41

The villa was hushed, but the silence wasn't peace — it was tension. Heavy, electric, waiting.

Rafael stood in the dim hallway outside Liam's bedroom, one hand braced against the doorframe, the other clenched by his side. He'd told himself all evening that he would wait until morning, that maybe his son would cool down by then. But he couldn't rest — not after hearing Liam's words to Ellie, the harsh tone, the anger he didn't know his little boy could carry.

He pushed the door open quietly.

Liam sat cross-legged on his bed, the room dimly lit by a nightlight. His toy cars were scattered on the floor, forgotten. He looked small, but his eyes were hard, wary.

Rafael sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, champ."

Liam didn't look up. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, anak." Rafael's tone was soft, careful. "I just want to talk. About what happened earlier."

Liam's head lifted slightly. "You're going to say I was wrong."

Rafael shook his head. "No, anak. I just want to explain. I'm not angry. You did good. I'm proud."

The air was calm for a moment. But when Rafael said softly, "But your ate Ellie, she's hurt and trying—"

The boy's head snapped up. "There it is again!"

"Liam—"

"Ellie! Always Ellie!" he shouted, the word hitting like a spark. "You keep defending her! You always do!"

Rafael blinked, taken aback. "That's not what I'm doing—"

"Yes, it is!" Liam stood on the bed now, trembling with fury he didn't yet understand. "You never yell at her! You never get mad! But you— you always get mad at me!"

"Liam, I'm not—"

"You are! You just hide it!" he yelled, voice cracking. "You love her more!"

Rafael froze, the breath knocked from him.

The boy's voice grew louder, faster — a flood that had waited too long.

"When she cries, Mama hugs her! When she's sad, you stay with her! But when I cry, you call Ate Neri!" His small fists were shaking. "You don't come! You don't even try! You just say, 'later.' You and Mama hug her all the time, but when I want to hug you, you say you're busy or tired!"

Rafael's throat tightened. "That's not true—"

"Then why does it feel like it?!" Liam's shout cracked through the quiet. "Why does she get to be known as your daughter but no one knows me? You tell people about her! The news calls her Ellie De Torre! But I'm not! You hide me like I'm some secret! Why? Because she's the one who's supposed to be your heir now?"

"Liam—" Rafael's voice caught, his restraint slipping.

"You already have her! You don't need me anymore!"

Something inside Rafael broke. His voice thundered before he could stop it.

"That's enough, Liam!"

The sound rattled the walls. It startled him as much as it did the boy. He hadn't yelled like that in years — not since before his health failed, not since he'd promised Lea he would never raise his voice at their children.

For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then —

Liam's chin lifted, trembling but defiant. His fists balled tighter. "You don't get to yell at me when you don't even listen! You always tell people to understand each other but you don't understand me!"

"Liam—"

"I see how you look at her! How proud you are when she walks into the room! But when I try to show you what I did in school, you don't even look! You say you'll check later but you never do!"

Rafael's shoulders stiffened. His hands trembled at his sides, his voice thick. "That's not true."

"It is!" Liam's voice cracked again. "You love Ate Ellie more than me!"

The door burst open. Lea stood in the doorway, breathless, eyes wide.

"Rafa— what's happening?"

Her gaze darted from Rafael — standing there, pale and shaking — to Liam, his face red and his chest heaving.

"Stay out of this, Mama!" Liam shouted, his voice still breaking. "He keeps saying he's not mad, but he is! He's always mad at me!"

Lea crossed the room instantly. "Liam, stop—"

"I won't! You always tell me to be honest! You always tell me to speak up! So now I am!"

Lea reached him in two strides and pulled him into her arms. The boy struggled, twisting, shouting into her shoulder. "You don't see me either! You both only see her! You both love her more!"

Lea held him tighter, whispering, "That's not true, anak, it's not—"

"Then why does it feel like it?! Why am I the one left with Ate Neri all the time? Why do I have to live like a normal kid while she gets to be a De Torre in front of everyone? Why do I have to stay quiet?"

Rafael couldn't move. He looked like he was made of stone — jaw locked, eyes wet, trembling not from anger anymore but from something deeper.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He wanted to say I love you both the same, wanted to explain how he'd kept Liam out of the public eye to protect him, but the words refused to form.

He was shaking — not in rage, but in shame. The boy's words cut too deep. He felt judged — not by his son, but by the world, by the same invisible eyes that had once told him what kind of father, man, and human he was allowed to be.

"Paeng," Lea said softly, her voice trembling now. She could see it — the tightness in his jaw, the faint tremor in his hands. His breathing was shallow, uneven.

"Don't," he whispered, shaking his head. "Not now."

He turned away, pressing his fingers to his eyes, trying to ground himself. He had spent a lifetime being judged — for his choices, his body, his truth — but never had it hurt like this, hearing it from his own child.

Liam, still in Lea's arms, was panting from shouting, but his eyes never left Rafael. "You're not saying anything because it's true."

Rafael turned back slowly, his voice breaking. "No, anak. I'm not saying anything because I don't know how to make you believe me."

Lea tightened her hold on Liam, whispering into his hair. "Enough for tonight, sweetheart. Please."

But Rafael stepped forward then, unsteady but resolute. He crouched in front of them both, his hands trembling, voice quiet but raw.

"You are my son," he said. "The world doesn't see it because I wanted to protect you. I thought I was doing right by keeping you safe from what I went through. But I see now I made you feel like you didn't belong."

Liam looked away, breathing hard.

Rafael reached out, his voice barely audible. "You're not less than her. You're not her shadow. You are mine just as much as she is. I just... forgot that love needs to be shown, not hidden."

Lea looked between them, eyes glistening. "Then show him now, Paeng."

Rafael nodded slowly. He moved closer, gently pulling Liam into his arms. The boy resisted at first, but Rafael didn't let go — his embrace firm but shaking.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into his son's hair. "I never meant to make you feel left out. I only ever wanted you safe."

Liam's body slowly relaxed against him, his voice small. "Then don't hide me anymore."

Rafael closed his eyes. "I won't."

Lea sat beside them on the bed, resting a hand over both of theirs. The air in the room softened — exhaustion replacing anger.

Rafael's shoulders trembled once before he steadied himself. He wouldn't cry here, not in front of his son. But Lea knew — she could see the storm still raging behind his eyes.

Later, when Liam finally fell asleep, Rafael stayed in the dark, sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at the boy who'd broken him open with words too honest to deny.

He whispered into the silence, voice cracking like old glass.

"You were never hidden. I was just afraid the world wouldn't be kind to you the way it wasn't to me."

Lea, standing by the doorway, wiped at her tears.

"Then be the first to be kind, Paeng," she said quietly.

He nodded, his gaze fixed on their son — a boy made of the same fire he once carried, unafraid to demand love even when it hurt to ask for it.

And in that fragile quiet, Rafael made himself a silent vow — that the world would never have to guess who Liam was again.