Josh walked along the dirt road, his face tense with thought. Staff members occasionally passed by, greeting him, but he barely noticed. He was too lost in his own thoughts to acknowledge them or take in his surroundings.
After receiving a call from Laura, he had left his quarters. Ever since Mark mentioned the topic, he had been debating what to do, and now it seemed Chase had heard about it as well.
"Miller doesn't care about the bodyguards anyway, so I want to do something about it," Mark had said with a laugh.
But Josh thought differently.
Now was the time to tell Chase everything. He had waited long enough, and this was the perfect opportunity to calmly lay it all out.
Chase would be shocked—no, devastated.
Josh sighed, his brows knitting together. Just as he was about to keep walking, an uneasy feeling crept over him. He stopped and looked around.
All he could see was Chase's trailer—but something was wrong.
The door was wide open.
Henry was supposed to be standing guard.
Josh's face fell, his hand instinctively rubbing his forehead in frustration. Then—
Bang!
The sharp crack of a gunshot shattered the air.
"Chase!"
He shouted without thinking and sprinted toward the trailer.
Inside, Becky stood frozen, trembling and pale. It took her a moment to process what she had just done.
✤✤✤✤✤✤
"Wh-what should I do?"
Her breath hitched as she stared at the gun in her hands. In a panic, she threw it to the ground. The weapon hit the floor with a loud clatter, bouncing once before landing right in front of Chase.
At her feet, Henry lay gasping, his hands pressing against the wound in his stomach. Thick, red blood seeped through his fingers.
"Damn it… What the hell… What did you do?"
His voice was strained, barely above a whisper. Becky, shaking uncontrollably, collapsed where she stood.
"I—I just wanted to scare you… Oh God, what do I do? What do I do?!"
"Fuck! Call an ambulance! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Henry's pained screams filled the room, but his voice was weak, strangled by agony.
"Ah…"
Tears streamed down Becky's face. Then, as if something snapped inside her, she suddenly turned to Chase, her expression twisting.
"This is all your fault!"
Chase, who had remained frozen in place, frowned at her outburst.
"My fault?"
"Yes!"
Her tear-filled eyes burned with accusation.
"If you hadn't ignored me, none of this would have happened! Do you have any idea how much pain I was in after you humiliated me that day? The way you looked at me… The things you said… Why? What was wrong with me?"
Her voice trembled, thick with resentment.
"I loved you… I waited through the entire shoot, believing you'd apologize! But what did you do? I prepared water for you, and you threw it away because it 'smelled like an Omega'! You laughed at me! No one else noticed, but I did. I know you laughed at me!"
Becky's face twisted in hysteria as she whispered, her eyes unfocused.
"Of course… You're Dr. Flame, and I'm your flower. The bride who burns in your eternal fire…"
Chase remained silent.
Her lips quivered at his lack of reaction. Then, suddenly, she snapped back to reality, her eyes going wide with rage.
"But look at you now! What is this attitude?!"
She pointed wildly at Henry, who was still groaning in pain.
"This is all your fault! If you had just apologized earlier—if you hadn't led me on—none of this would have happened! He wouldn't have been shot!"
"What the fuck— you're the one who shot me!"
Henry wheezed, outraged, but neither Chase nor Becky paid him any attention.
For a long moment, Chase remained motionless, leaning against the panel in silence. Then, slowly, his gaze dropped to the floor.
The gun.
The one Becky had just thrown away.
Becky gasped as she saw him bend down and pick it up.
"So that's it, huh?"
Chase lifted the gun to his own temple, his voice disturbingly calm.
"I just have to pull the trigger, right?"
Becky's eyes widened in horror.
"Chase, what are you doing?!"
"What does it matter? It's simple, isn't it?"
Just then—
"What the hell are you doing?!"
A voice cut through the tension.
Both Chase and Becky snapped their heads toward the trailer entrance.
Josh stood there, breathless, his face drained of color.
His wide, frantic eyes darted between Henry's wounded body, Becky's trembling form, and Chase, who still had the gun pressed against his head.
"What the fuck…?"
His voice was barely above a whisper, raw with shock.
Becky flinched, looking from Josh to Chase, seemingly overwhelmed.
Josh couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. Henry had been shot. Becky was in hysterics. And Chase—
Why the hell was Chase pointing a gun at his own head?
Josh didn't know what had happened.
But one thing was clear.
He had to stop this.
"Chase, listen to me," Josh said, stepping forward cautiously.
Chase didn't move. His finger remained on the trigger.
A chill crawled up Josh's spine. His breath came faster, his body slick with cold sweat.
Carefully, he took another step.
In the deafening silence, only the sound of his own breathing echoed in his ears.
Chase's expression remained unreadable. His hand holding the gun was terrifyingly steady.
Josh swallowed hard, eyes locked on the weapon.
"It's okay, Chase. Put the gun down, and we'll talk. Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out."
No response.
Josh took another step forward, forcing a smile.
"You like bubble baths, don't you? I'll fill the tub with bubbles—so much detergent you can barely see the water. And I'll give you a massage too. Hm? Or do you want something to eat? Doughnuts? Cookies? Just tell me, I'll make whatever you want…"
His voice wavered, his desperation barely masked.
Just a few more steps.
Josh cautiously measured the distance between them. He was almost there.
Just a little more, Chase. Just hold on a second longer.
Josh reached out—
A sharp, cold laugh sliced through the air.
"It's too late."
Chase pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Becky screamed. The sound of gunfire roared through the trailer.
"…!"
Josh flinched, the acrid smell of gunpowder hitting his nose.
For a moment, everything was still.
Chase, who had closed his eyes, slowly opened them again.
Nothing had changed.
Becky was still crying. Henry was still bleeding out.
But Josh—
Josh stood right in front of him, his face ghostly pale, his breathing shallow.
Too close.
Much too close.
Chase's grip on the gun tightened.
"…Damn it!"
Josh swore and threw the stolen gun—the same gun Chase had just tried to use on himself.
"You idiot, you…!"
Seething with anger, Josh grabbed Chase by the face. Chase let himself be dragged without resistance, his intense gaze locked onto Josh as if daring him to strike.
If I die like this, it wouldn't be so bad.
That thought flickered through Chase's mind before Josh suddenly raised his fist. But instead of striking, he hesitated. His lips pressed together, his hand trembling slightly before moving closer.
What should have been a punch turned into a gentle touch.
It wasn't until then that Chase truly registered the bullet had missed him.
"Why?"
Josh's voice was hoarse.
"Why the hell are you doing this?"
He exhaled sharply, as if forcing the words out.
"Why do you keep trying to die?"
Josh's eyes glistened, his voice thick with emotion. Chase blinked, as if caught off guard. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of their breathing filled the air.
Then, urgent footsteps thundered outside before Isaac burst in.
"What's going on? Mr. Miller, are you—"
His words cut off as he took in the scene before him.
"What the hell happened here?"
His gaze locked onto Becky, his face darkening in recognition. He had seen her plenty of times while patrolling the set, but she had never stood out to him before. Now, everything had changed.
But there was no time to process the shock.
"Henry! God, what happened to you?!"
Isaac's voice cracked as he rushed to Henry's side. The injured man barely clung to consciousness, his lips parting as if to whisper something. Isaac leaned in closer, straining to hear.
"You think you're dying?" Seth asked dryly.
Henry exhaled a shaky breath before muttering:
"Call an ambulance."
"And the police," Josh added firmly.
Isaac and Seth turned to him in unison. Josh, now composed, picked up the discarded gun using a handkerchief and handed it to Seth.
"Let the police handle this. Tell them I'll provide a statement once things settle down."
Seth gave him a scrutinizing look before nodding.
"Is Chase okay?"
"He's just shaken up. I'll have the medics check on him," Josh replied.
Isaac exhaled sharply. "Before anything else, let's get Henry to the infirmary."
"Agreed."
Isaac looped Henry's arm over his shoulder and helped him up. Limping, Henry groaned in pain as they moved. Becky, standing motionless, watched them leave. She no longer sobbed. Instead, she looked empty—like a shell of herself—as she walked away without a word.
Josh immediately called Mark and Laura, relaying the situation and following their instructions. He also arranged for a doctor on set to check on Chase. Hanging up with a sigh, he turned around.
Chase sat on the floor, his head bowed, his body unmoving.
Josh approached slowly. Even when his footsteps should have been obvious, Chase didn't react. Finally, standing right before him, Josh looked down.
"Chase."
Lowering himself to one knee, he leaned in closer.
"Why did you do it?"
"…"
"Why did you try to kill yourself again?"
Josh repeated his question, willing to wait for an answer no matter how long it took.
It didn't take as long as he expected. Chase finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper:
"If I died… would you cry?"
Josh didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
His voice was steady, but soft.
"I would cry a lot."
Chase fell silent again. Josh was about to speak when he noticed something—Chase was crying.
"Chase…"
Josh instinctively reached for a handkerchief but found his pockets empty. Frustrated, he exhaled deeply and turned back to Chase.
Chase, however, didn't even seem aware of his own tears. He made no sound, no movement—just sat there as they streamed silently down his cheeks. His dark purple eyes were glassy, clouded with emotion.
The tears dripped onto his chin, hesitating before falling to the floor. One after another.
Josh's throat tightened.
"Chase."
At the sound of his name, Chase slowly lifted his head. Their eyes finally met—but just as quickly, Chase's gaze blurred again, fresh tears spilling over.
Then, for the first time, Chase took a shaky breath. He tilted his head slightly… and kissed Josh.
Josh's eyes widened. He tasted salt on his lips. Chase's face was right there, inches away, vulnerable and trembling.
"I love you."
Chase barely got the words out before biting his lower lip. Josh just stared at him, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he tried to suppress his sobs.
Chase exhaled shakily and spoke again.
"Don't go to her."
"…Who?"
Josh's voice was barely above a whisper. He was captivated by Chase—his tear-streaked face, the desperation in his voice. He struggled to catch his breath as Chase continued.
"I overheard… that you have a child. And that you're waiting for the child's mother."
Josh froze.
Chase saw the hesitation in his expression and misunderstood.
"You said you weren't interested in men. That woman—she's an Alpha, right? I figured she must have had your child… The scar on her stomach—it was from a C-section, wasn't it?"
Josh couldn't find his voice amid Chase's frantic words.
"Don't leave me."
"… "
"Leave her. Stay with me."
Chase pleaded between sobs.
"Please… I'll do anything. Do you want me to throw away the gun?"
Josh could no longer bear the way Chase was breaking down. He finally forced out a reply.
"I'm not saying that."
His voice trembled slightly, but he tried to lighten the mood. Chase, however, remained deadly serious.
"I don't care."
"I don't want to be just a distraction."
Chase's face paled as if the words had physically struck him. Josh kissed him, hoping to ease his fear. His heart ached as he spoke again, forcing himself to stay composed.
"Is that why you've been suppressing your pheromones?"
"… "
"Because you thought I wouldn't love you if I could smell them?"
Chase didn't answer, but his anxious, unfocused gaze told Josh everything he needed to know. Guilt tightened in Josh's chest. He pulled Chase into an embrace.
How long had Chase been tormented by doubt?
Josh might not be affected by pheromones, but Chase had been suffering—constantly questioning, wondering if his feelings were real or just a chemical reaction.
"I didn't sleep with you because of pheromones."
"Then why?"
Josh hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Because I liked your face."
"… "
Josh looked at Chase, who remained silent. He decided to emphasize it again.
"It was your face. Not the pheromones."
Of course, now it was more than just his face. But Josh smiled inwardly. There was no need to draw this out any longer. He had to end Chase's suffering.
"You've been through enough."
Josh pressed a brief kiss to his lips before speaking again.
"I'll introduce you to my child."
Chase's expression tensed. His eyes wavered with uncertainty.
Josh, seeing his anxiety, reassured him softly.
"Don't worry, you'll like him. Because… Because—"
I love you.
The words caught in his throat.
Chase watched him expectantly, waiting for him to finish the sentence. But Josh couldn't say it.
He had said "I love you" so easily before—why couldn't he now?
"Because…"
Before he could stumble over his words again, his phone rang.
Josh quickly grabbed it, answering in relief.
"Yes, Mark. Oh… is that right? Yeah, things are mostly settled. Okay, got it."
After hanging up, he turned back to Chase, who was still sitting on the floor, staring up at him hesitantly.
"The doctor's coming. Let's get you to bed first."
Josh helped Chase up and guided him to the bed. Wetting a towel, he carefully wiped the dried blood from Chase's face, avoiding the deeper wounds.
Chase winced as the towel brushed a sore spot.
"Does it hurt?"
He flinched again when the towel pressed against a wound. Josh found the reaction so endearing that he stopped what he was doing just to kiss him.
"…Why do you keep kissing me?"
Chase finally asked, his voice slightly breathless.
Josh blinked, realizing he had already kissed him more than five times. The answer was simple.
"Because you're beautiful."
"…Ha."
Chase let out a short, disbelieving sigh.
Josh chuckled, but before either of them could say more, the sound of footsteps echoed outside. The doctor and Laura entered the trailer in a hurry.
Josh stepped out during the examination, lighting a cigarette.
After this, he would go back to Chase. He would tell him everything.
As he inhaled, he wondered—
Will Chase still say he loves me after he knows the truth?