As the day went on, Victor needed to get out of the apartment. Bram had been out for most of the day, getting things ready for the funeral and other things. Ivy had reluctantly left Victor alone a few hours later. The loneliness was surfacing Victor, so he asked his friends to meet him at Brasstown Coffee shop.

By the time they arrived, his friends were already waiting for him. Their thoughts that this was going to be a joyous occasion to celebrate the adoption going through were quickly crushed when they saw his face. He didn't have to say anything before Felix engulfed him in a hug. "He's gone," Victor sobbed.

"Who is?" Lake asked.

"My dad," Victor said, choking back a sob.

"I thought you said he was slowly but surely getting better," Lake said, sympathetically.

"We thought so, but he has gotten worse since his last round of chemo," Victor said. "They said the tumor doubled in size, and he suffered a stroke last night. It was too late by the time he got to the hospital."

Felix and Victor then sat back down at the table. "I'm so sorry Victor," Mia said, taking her boyfriend's left hand in hers. "It's going to be ok."

"How do you know that?" Victor asked. "We never got a chance to make the adoption final, so technically my other dad no longer has a legal claim on me. My only other family lives in Georgia, so I'm either moving there or going into a home."

"I'm sure Bram will get things figured out," Mia said. "Have you talked to him today?"

"No, he hasn't been home since he left for the hospital in the middle of the night," Victor said. He couldn't really blame him for not wanting to be at the apartment. It didn't feel the same. It had a lonely feel to it, even when Ivy was there.

"Maybe he's getting that handled," Mia said.

"I think he's getting funeral arrangements and breaking the news to our friends and family," Victor said. He stayed at the coffee shop with his friends and Mia for a few hours. They played a little bit of Among Us, but no one's heart was really in it.

"I should probably head back," Victor said, slipping his phone into his back pocket. After he hugged his friends goodbye, he headed back to his apartment. When he went inside, he saw Bram was talking with Veronica.

"I'm going back to Creekwood tomorrow, and I'm taking my nephew with me," Veronica said. "I'm his actual family, so the court will rule in my favor. You no longer have a legal claim on him."

"You were absent from his life for fifteen years," Bram said, coldly. Victor could see how tired and sad his father was through the look in his eyes. "Why do you suddenly want to be apart of his life? What do you gain from this?"

"He's a Salazar," Veronica said. "My family looks after each other."

"Like how you looked after Becca when she found out she was pregnant?" Bram snapped.

"I was fourteen at the time," Veronica said, defensively. "I couldn't stick up to my parents like that."

It was then that they noticed that Victor was standing in the doorway. "I don't want to go back with you," Victor stated. "I want to stay here in New York with my actual family."

"Whatever, I will eventually get my way," Veronica said. Victor stepped out of the doorway so she could leave. Once she left, Bram engulfed Victor in a hug. Victor held him close. They stayed like that and cried for a while.

They eventually pulled away, and Bram put his hands on both sides of Victor's face. "Listen, Victor," Bram said. "I'm going to get the court date rescheduled, but it's going to have to take longer than initially planned. They're going to have to run a background check on me. You can't live here while they do that, so you're going to have to stay with Simon's parents in Creekwood for a while."

"I don't want to leave you," Victor said.

"I know, but it will only be temporary," Bram promised. "I already talked to Jack and Emily. They agreed to let you finish schooling here, and for me to adopt you. You'll just be gone for a month or two. You'll leave tomorrow."

He pulled Victor in for another hug. "Things are going to be ok," Bram whispered. "I promise."

A/N: Thanks for reading! For the next few chapters, I want to focus a little more on the other plot. I already know how both of them are going to end. I hope that you guys are satisfied with it. Goodbye for now!