trophy."
"I wanted to show someone."
His smile was faint.
"The house was empty."
No one had been waiting.
No one had congratulated him.
His foster mother lowered her eyes for the first time.
Benny continued.
"When I was sixteen..."
"I got a fever that lasted three days."
"I could barely stand."
"You still made me clean the house."
Daniel shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.
"And when I turned seventeen..."
"I left."
"I wasn't running away."
"I was surviving."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
His foster father finally spoke.
"That was the past."
Benny's expression didn't change.
"The past?"
"You mean the years that made me who I am today?"
The older man sighed impatiently.
"There's no point bringing up old memories."
"Your foster mother is sick."
"Whatever happened before, we're still your family."
Family.
That single word made Benny smile.
It wasn't a happy smile.
It was tired.
"Family?"
He looked around the living room.
"I spent seven years trying to become part of this family."
"I cleaned."
"I cooked."
"I worked."
"I stayed quiet."
"I kept hoping..."
"That one day..."
"You'd look at me the same way you looked at Daniel."
His voice became softer.
"But that day never came."
His foster mother quietly wiped away a tear.
"Benny..."
It was the first time she had spoken his name that evening.
He looked at her.
"You don't have to say anything."
"It's already too late."
Daniel stood up suddenly.
"So you're just going to abandon Mom?"
Benny turned toward him.
"Abandon?"
"I was abandoned long before I walked out of this house."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"You've changed."
Benny nodded.
"I had to."
"Because no one else was going to save me."
The room became silent once more.
Benny reached for his backpack.
"I truly hope she gets the surgery."
"I mean that."
"But I can't promise money I don't have."
"If I ever become successful..."
"If I can genuinely help..."
"I'll decide then."
"But not because you demanded it."
"Because that's my choice."
He walked toward the door.
His foster father called after him.
"So that's your final answer?"
Benny paused.
Without turning around, he replied,
"My answer..."
"...is that love isn't something you remember only when you need money."
He opened the door.
A cool evening breeze drifted into the house.
Then...
He walked away.
This time...
No one tried to stop him.
Outside, Benny took a deep breath.
The weight pressing against his chest finally eased.
It still hurt.
It probably always would.
But for the first time...
He realized something.
He didn't owe that family anything.
Not his future.
Not his dreams.
Not even his guilt.
He adjusted the strap of his backpack and walked toward the bus stop.
Ahead of him...
A new life was waiting.
One built by his own hands.
Author's Note
Thank you so much for reading CEO Delicate Flower (BL)!
If you're enjoying Benny's journey so far, please don't forget to vote with your Power Stones, leave a comment, and add the novel to your library. Every Power Stone helps the novel reach more readers and motivates me to keep updating.
See you in the next chapter! ❤️
— veane_