Chapter 2

After that, I became the person in the world who understood Julian Hayes the most, overnight.

He had DID, night blindness, and possibly a subconscious self-destructive tendency.

But during the day, he was quiet, distant and pure like the moon.

"You don't attend evening study hall because of night blindness?"

I passed him a small note.

He passed one back to me. "Yes."

I started a new line. "Then I'll walk with you from now on, or do you want to go home every day?"

—*If he's getting beaten at home, no one would want to go back.*

Julian's reply didn't reach my hand until half a class later. I didn't know what he was hesitating about, but the content was simple: "Okay."

Our teacher, Mr. Davies, was teaching about the "Roche Limit."

The Roche Limit for the Earth-Moon system is 9,000 kilometers. When the Moon gets too close to Earth, exceeding this limit, Earth's strong tidal forces would rip the Moon apart, turning it into a ring orbiting the Earth.

I couldn't truly understand it at the time.

Until one day, much later, I was leading Julian downstairs, and his father saw us.

Mr. Hayes kicked Julian in the stomach.

Julian tumbled down the stairs, clutching his head, his body curled tightly.

Like a stray animal, devoid of personality, just a life being wantonly abused.

"Bastard! I told you no early dating! I told you no early dating!"

"You're so full of yourself!"

There was nothing I could do. I just felt that if he kept hitting Julian, Julian would die.

So I grabbed a large rock from the flower bed.

And threw it.

His father wailed, too much in pain to straighten up.

I pulled Julian up and we ran.

Much later, we collapsed in a dark alley by the roadside.

His arm was bleeding.

I was helpless, only able to ask, "...Does it hurt?"

Julian covered his face, silent for a very long time.

Finally, his voice trembled slightly. "Chloe, it hurts so much."

My heart clenched. I leaned in and gently hugged him.

No one ever listened when he said he was in pain. Everyone just knowingly watched the so-called rich family's drama unfold. But friends were fake, home was fake, everything was fake, only the pain was real.

Julian was the moon not allowed to approach other planets.

The distance he allowed me to close had long exceeded that limit.

He knew, deep down, that one day it would be discovered, and he'd face fury and physical abuse.

But he would shatter into a million pieces for one eternal embrace.