CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 227: THE DEVIL’S VICTORY LAP

~Evric’s POV~

"You still fuck like before, Evric," Nicki drawled, lifting an eyebrow. "Even when you’re drunk, your strength is unmatched."

"No," I choked out, scrambling to pull the silk sheet up to my chest. "No, no, no..."

"No what, Evric?" Nicki said, taking another casual sip of coffee. "You have to believe me. We had a really good fuck, and with the way you handled me, I could tell your dearest boyfriend has been starving you for good sex."

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, the sound raw and desperate. I was shaking violently, clutching the silk to my chest. "I don’t believe you! If I did it, why don’t I have any memory of doing it? You liar!"

Nicki let out a sharp, chilling laugh, the sound of pure, unapologetic malice. "Oh, darling Evric," he purred, setting his coffee cup down. "I knew you wouldn’t believe me."

He started to move toward the bed, a glint of triumph in his eyes. "That’s why I recorded everything."

"STAY AWAY!" I shouted, pressing myself against the headboard. "Nicki, don’t move closer to me! Stay away!"

He ignored me, his wicked laughter filling the room, savoring his victory.

"I will get you arrested for this, for what you did!" I threatened, my voice cracking.

Nicki was entirely fearless. He just leaned over the bed. "Go ahead. I’ll send the video to Zayn five minutes before the police arrive. That will be the end. Not that it matters, it’s already ended between you two, hasn’t it? Because if Zayn finds out you cheated, he’s going to break up with you. And we both know Zayn doesn’t forgive cheating."

The truth of his words hit me like a physical blow. I collapsed, the sheet falling away slightly as the tears came, tearing through me in agonizing sobs. I began shaking my head, a frantic, miserable refusal of reality.

"Zayn, no!" I screamed, sobbing his name. "I can’t lose him! I can’t!" I was losing my mind, spiraling into a devastating panic.

Nicki sat down gently on the edge of the mattress, not touching me, but his presence was a venomous poison. "Just forget about him. You and I both know Zayn is too good for you, Evric. He deserves better. And you? You deserve someone like me." He laughed again, a dark, triumphant sound.

"Why?" I choked out, looking at him through my tears. "Why are you doing this, Nicki? Why do all this?"

He leaned closer, his smile cold and predatory. "It’s simple, Evric. I can’t stand to see you happy with him. I celebrate every misstep you make. You’ve already lost your career, I want you to lose in your love life too. I want you to suffer. I want to destroy Evric Draeven, piece by piece."

I curled into myself, clutching the sheet tightly to my throat as if it were the only thing keeping me together. The pounding in my head was nothing compared to the crushing wave of self-loathing Nicki’s words unleashed. You fool. You complete, worthless fool.

I had risked my fortune, betrayed my family, and faced public humiliation—all for Zayn, all to protect the fragile world we’d built together. He was my shelter, my heart, the only person I loved more than myself. And while he was miles away, caring for his sick mother, I shattered the one thing that mattered most: my faithfulness.

The tears I couldn’t shed over losing my career now streamed down my face, hot and silent. I was pathetic, a man who claimed he’d sacrifice everything for love, only to betray it the moment he was left alone. I was a weak, miserable lover who couldn’t survive a single night without him.

Nicki lay seductively on the bed, his silk robe slipping just a fraction. "Don’t look so miserable, darling. You still have me. As for Zayn, he’s no longer your boyfriend. What’s the point in pretending? He’ll find out eventually." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low, taunting whisper. "He’s already gone, Evric. He’s no longer yours."

"Shut up," I rasped, my voice raw and shaky. "Get out. I need you out of my sight."

Nicki tilted his head, amused. "Sweetheart, you forgot. This is not your mansion. You are in my house."

The realization that I was trapped in his space, and the smug confidence in his eyes that said he still owned me, sent a crushing wave of despair through me. And the worst part was, Nicki was right about one thing: I was pathetic.

The thought hit me with brutal clarity: Zayn deserves someone better. Someone who thinks before he acts, someone who prioritizes partnership over panic. Zayn was loving, understanding, and patient. Was this, waking up naked with my toxic ex, how I was repaying him for his goodness? I accepted the devastating truth: Zayn was too good for me.

Nicki, misinterpreting my stillness, saw an opening. He moved closer beside me, his hand reaching for my thigh. "I fucked you when you were unconscious, Evric, and your body still remembered me. Now you’re awake, let’s see what you can really do. I’m not tired yet."

The touch, the casual acknowledgment of my violation, and the demand for more snapped the last thread of my control.

"DON’T TOUCH ME!" I roared. I lunged up and delivered a desperate, forceful punch to his jaw.

Nicki recoiled with a cry of pain, clutching his face. His demeanor instantly changed from smug pleasure to vicious rage.

"You arrogant little bastard!" he cursed, spitting a bloody insult. "You’re pathetic! You’re a cheat, and you’re weak!"

"WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?" I shouted, scrambling off the bed and ignoring the sudden dizziness. I was frantic, searching the strange room. I found my discarded clothes in a heap by the armchair. "I would rather sleep with a sewage grate than sleep with you, Nicki! I am sure I didn’t sleep with you, and until I can prove it, you stay far from me!"

I yanked on my pants, adrenaline cutting through the haze of my hangover. "And let me make one thing clear," I snapped, my voice shaking with fury. "Even if Zayn breaks up with me, which I won’t let happen—but if it ever does, I will never come back to you. Not now, not ever."

Just as I zipped up my jeans, my abandoned phone started to vibrate furiously on the bedside table. It was a video call: Zayn.

Nicki, seeing the opportunity, lunged, faster than I expected, and snatched the phone. He held it up, watching the incoming call screen with a predatory smile.

"I wonder what this is about," Nicki mocked, his finger hovering over the answer button. "Shall we pick up, Evric? Let’s say hello to your boyfriend."

My heart felt like it stopped entirely. My eyes were glued to the screen in Nicki’s hand, watching the circular profile picture of Zayn flash relentlessly.

"No! Nicki, please!" I begged, my voice cracking, the raw desperation completely overriding my anger. Tears of panic flooded my eyes. I scrambled toward him, my hands shaking, outstretched. "Don’t pick up! I’m begging you!"

Nicki laughed, savoring the sight of me reduced to a weeping supplicant. He held the phone just out of my reach, treating it like a dangling toy. I reached carefully, frantically trying to grab it without making any jerky motions that might accidentally swipe the ’Answer’ icon.

"Such a pity, isn’t it?" Nicki cooed, deliberately moving his finger closer to the screen. "He’s probably calling from the hospital, worried about you."

"I’ll give you anything!" I pleaded, my voice choked with sobs. "Money! Access! Just don’t answer that call!"

Nicki’s eyes, dark and gleeful, locked onto mine. He smiled, slow and malicious. "I don’t want your money, Evric. I want your pain."

He started counting, drawing the moment out agonizingly slow. "Three." The phone kept ringing. "Two." I made a desperate lunge, but he simply pivoted away.

He stopped counting and held the phone up beside his face, his thumb hovering over the button. "Come on, darling. Let’s pick up—let’s show him how well you slept."

"NOOOOOOOO..."