Husband With Benefits
Chapter 137: A Hint Of The Past

Chapter 137: A Hint Of The Past

Ian looked around in concern as he pulled into the parking lot of the medical facility to find Gabe already waiting there. Gabe nodded to him in acknowledgement and as expected the others also pulled in next.

All four brother looked at each other with a similar degree of concern and trepidation until Gabe broke the silence," I assume, you three also received the same message from Demetri, telling you to come here."

Ian, Seb and Lucien nodded and continued to scan the surroundings. "Do you think something is wrong with Demetri? Is that why he has summoned us here?" Lucien questioned.

Gabe shook his head," I looked up this place. It is for people who have a long recovery road ahead of them. It’s a care facility with a rehabilitation center for those who had been physically weakened."

"Why do you think he summoned us here?" Ian questioned. He could not help but think to the conversation in Demetri’s office when he had told him that they were old enough to stand by his side. The unfathomable way in which Demetri had looked at him, made him feel apprehensive.

Ian’s thoughts were spoken by Seb as he said," This sudden message is making me uneasy. tried calling Demon on the way, but he didn’t pick up. Something serious is afoot."

Just then, a nurse approached them and asked for their names. After confirming their identities, she informed them that Demetri was in a consultation room and would see them shortly. The siblings exchanged a final glance, a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, and followed the nurse down the corridor, bracing themselves for the unknown.

The air in the consultation room felt heavy. The nurse had asked them to wait there. Usually, there was hardly a moment of silence as the brothers gathered but somehow, each kept quiet today, affected maybe by the sterile walls or the feeling of impending sadness that they kept feeling. While each was occupied in his own thoughts, the door to the consultation room swung open.

All four turned in unison towards the door, expecting Demon to come in. Instead, a wheelchair was wheeled in. The men’s eyes widened as they saw the frail figure sitting in it. The man in the wheelchair bore a striking resemblance to Demetri, but he looked terribly weakened and fragile. A collective gasp escaped their lips as they took in the sight before them.

The shock on their faces didn’t go unnoticed by Demetri, who observed them from the other side of a glass wall. He wanted to gauge their reactions, to see how they would respond to the unexpected sight of the weakened person in the wheelchair. His hands clenched on the side. They wanted him to share the burden. Now they could.

Gabe was the first to overcome his shock. He approached the wheelchair slowly, as if afraid to disturb the fragile figure. Kneeling next to the man, he tentatively called out, "Erasmi?"

The man seemed to be lost in his own world, staring blankly in one direction, unresponsive, not even acknowledging the presence of someone he knew. Gabe gently took the man’s slightly cold hands into his own, searching for any sign of recognition in Erasmi’s eyes. The room was filled with a heavy silence as the others watched, their faces a mix of confusion, disbelief, and concern.

Ian, Seb, and Lucien approached cautiously, forming a semi-circle around Gabe and Erasmi. The room seemed to shrink as the weight of the moment settled in.

After what felt like an eternity, Gabe’s turned to look at the mirror, knowing Demetri stood there. His eyes mirrored the myriad of questions as he looked in that direction.

Demetri, unable to keep the suspense any longer, entered the room. His gaze shifted from one brother to another, measuring their reactions.

"Demon... this..." Seb broke the silence, unable to even form a question.

Ian also looked at the brother he had presumed dead and questioned," When did you find out about Erasmi? How did he reach this state?"

Demetri closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them," I owe you all an explanation. The accident..."

"The accident in which we all presumed he died. You mean, he has been like this here from the beginning. Why did you not tell us" Ian asked with shock.

But it was Gabe who hit the nail on the head," So, Erasmi is the knife that Grandfather’s been holding to your neck all this time, to make you do his bidding?"

"Yes."

"Was it grandfather’s idea to declare him dead?"

"To grandfather, Erasmi is already dead. The only reason he had not yet buried him was because he wanted to control me."

"What happened to him?" Gabe asked slowly.

"In the beginning, after the accident, there was a swelling in his brain which affected his motor skills..."

As Demetri explained the entire process of how their lively and strong brother had reached this state, the brothers could only listen in shock. All these years, they’d remained neutral and never openly sided with Demetri but never had they dreamt that this was the battle that he was fighting with the old man. His own twin’s life.

The weight of guilt and sorrow hung in the air, intertwining with the unspoken questions that lingered among them. All these years they had moaned about the death of their brother but never questioned the circumstances. They had never questioned about why they had not been brought back for the funeral..."

Gabe consciously tried to move in front of Erasmi’s eyes while Ian’s hands remained clenched on the side, trying to conceal the hurt he felt. Lucien, stood quietly, absorbing the harsh reality that unfolded before them.

Finally, Gabe looked at Demetri and questioned," Why did you reveal this now, Demon? All these years, you have kept the truth to yourself, so how come you are willing to trust us now?"

Demon glanced at Ian for a moment before turning back to Gabe, "Because there has been some development in Erasmi’s condition now and I’ve been told that all of you are old enough to share the truth.

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