METAMORPHOSIS - FINAL PART (Patreon)

OTHER PARTS  |  ALL STORIES

Final Part: The Choice

A sound echoed from somewhere, seemingly coming from beside the garden. Quan Law froze. The man at the party frowned, his eyes instinctively darting in that direction. Then, he quickly turned his face back to Quan Law, “Decide! There’s no more time! Come with me, or you’ll never get another chance!”

Quan Law gritted his teeth. There was no time left to think, only to choose! He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. He opened the window and climbed out with the man’s help, as the white silk nightgown was slightly cumbersome. There wasn’t even enough time to think, clearly, changing into another outfit was out of the question.

Once Quan Law was outside, the man immediately turned away, leading the way. Quan Law followed closely, trying to keep his breath steady though his entire body was taut like a drawn string. He had to summon all his strength to run swiftly, yet without making a sound. They weaved through the dark passage, each step light but urgent. If anyone saw them, Quan Law knew the rest of his life would be anything but pleasant. People here often said, a mistake could only be forgiven twice.

They stopped before a hole in the fence, just wide enough for the man’s body to slip through. Of course, Quan Law’s frame was much slimmer than his, so he passed through with ease. Quan Law guessed it must have taken him hours to prepare this escape route.

After so many months of captivity, for the first time Quan Law felt freedom. The cold night wind swept in, carrying with it a damp mist and the faint scent of earth. Quan Law looked at the vast open space before him. He swallowed hard.

But since when was freedom so easily won? Beneath the streetlamp, a figure was clearly standing there, leaning against the wall. Less than half of his body was exposed to the light, the rest cloaked in shadow. But that was all Quan Law needed to recognize the man who had shared his bed these past days, and who had even “entered” his body twice.

Quan Law’s entire body froze. From that spot, a deep, cold voice rang out, sharp as a blade slicing through the air, “Where are you taking my wife at this hour?”

At that moment, the figure stepped into the light of the streetlamp. The dim glow cast a pale halo over his face, highlighting the depth of his dark eyes. Haze Thomas stood there, showing no sign of haste. A faint smile played on his lips. Clearly, every move Quan Law had made was already within Haze Thomas’s grasp. He had even waited right at the escape route the man from the party had prepared, as if he had been anticipating this moment for a long time.

The man beside Quan Law reacted first. Without hesitation, he grabbed Quan Law's arm and pulled him into a run. Panic flared in Quan Law’s chest. He didn’t even dare to look back. Even so, he heard no other footsteps; that meant Haze Thomas still wasn’t in any hurry to give chase.

Before long, they had run quite a distance. Their destination was a small forest on the outskirts of the city. If they cut through this forest, they would reach a highway and from there could escape to another city if they drove through the night. The small forest was not inherently dangerous, but the night had turned it into a terrifying creature. The dense trees, the branches scratching at their skin, yet Quan Law felt no pain, nor fear, for he was gripped by a greater terror.

At this point, the man began to speak, “My name is Quinton, a detective from the CSW Private Detective Agency. We operate under a service intermediary model—clients contact the agency, and they assign an agent to the case. If results are found, the agent sends them back to the office, and someone else relays the information to the client. In other words, there is no direct contact between the investigating detective and the client. Our client is Haze Thomas. Some time ago, he hired our agency to investigate a suspicious financial loss. I was the one assigned to the case. Following the clues, I was led to a suspect—Haze Thomas’s fiancée, named Thalia Lee. But the deeper I got, the more irregularities I uncovered. In short, through a long process, I realized she was plotting to find someone to take her place so she could escape. I had been tracking you for quite a while and finally found a missing person whose disappearance matched the timeline of Thalia Lee’s escape plan. That’s how I knew you weren’t Thalia Lee, and in fact, not even female. I decided not to report my findings to the agency and instead began working on a way to rescue you, because you’d be in serious danger if Haze Thomas, in his rage at being deceived, discovered that you weren’t Thalia Lee, but merely an accomplice in the lie.”

Quan Law said nothing. He guessed that Detective Quinton didn’t yet know Haze Thomas had already found out Quan Law wasn’t his wife. But Quan Law was determined not to reveal it to Quinton, because doing so would mean explaining why he was still alive. How could he possibly admit that he had slept with Haze Thomas, and that the man hadn’t even cared whether he was male or female?

After a while, both their bodies were worn out from the long run. They were about to stop and catch their breath when a blinding beam of light shone on them. Quan Law turned back in fear. He hadn't expected that madman Haze Thomas to spare no thought for a Cadillac. The man actually dared to drive it into the narrow path of the forest.

Haze Thomas gently stepped out of the car. He brushed off his jacket a few times, then smiled at Quan Law, “Thalia Lee, wandering into the forest at this hour isn’t a good idea.”

Quinton shouted, “Stop chasing him! He’s Quan Law, not Thalia Lee. I’m a detective from the CSW Private Detective Agency. I know reporting directly to the client breaks protocol, but I had no choice. The real Thalia Lee is the one who stole your money—Quan Law was just deceived into playing a part in her scheme!”

Haze Thomas remained unfazed, and Quan Law knew exactly why. He explained to the detective, “Your agency was too slow with the report. My darling wife already told me everything.”

Quinton couldn’t believe it. He turned to look at Quan Law. Quan Law blushed, curling in on himself like a little bird.

Haze Thomas continued, “But I still appreciate your skills. I’m guessing you held back the report to save her, not because you were incompetent. You can go back to your office and follow proper procedure. I’ll pay in full. But! Stay away from my wife immediately! I don’t like any man other than me getting near her! The fact that you approached her at the party already irritated me, but I’ll let that slide. Now get lost!”

Quinton gritted his teeth. “No! I have to save him today! Don’t you realize? He’s clearly a man!”

Haze Thomas paid no attention to Quinton’s words. He turned to Quan Law and spoke in a gentle tone, yet one laced with absolute dominance, “Do you really want to leave?”

Quan Law froze. He was in turmoil, unsure of how to respond. Haze Thomas looked straight into his eyes, his lips still holding that same smile. That same deep, unreadable gaze.

Haze Thomas kept pouring words into Quan Law’s ear, “You may not want to admit it, but after all this time, do you really think you can return to your old life? The image of a beautiful, wealthy lady has already become one with you. Think about it—how much do you even remember of who you used to be, that programmer crushed by the downturn of this economy? And look around you—there’s danger everywhere. Just one Thalia Lee was enough to put you in peril. But here, you’re always protected by me. And even if you decide to run away, do you really think… anyone could protect you from me?”

Quan Law trembled—not from the cold, nor from simple fear. He shook because he knew, deep down, that Haze Thomas was right—right about everything from beginning to end. The life of an ordinary man had become a distant memory. And even if he ran away tonight with Quinton—let’s say they succeeded—would Haze Thomas ever let him go? No. Without a doubt, he would hunt him down. He would find him, no matter where he hid, no matter what name he took, no matter how much he changed his appearance, just like Thalia Lee. The truth was, even without a shred of evidence, Quan Law still believed that Thalia Lee and her lover had been dealt with—by Haze Thomas—on the very night he uncovered the whole truth.

No one could escape Haze Thomas once they were in his grasp. Perhaps, it was time for Quan Law to accept a truth—he had become Thalia Lee completely. There was nothing left of Quan Law. No chance of going back. Only a living doll remained, trapped forever in the gilded cage of Haze Thomas.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Detective Quinton shouted. Haze Thomas didn’t even glance at him. From beginning to end, his eyes had only been on Quan Law. He waited—unhurried, without pressure—because he knew that Quan Law would know how to make the right decision.

Quan Law relaxed his body after holding himself taut against the tension. “She” looked over at Quinton and gave a small nod in place of thanks. Then, “Thalia Lee” took a few steps forward, returning to Haze Thomas’s side.

Quinton was stunned into silence. His eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Quan Law…?” His voice trembled, filled with shock.

Thalia Lee didn’t answer, because at that very moment, she knew she was no longer Quan Law. She had made her choice. Haze Thomas smiled in triumph. His hand tightened around Thalia Lee’s waist, pulling her close into his embrace.

“You’ve been good,” Haze Thomas said—simple words, yet they carried the weight of absolute victory. He kissed Thalia Lee on the cheek. “Let’s go home, my wife.”

From that moment on, the gilded cage never opened again. That night, Quan Law died. Only Thalia Lee remained, Haze Thomas’s wife. Forever.

After they returned, the sanctions were lifted. Some time later, Haze Thomas officially married Thalia Lee. Guests—familiar faces from that long-ago party—smiled and offered their congratulations. Haze Thomas stood in the center of the hall, holding his wife’s hand. She wore a brilliant purple wedding gown, lips painted in sharp crimson, her gaze soft yet empty. She smiled, raised her glass with the crowd, and clung to her husband’s arm. No one suspected a thing. No one knew the truth that had been buried forever. The flawless woman who smiled that day had once been a man named Quan Law.

THE END.