Pond's POV
"He's okay now. He just needs to wake up, and he'll be ready to go home. No need to worry too much." Dr. Book, Dunk's older brother, gave Gem and me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before leaving Phuwinâs hospital room.
Phuwin had just gotten drunk. Thanks to the alcohol my dad gave to Gem, he didnât get seriously hurt. I didnât really understand all of Dr. Bookâs medical explanations about alcohol, but what mattered was that Phuwin was okay. He was just sleeping it off now.
"I donât like this," Gem muttered. I had called him the second I brought Phuwin to the emergency room. He rushed over with Fourth, while Aou and Boom came shortly after.
"No one does, Gem," Joong said. He was here too, along with Dunk and Dunkâs father. My dad was on his way.
"What could be worse than this, Joong? My brother hurting himself? Hurting someone else?"
"Phuwin wouldnât do that," I said quickly. "I wonât let it happen."
"None of us will," a voice said from the doorway. It was Dad, walking in with his usual serious expression that somehow made me feel a bit more at ease.
"Good, you're here. I need your help," Dunkâs father said, turning to my dad. Dunkâs father was a well-known lawyer, which was why I asked Aou to call him earlier. My dad, on the other hand, was well-connected and always knew how to gather any information we needed. His connection is to wide that he can get all the information needed in just a short period of time.
"Iâve got everything," Dad replied to Dunk's dad before he looked over at Phuwin. "Howâs he doing?"
"Heâs okay, just sleeping because heâs drunk," I said.
"Thatâs good to hear. When he wakes up, bring him home. Your mom is getting your room ready for him."
"I will, Dad."
Dad patted my shoulder before walking over to talk with Dunkâs father.
I moved closer to Gem, sitting on the edge of Phuwinâs bed. Gem was sitting right across from me, looking tense.
"Gem, itâs okay to cry if you need to. Or shout if that helps," I said softly. Gem had been so quiet since Phuwin was transferred in this romm, his fists clenched tightly.
"I donât know what to do, Pond. All I ever wanted was something simpleâfor Phuwinâs sake, not even for me. You know how much he looks up to our parents. They arenât just parents to him; theyâre his idol and heroes. He admires their relationship more than anything. But now, my mom is helping put charges against her own son? That man deserved that punch, deserved to be in the hospital. He deserved worse."
I stayed silent. I agreed with Gem. As much as it felt wrong to think, that guy deserved to be buried, whether alive or dead.
"Phuwin doesnât deserve this. None of us do," Gem whispered, breaking down into tears. Fourth immediately pulled him into a hug.
I glanced over at Phuwin. He really didnât deserve any of this.
My heart ached for the brothers. They were both so good, too kind to be dealing with this kind of pain. Their parentsâso selfish, so wrapped up in themselvesâdidnât deserve children like them. They might be called âmomâ and âdad,â but they werenât real parents.
"Gem, Iâll take Phuwin to my place when he wakes up," I said gently once Gem had stopped crying.
"Will your parents be okay with that?"
"Yeah, my dad told me to bring him home."
"Thank you, Pond. I donât want him seeing our dad right now.
"I understand. Thatâs why Iâll take him."
"Please, take care of him," Gem said softly.
"I will."
Dunkâs dad walked over and handed Gem a piece of paper. Gem took it and read it silently. His fists clenched again, and he let out a deep, heavy sigh.
Curious, I took the paper from him and read it. My heart sank.
"Shit," I muttered. I looked at Phuwin, then at Gem. "This is bad."
"Sheâs still your mother, Gem," Dunkâs dad said gently. "Thatâs something you canât change. I know this will be hardâ"
"No, itâs not," Gem interrupted, his voice flat and emotionless. "Iâm filing a case against her."
"Gem..." I said, worried.
"Sheâs my mother, but Iâve tolerated enough."
"Why, Gem?" a soft voice asked from behind us.
We all turned to see Phuwin sitting up, looking sadly at his brother.
I immediately took Phuwinâs hand and squeezed it gently, letting him know I was here for him.
"You two need to talk," Dad said firmly. "Gem, your brother deserves to know the truth now. No more hiding things."
Gem nodded quietly.
"Weâll give you some privacy," Dad said, signaling for us to leave the room.
I gave Phuwinâs hand a quick kiss before following the others out.
Once outside, I sank into one of the chairs in the hallway, letting out a long sigh. Seeing the sadness and pain in Phuwinâs eyes had been too much. I wanted to be with him, to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. But right now, he and Gem needed this moment alone.
"Why did things get so bad, Dad?" I asked, turning to my father, who sat quietly beside me.
"Maybe itâs what their mom wanted deep down. She got so wrapped up in whatever happiness she found, she forgot she was a mother and a wife."
"But we canât blame her for everything, right?"
"No, of course not. Infidelity is a painful thing, especially for a woman and a mother. But another cheating doesnât fix anything. You canât just get even by doing the same thing. The best revenge is leaving the person and showing them what they lost."
"Pain really changes people," I said quietly.
"Yes, but turning to drugs is a step too far," Dad said.
"Iâm worried about them, Dad, especially Phuwin. How is he going to handle all this? And Gem seems so determined to go through with filing charges. Can they get through this?"
"They have you. They have us. Whatever happens, weâll be there for them. This is a hard situation, but theyâll have the support they need."
"Thanks, Dad."
"Stay strong for them. Iâll be here to help too."