The Unwritten Chapter

The sterile scent of antiseptics greeted him as his eyes fluttered open. Cael stared at the white ceiling above him, the faint hum of hospital equipment breaking the silence. It was a sight he'd grown used to over the past few days, yet every time his eyes opened to this reality, his heart sank a little further.

"Ah, I'm still Cael," he murmured under his breath.

Deep down, he had been clinging to a fragile hope. Maybe he'd wake up as El Johansen again, in his old body, back in his old life. He could almost picture it—stepping out of bed to greet his mother's warm smile and the soft hum of morning activity in their cozy home. But no matter how tightly he held onto that dream, reality was unyielding.

This was his life now.

The idea gnawed at him: What if I didn't die? What if this is just a long, strange dream? He didn't know what was more unsettling—the possibility that he'd truly died as El Johansen or the thought that this life as Cael Baker might be permanent. Still, there was a faint glimmer of hope. Maybe I just need to save the original Cael. Maybe then, I can go back.

His thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the door opening. The doctor entered, clipboard in hand, with the same polite yet distant demeanor as before. "Good morning, Cael. How are you feeling today?"

Cael nodded silently as the doctor moved to check his vitals. He barely listened as the doctor went over his prescriptions and instructions, his mind too preoccupied to fully process the words.

"Remember, your heart is still fragile," the doctor reminded him. "It's a miracle you survived that crash. Take your medications regularly and avoid overexertion."

Cael only half-heard him. The mention of his heart condition sparked an unwanted parallel between his two lives. Even as El Johansen, he had struggled with physical frailty. Now, as Cael Baker, the pattern continued. A dominant omega with a weak heart—ironic, given how much strength the world expected from someone like him.

"Once you're discharged, the Chang family will take you home," the doctor added, snapping Cael back to attention.

Home.

The word felt hollow.

After the doctor left, Cael began packing up his belongings. It didn't take long—there wasn't much to pack. Everything had been stripped away in the accident. Before the car crash, Cael's parents, Patricia and Clide Baker, had planned a family outing. But their plans had been cut short when a truck plowed into their vehicle, claiming their lives and leaving the original Cael Baker critically injured.

Now, it was just him.

Cael picked up the phone that had once belonged to the original Cael. On the calendar app, the family outing was still marked—a bright, cheerful reminder of a future that would never come to pass.

He closed the app and stared at his reflection in the screen.

For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw El Johansen looking back at him.