CHAPTER 197: CHAPTER 197: THE HOUSE HUSBAND’S RULE

~Evric’s POV~

I finally spoke, my voice low and strained. "Why is she in your shirt?"

"She always likes that," he admitted. "But I warned her, for real, that if my partner saw her with that shirt on, it was going to cause bigger trouble."

"Then why," I pressed, "did you just come out of the shower?"

"Babe, I cooked at the restaurant today, I haven’t done that in a while, so I needed a shower," he explained quickly. "And I was going to meet my friend, so I thought I should shower and change my clothes."

"When did you arrive home?"

"I haven’t spent up to forty-five minutes there, when you arrived" he insisted. "I got home and went straight to the shower."

I wanted to press for more questions, but before I could, he added the crucial detail. "Babe, I came back and saw her already wearing my shirt."

"How is she in your house when you aren’t there?"

"She knows where I put my spare key. She is my long-time friend, Evric. Most of my close friends know this, and she has been in my house since last night."

He looked me in the eye, pleading for belief.

"And she knows about you, but she didn’t believe I was actually dating you. She asked about my girlfriend, and I told her, ’I’m dating a guy now.’ She was surprised and asked who the ’guy’ was, and I told her it was you. She didn’t believe it until you showed up."

He squeezed my arm. "Trust me, baby. There is no way I will ever think of cheating on you."

"Then why are you surprised when you saw me?" I asked, testing the limits of his story.

"Babe, I was surprised because I didn’t tell you I was coming home," he admitted. "So how come you were..."

I cut him off, sighing. "I’m not asking you not to have a friend, but I hate the fact you have too many of them."

He said to me, "I’m sorry."

"You could have at least told me a friend was staying in your house," I pointed out, letting him understand the root of the problem was the secrecy, not the friendship itself.

"I seriously wanted to tell you, but I’m sorry," he repeated. He moved his hand down to my waist. "Do you need me to prove to you that nothing happened? We are just friends. She’s friends with all my friends.

He looked utterly sincere, leaning his forehead against mine. "Please don’t be mad at me," he teased, his voice dropping an octave as he tried to distract me with sincerity and sex appeal. "Why on Earth would I cheat or even think of cheating? You fuck me so well, and I love you so much, so tell me, how can I cheat on you?"

I let a small smile touch my lips, but I pointed my hand directly at him. "Let this be the last time this happens. Tell me everything before I find out on my own like this, because I know you don’t like surprises either."

"Okay, baby," he said softly. "I’m very sorry."

"It’s okay," I told him, but added quickly, "but I’m still angry with you."

"I’m very sorry." He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and slid his hand down to reach my erection. Since I was sleeping naked, his fingers immediately wrapped around my cock. He gave it a gentle shake. "Evric, please don’t be angry."

I laughed, the tension finally broken. "You’re looking for forgiveness in the wrong place. You’ll cry if it hardens in your hand."

He immediately squeezed and rubbed my cock. "I want to cry so I can be sure you have forgiven me."

I smiled, finally letting the tension go. I placed my hand over his. "You don’t have to cry, babe," I whispered. "I already forgive you."

"Are you sure?" he asked, searching my eyes.

"Yes." I pulled him close. "Now, we should sleep."

I knew exactly how to deal with him. Evan’s warning, Stop using violence to solve problems, echoed in my mind. So this time, I wouldn’t use raging words or physical force. I would use quiet, absolute calmness to punish

him.

In the morning, I woke first and slipped downstairs. I was working on my laptop in the living room when Zayn came down, dressed and ready, more like he was heading out for the day.

He walked straight to me, leaned down, and kissed me. "Good morning, baby."

"Good morning, love," I replied, not looking up from the screen.

He looked slightly hesitant. "I’m sorry about last night."

"It’s okay," I said. "Are you going out?"

"Yes."

I didn’t bother asking where; the answer was irrelevant. I knew I wasn’t allowing him to step outside.

"Okay, baby. See you later," he said, moving toward the front door.

"Okay, babe."

He was about to reach for the door handle. My voice rang out, clear and sharp, cutting through the morning stillness. "Lock the door."

My workers, sensing the cold authority, obeyed without question. The heavy deadbolt clicked shut.

Zayn spun around, confusion warring with alarm. "Babe, what are you playing at?"

I finally raised my head, my expression perfectly serene. "From now on, stop going to see your friends and stop going to the restaurant. Start staying home as a full-house husband." I stood up, closing the distance between us. "I will provide you with everything you want before you even ask for it."

He moved closer, his confusion deepening. "Babe, what are you saying?"

"You haven’t learned how to prioritize me, Zayn," I explained, the calmness of my voice making the words lethal. "Before I do anything, I will think about you. But you, you will do things without considering how I will feel, thinking it’s fine because you can explain to me later."

I reached out, grabbed his waist, and pulled him flush against me. I kissed his forehead. He stared at me, his eyes wide, desperately trying to understand the cold logic of my ultimatum.

"Stop going to the restaurant and stop seeing your friends," I repeated, kissing his lips, sealing the command. "If you love to cook that much, spend all your day in my kitchen. I will pay you double."

With that, I gathered my laptop and phone, turned, and walked upstairs, leaving him standing there in the middle of the empty living room, frozen in absolute disbelief.