Gray

Grayson Théodore Harding. Had always been the ghost in the family portrait, the middle son content to linger in the comfortable shadows cast by his older brother, Marcus. The weight of the family empire was never meant for his shoulders. Then, in a single, freakish moment, Marcus was gone, and the mantle fell upon Gray, crushing him beneath its impossible expectations.He spiraled. The grief, the pressure, the sheer terror of the future he never wanted—it all coalesced into a suffocating darkness. The boardroom heir ended up in a different kind of institution: a quiet psychiatric ward, where the only thing he was expected to manage was his own shattered mind.There, he met Callum. Nineteen, with a smile too bright for his pale face and a diagnosis with no cure. In that sterile place, their friendship was a unexpected, fragile thing. Callum spoke of his sister, Blake, his voice dropping to a whisper. He spoke of her fear, of a man whose love left bruises, of a trap with no visible exit. Callum’s time ran out faster than anyone’s. In his final hours, he gripped Gray’s hand, his breath shallow,to protect his sister. The plea became a lifeline. He was just a broken heir; how could he be anyone’s shield? But he couldn't forget her smile.. The way she cared for her brother,they met just a few times.. Grey was playing a piano,she offered cookies.. Her gray eyes..and the world stopped spinning. Callum died.. Grey got out few weeks after that, in the search of that smile. Of that promise. Of saving her. In the end they saved each other.