Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Please, Don’t Shut Me Out
~Zayn’s POV~
He nodded once, steady, and said, "Yes, baby. He’s the first son of Rogan."
The world tilted under me. "What?"
My knees weakened. The noise of the park, the murmur of my friends, everything blurred into a distant hum. Evric and Evans... connected?
"Evans is your brother?" I finally asked, my voice trembling.
Evric nodded slowly. "Yes. My blood brother. Same parents."
I stared at him, completely lost. "So... you knew from the start? When Evans first approached me?"
Evric opened his mouth, but I didn’t let him speak.
"So you were acting," I continued, my voice rising. "Acting like you didn’t know him. Acting just enough so I wouldn’t get suspicious. So I wouldn’t realize I was the game, the one being played."
"Babe, calm down," Evric said quickly. "I wasn’t..."
"Don’t tell me to calm down!" I cut him off, my voice shaking. "I knew it. The real Evric I know would’ve lost control the second Evans got near me. But you didn’t. You just acted upset, just enough to make it look real. You were pretending all along, weren’t you?"
Evric’s face fell. He reached for me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Baby, listen, I didn’t..."
I shoved his hands away. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe.
"Don’t," I said sharply.
His voice trembled. "You know I love you, babe."
I glared at him. "Don’t use that word, not now. Not when something like this just happened."
My friends had gone quiet, their eyes darting between us, trying to understand what was happening.
Evric tried again. "Babe, please, let me explain..."
"Not a single word, Evric," I cut in. "Not one."
Then Evans finally spoke, his voice calm, too calm for what had just happened.
"First of all, Zayn... you can reopen your restaurant now."
I nodded stiffly. "Okay."
"And about me approaching you," Evans continued, "it had nothing to do with Evric."
I looked at him and forced a dry laugh. "Maybe not directly, but he contributed to it. Which makes it the same thing, bro."
Evans sighed. "Zayn, he’s not the one to blame."
I nodded again, this time slower. "Okay."
Then he added softly, "Zayn, it’s a good thing you’re the loyal one. You stayed true to him."
But I wasn’t listening anymore. My ears felt blocked, like everything around me had gone underwater. Evans’s voice faded out.
All I could think about was how hard he had hit on me, his words, his stares, his teasing.
What if I had given in? What if I had made one wrong move?
The thought made my heart raced.
I wasn’t sure what hurt more, that Evric didn’t trust me enough... or that I’d actually passed a test I never knew I was taking.
My friends couldn’t fully understand what was happening, but I could feel their eyes on us. They must have caught bits of the conversation, but not enough to piece everything together.
My friends couldn’t fully understand what was happening, but I could feel their eyes on us. They must have caught bits of the conversation, but not enough to piece everything together.
Evans sighed and looked at me. "Zayn, I’m sorry for approaching you that way. But I’ll say this, you’re an incredible person. You proved Father wrong. You showed him that you’re different, that you truly love Evric. I understand how you must feel right now, but please, don’t take it all out on him. Evric’s been scared since the beginning. He knew that if you found out, you’d blame him for everything."
I looked at Evans, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond. I just stared, my chest heavy with confusion and hurt.
He smiled faintly. "I’ll go now... Let’s meet again, brother-in-law."
Then he glanced at Evric and said with a small smirk, "Good luck, bro."
And just like that, he turned and walked toward his car, leaving silence and confusion behind him.
As soon as he left, Evric reached out to touch me. "I’m going home now," I said quietly, stepping back.
"I’ll come with you," he offered quickly.
"I drove here," I reminded him flatly.
"Then I’ll ride with you. My driver can bring my car later," he insisted.
I didn’t argue. That wasn’t the right place for another scene. I just nodded slightly, turned to my friends, and forced a tiny smile. "We’ll talk later, okay?"
They were still stunned, eyes wide with confusion, but they nodded silently.
I got into my car, and Evric slid into the seat beside me. The silence between us was heavy and thick enough to choke on. I didn’t give him a chance to speak, though I could see he wanted to. His lips parted once, then closed again when he caught the look on my face. He knew better. So he stayed quiet... just watching me, his eyes searching for a softness that wasn’t there anymore.
When we got home, he finally broke the silence. "Babe, please... I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just..."
I raised a hand weakly. "Evric, please. Right now, everything’s too much. I just want to take a shower and sleep. We’ll talk later."
His voice cracked slightly. "Why is it that every time my father does something wrong, I’m the one who ends up suffering for it?"
I turned to him, meeting his eyes. "Who do you expect to suffer it, Evric?" I asked quietly.
He had no answer, just guilt written all over his face.
Then he finally spoke, voice low. "But I did nothing wrong, Zayn... you’re not even giving me the chance to explain."
"My head hurts a lot right now," I said flatly. "All I want to do is shower and sleep." I turned away from him and walked straight to the living room.
"Babe, wait... babe..." he called after me, but I didn’t stop.
I went into the bedroom, stripped off my clothes. I knew he wouldn’t come in immediately, ever since I gave him that one-month punishment without sex, he’s been careful, avoiding even the sight of me naked.
After a while, he came in. By then, I’d already showered and was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He showered too, changed, then climbed into the bed beside me. Slowly, he moved closer.
"Babe, I’m very sorry..." he started, but I didn’t let him finish. I picked up my phone, grabbed a blanket, and walked out to the living room.
Just as I was about to lie on the couch, Evans’ message came in:
I forgot to add the condition father gave me... Tell your man to go and apologize for the way he spoke to him last time. You can go along with him. You’re welcome.
I read it without replying.
I lay on the couch, almost drifting off, when I felt someone climbing beside me. I already knew it was Evric, but I didn’t move. I was too tired.
He shifted closer, his warmth brushing against me. He pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder, then wrapped his arm gently around my body as if afraid I’d push him away.
His voice trembled as it brushed against my ear, low and raw. "You can add to my punishment," he whispered. "Whatever it is... I’ll take it all. Just please—don’t shut me out."