10. The Letter, Longing and Lift
Neil sat on the bed holding the fragile piece of paper.
It was a letter.
The Letter (Dated: 3 Days after Callum's Arrest)
Neil-
I don't know if you'll ever read this. Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. But if you're holding this, it means everything's fallen apart-and I couldn't stay silent anymore.
They're going to blame him. They've already decided it.
Your father... I heard them talking. It wasn't an accident. Callum is being made the face of it. The scapegoat. He knew something-something he wasn't supposed to.
He made a choice to protect you. I begged him not to. But you know Callum... always playing the hero even when no one asked him to be.
I fought with your father. I screamed. I cried. I threatened to expose him myself. He told me to "stay in my place." So I left. I couldn't live under the same roof as someone who could destroy his own son.
I didn't tell you. I'm sorry. I didn't want to pull you into something that would ruin your career too.
But if he's still inside... if no one's helped him-then maybe I was wrong. Maybe silence wasn't protection.
I still don't know who else was involved. But I know one thing-Callum didn't deserve this.
And neither do you.
Please... find the truth.
~Cynthia.
The silence pressed in.
The room smelled like old paper and forgotten grief.
Neil stood there, unmoving, the folded letter still in his hand - as if Cynthia's words had rewired something inside him.
Ryle finally stood up, sensing the shift in the air.
"What was in it?" he asked, quieter now.
Neil didn't answer immediately.
He set the journal on the old coffee table, the paper trembling slightly beneath his fingers.
"Cynthia knew," he said finally. His voice was low. Controlled. Dangerous. "She knew the arrest was a setup. Dad let it happen."
Ryle blinked. "What-what do you mean by setup?"
Neil turned slowly. His expression was unreadable - but his eyes had the cold sharpness of a scalpel.
"Callum wasn't guilty. He was protecting something. And our father helped burn him for it."
Ryle didn't speak. He looked like he wanted to argue-but couldn't.
Neil walked toward the window, staring out at the wide stretch of trees below.
"You remember that heart medication trial Morris Pharma pushed? Two years ago?"
"Yeah, vaguely. Why?"
"Callum tried to stop it. He found side effects being buried. He took it up with the board."
He paused, jaw flexing.
"Three days later, he was arrested for tampering with the same data."
Ryle's voice dropped. "Holy... shit."
Neil turned to face him again, cold fire in his voice now.
"Cynthia left the mansion because she fought Dad over it. She overheard him. Said he wanted Callum out of the way."
"Out of the way for what?"
"To protect the name. The company. Us."
Ryle looked stunned. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Harmony Care was one of the first hospitals to trial the drug. Under my department."
There it was.
The truth no one wanted to say.
If Callum had spoken up publicly... The reputation Morris family holds would be ruined"
"So do you think dad was behind all this.He knew everything and kept it away from us all these days" ryle was controlling his angst.
"Knew? Ryle my Lil boy.Dad was the reason Why Callum is in jail. He made Callum take all the blame on him for something he never did." Neil lowered his head holding , his long fingers running into his hair locks as if it's falling.
"But why Callum had chosen silence ?"
Ryle was in deep thoughts.
The morris brothers needed the answers.
Ryle stepped back, like the air had changed temperature.
"And you didn't know."
"No," Neil said. "And that's what kills me."
Silence settled again.
Dust floated in the sunlight like ghost.
Then, Neil picked up the journal again - flipping through pages quickly, urgently, now looking for something else.
"Cynthia said he knew more. That he heard them talking. I need to find out who she meant."
Ryle ran a hand through his hair. "He ?"
Neil met his brother's gaze.
"Dad !" Both of them said it together holding their breath. And tension built in the room like there was no room for escape.
7:30 PM - Leaving the Villa
The Morris brothers didn't speak much as they locked the gate behind them.
The journal was in Neil's bag. The letter folded precisely, like it carried the weight of a man's freedom.
Tension clung to them like sweat.
The silence between them wasn't awkward - it was calculated. A pause before war.
They drove down the winding path, engine low, trees rushing past like shadows trying to warn them.
And then-
A blur in the middle of the road.
Neil hit the brakes hard.
Two figures stood in front of the car, waving.
One was jumping frantically. The other had her arms crossed and looked pissed - like she hated needing help.
Neil rolled down the window, annoyed. "What the hell-"
He froze.
His eyes landed on the shorter girl in beige shirt and denim hiking shorts, wild ponytail, and bright, slightly frowned face which has screaming for a help in shadows of this dense forest.
Eva Walter.
And next to her?
A storm in an olive jumpsuit and sunglasses-arms folded, attitude fully loaded-
Ria walter.
Ryle's voice cracked. "Oh, shit."
The air had begun to cool. Clouds gathered above the hills like they were in on a secret.
Eva glanced down the winding path again, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Still nothing?"
Ria pulled the phone away from her ear, annoyed. "Goes straight to voicemail now."
Eva sighed. "It's been two hours."
They had been waiting near the roadside ever since the bus driver called and said,
"Tyre's busted, I'll be there in an hour, tops."
That was two hours ago.
They hadn't seen a single bus. Not even a bike.
Ria's phone had died after her million outfit selfies and hiking aesthetic reels.
Eva's phone was down to 3%.
"This is what I get for trusting GPS with no signal," Ria muttered, kicking a pebble. "We're gonna get murdered by leopards or worse - bad fashion choices."
Eva laughed tiredly. "Well, we did ask for peace and isolation..."
"I wanted peace, not a post-apocalyptic standoff on a road with zero network and zero food."
Eva looked around, thoughtful. "Should we start walking back?"
Ria raised an eyebrow. "Where? It's a two-hour trek uphill to the villa and even then it's not ours."
Just then-
A black SUV appeared on the curve of the road.
Eva jumped up, waving her hands wildly. "Hey! STOP! Please!"
Eva looked confused, hopeful. "Finally!"
The car slowed... and rolled to a stop a few feet away.
The driver's window rolled down.
"What the hell..." Neil Morris frowned from behind the wheel.
Eva blinked. "Dr. Morris?"
In the passenger seat, Ryle's jaw dropped.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." his gaze met Ria's.
Ria crossed her arms, eyes narrowing at Ryle. "You again?"
"Me again?" Ryle leaned over the seat. "You're the one blocking the road like a damsel in distress from a shampoo ad."
Eva cleared her throat. "Sorry to crash your... intense brother bonding moment, but our bus bailed, our phones are dead, and we've been stuck here for hours."
Neil pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Get in."
Eva hesitated. "You sure?"
Ryle opened the back door with a huff. "You heard the man. Emergency rescue mode initiated."
Eva climbed into the front beside Neil, her ponytail slightly messy, cheeks pink from the heat.
Ria plopped herself in the back with a dramatic sigh like she owned it.
"Remind me to sue our bus company. And the weather. And nature."
"Ria shut up!" Eva muttered giving her an intense look.
Eva peeked at Neil. "Thanks. I know you didn't have to stop."
He didn't answer immediately.
"Not a big deal." he muttered dryly.
Eva smiled. "That's sweet."
Ryle coughed to cover a laugh.
Outside the window, the forest thinned. The road widened.
But inside the car?
The tension thickened.
Between truth.
Between people.
The car had been quiet for over twenty minutes.
The road twisted through sleepy hills, golden light casting shadows over the dashboard, and the only sounds were the soft thrum of tires and an occasional gear shift.
Silence. Awkward and weird.
Eva and Ria sat in the backseat.
Neil, who was completely zoned out - staring at the road, but clearly driving through another storm in his mind.
She stole a glance at him.
His jaw was clenched. His knuckles pale where they gripped the steering wheel.
She didn't know what was going on - but she knew it wasn't good.
Ryle was staring out the window, expression unreadable.
Probably thinking about Callum,Cynthia Or the fact that his family had enough secrets to bury a whole dynasty.
Meanwhile...
Ria was dying.
Not from the silence.
But from the fact that she just realized something huge.
But in her head?
"Oh. Ohhhhhh. Wait-hold on. Eva said the top-tier hotshot surgeon at her hospital was Neil Morris. AND this dumb idiot Ryle is also a Morris?"
"They are siblings wow. Completely opposite."
She sat back slowly.
Internally screaming.
"Oh my God... THE Morris brothers. Great. Just great. One is ice-cold, the other's full of hot air. Both are annoying. And one of them sabotaged my win. Wow, universe. Thanks."
Eva, trying to break the silence, finally cleared her throat.
"So... do you two know each other already?" she asked, glancing between Ria and Ryle.
Ryle, without looking back:
"Yeah."
Ria rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Unfortunately."
She leaned toward Eva and whispered, "I'll tell you later. Long story. Possibly illegal."
Eva tried not to smile.
Ria shifted forward, addressing the emotionally frozen man behind the wheel.
"Hi, Dr. Neil Morris."
No response.
Nothing.
She blinked. "Okay rude-"
Ryle elbowed his brother sharply.
Neil snapped out of it, blinking. "Huh?"
"She said hi," Ryle said with a sigh. "Not a difficult concept."
Neil glanced at her briefly through the rearview mirror, still wrapped in thought.
"Hey."
(If dullness had a voice, it just spoke.)
Ria crossed her arms. "Cool. Surgeon mode: activated."
She side-eyed Ryle dramatically.
"Morris dudes. Ugh."
After an hour:
"Thank you for the lift" Eva spoke softly as they reached home.
As the Morris SUV pulled away from the curb and disappeared into the soft yellow haze of the streetlight, Eva stood still for a beat longer than she should've.
Neil hadn't even looked at her.
Not a nod. Not a "take care."
Just silence. Like she hadn't spent hours next to him. Like that surgery never happened. Like the car ride never existed.
She wasn't expecting a red carpet or warm eyes. But something?
The cold brush-off left a small sting.
The kind that blooms in your chest quietly... when you weren't planning on caring this much.
Ria nudged her shoulder. "Come on, dreamy doc. Grandma's probably knitting our funeral scarves."
Eva took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "Let's go."
Inside the Walter Home
The warmth of the tiny house hit them like a hug.
Fairy lights twinkled over the curtain rods.
A kettle whistled. The faint scent of seasoning and cardamom floated in the air.
Their grandparents looked up from the couch, faces immediately brightening.
"There you two are!" Grandpa Walter stood first.
"We were this close to calling the forest rangers," Grandma added, arms wide.
Ria ran to them dramatically. "We almost died. Stranded. Forgotten. Left for the wolves."
Eva gave her a light smack on the arm and laughed. "She's being dramatic. But yes-we're sorry. The bus ditched us. Long story."
They hugged tightly.
Dinner is waiting ..
Comfort food.
The kind that healed city bruises.
In Their Shared Room - 9:03 PM
The girls flopped down on their beds with matching sighs.
Eva kicked off her sneakers, laying flat and staring at the ceiling.
Ria was already undoing her makeup half wiped off.
Eva finally turned her head.
"So... how do you know Ryle Morris?"
"Why do you ask like I got caught with drugs in my backpack?"
Eva raised an eyebrow. "Because the look you gave him was illegal in twelve countries."
Ria peeked from under the pillow dramatically. "Okay. So. You remember my fashion show disaster?"
"Yeah?"
"That disaster had a name. And it was Ryle freaking Morris."
Eva sat up, eyes widening. "Wait... what?!"
Ria launched upright, full of fire.
"He made his girlfriend win. Rigged the whole damn show. I overheard him bragging about it to her. After everything I worked for... he handed it to some Instagram prop."
Eva blinked. "You heard this directly?"
"Word for word. And he came to know that I heard and apologized yesterday."
There was a beat of silence.
Eva: "Oh my god."
Ria: "Exactly."
Eva fell back on her bed, covering her mouth.
"That explains the death glares."
Ria leaned back, crossing her arms. "I'm gonna make him pay."
"Should I be worried?"
Ria grinned. "Absolutely. But for him."
"Slay girl." Eva chuckled.
The mansion stood still under moonlight, marble floors cold, corners dim.
It looked perfect from the outside.
But perfection here was just a disguise.
Neil dropped the car keys on the console with a sharp clang and marched past the vintage art that lined the hallway - the very same hallway Callum used to run through , with his files, emergency calls taking all the stress on his head.
Ryle followed a few steps behind, no jokes now. Just silence. The kind that sinks into the walls before a storm breaks.
"He's probably in the study," Ryle said under his breath.
Neil didn't nod. Didn't even blink.
He walked straight through the corridor like a soldier going to war.