To celebrate their third-year anniversary, Edgeworth had spent a lot of effort in planning and preparing a candlelight dinner for himself and Phoenix, despite his busy schedule. Phoenix was always the one who took the initiative in taking him out to dinner on the day of their anniversary, but after last year's dinner celebration which yielded disastrous results, Edgeworth took matters into his own hands. Edgeworth had been thinking of just going to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, but seeing Phoenix's dejected mood lately, he decided to go on a more thoughtful and personal approach.

And besides, I'm finally going to allow him to sleep with me so might as well make it special, Edgeworth thought.

After a delectable dinner which made Phoenix worship Edgeworth's excellent cooking skills, Edgeworth placed a small, gift-wrapped box on the table.

Phoenix's mouth fell open.

"Don't worry, Wright, it's not a ring." Edgeworth said, his eyes glimmered with excitement when the saw the astonished look on Phoenix's face. "Open the box."

When Phoenix opened the box, utter surprise was marked on his face as he held a keychain with a key dangling in the air. The keychain was made of shiny silver and in the shape of the letters P and W--Phoenix's initials--connected together. At the back of the keychain, engraved were the words: To P, love M.

"Those are the keys to my...my house. I had them duplicated a couple of days ago." Edgeworth uttered nervously, his mind seemingly out of words. He never knew confessing one's feelings was such a hard thing to do. With Wright being the more forward person of them two, Edgeworth wondered how Phoenix always mananges to easily declare his love for him. "Wright, I've decided that perhaps three years is enough, and thus I am determined to...to let our relationship...advance further."

Edgeworth expected Phoenix to jump around in glee or to embrace him or at least do something, but Phoenix just sat there, staring at the key. Phoenix's face didn't even have a trace of happiness in it. "Is there something wrong, Wright?"

"I-I'm just shocked, that's all."

Edgeworth stood up and took a step towards Phoenix. "I noticed you've been acting so strange lately. What on earth is wrong with y--"

"--Miles, don't go any closer."

However, ever the concerned Edgeworth, that only made him more curious. Knowing Phoenix, he wasn't the type to keep secrets. Edgeworth felt that something was definitely wrong.

"Miles, please don't touch me. Just--please."

Both of them remained silent for several moments, both afraid of angering the other.

The silence was broken when Phoenix finally stood up, and headed fast for the door. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave--"

"Wait, Wright!" Edgeworth stood up and ran towards Phoenix grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "Don't leave. Let's talk about this."

"No--" Phoenix tried yanking his arm off of Edgeworth's grasp, but as he tried to pull his arm away from Edgeworth, his sleeve was pulled upwards, revealing many lesions on his forearm.

"Miles, I have AIDS."

Edgeworth's eyes widened. "Wright, please tell me this is some sort of cruel joke."

Phoenix remained silent, his eyes brimming with tears. Ironically, it was his turn to grasp his right arm with his left hand, biting his lips with his face evidently pained as he looked aside trying to avoid Edgeworth's gaze.

Knowing Phoenix to be a truthful man years after working with him in court, Edgeworth never questioned Phoenix's credibility before. But perhaps Phoenix had changed over the years and was no longer the honest man Edgeworth knew. It had all been clear to Edgeworth now. The reason why Phoenix had been distancing himself lately is because he had been sleeping with another man. Edgeworth felt dizzy, desperately trying from the depths of his mind to deny it. When that didn't work due to the apparent evidence he had in front of him, he ardently wished it was all a bad dream, but the pain in his heart kept telling him otherwise.

"Who is it?"

Phoenix didn't answer.

"There's somebody else, isn't it?" Edgeworth tried to keep his voice steady for his ego's sake, but it was to no avail, as his words came out barely more than a frail mutter.

Phoenix stood frozen for a few moments. Then, clenching his knuckles, forced his eyes shut, and nodded. His nods were reluctant at first, but as seconds passed, they became more fervent.

Ironic, Edgeworth thought, that they had to end their relationship just as he was ready to take their relationship further. It took the patience of an angel to keep Edgeworth from punching Phonix right then and there.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, NOW! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Edgeworth yelled, trembling intensely in anger. When Phoenix ran for the door, he concentrated on nothing but the floor and tried to block out the thoughts in his mind. With his flooded eyes, he could barely make out the blurred image of a piece of shining silver on the floor.

Slamming the door hard behind him and leaning against the door, Phoenix thought, as those tears finally began streaming down his eyes like a river, that it was better for Edgeworth to think that he was cheating on him instead of knowing the actual truth.

He knows it'll be easier for Edgeworth to get over his death if he died while Edgeworth had not love but hatred in his heart.