CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: WORDS THAT CUT DEEPER THAN SILENCE

Then I heard a familiar voice behind me, calling my name.

"Zayn."

I froze. Evric.

Turning slowly, I found him standing there, his expression unreadable. I knew, without a doubt, that he had heard everything. My staff, sensing his presence, quietly returned to their tasks, preparing to close the restaurant for the night.

I got up and walked toward him.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

Without another word, I grabbed my wallet and phone, bid farewell to my workers, and followed him out.

Evric didn’t speak. He didn’t ask a single question, but I could feel it, the way he carried himself, the tightness in his jaw, he was holding something back. He wanted to talk, but he was keeping it under control.

Inside the car, we sat in the back while his driver took the front seat. The air felt heavier than usual. I leaned in and kissed him. He tapped the side of the door twice, and his driver, understanding the signal, stepped out to give us privacy.

Now it was just the two of us.

I kissed him again, and he responded, his hand gripping my waist, pulling me closer. His mouth was warm and demanding, his tongue deep and unrelenting. But then, in the middle of it, he pulled back just enough to speak.

"Zayn," his voice was low, almost dangerous, "you don’t have to know the real me to understand, I can be brutal towards you."

I froze, my breath caught between us.

He kept his gaze locked on mine. "It’s only because I love you that I’m like this," he continued. "I want to be gentle with you, to treat you right. But you... you’re not treating me any better, Zayn."

The words hit me like a blow, not a shout, not an argument, but something heavier. They sounded less like a warning and more like a threat.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn’t know what to respond.

Before I could gather a thought, he called his driver back in. Without another word, the car pulled away, his earlier words still echoing in my head like an accusation I hadn’t answered.

He didn’t speak to me the entire ride. His eyes were closed, his head leaning back against the seat, as if even looking at me would be too much. The air between us was thick, he was shutting me out, and I could feel it.

When we arrived at his house, the driver stepped out first, leaving just the two of us in the car. He turned to me then, his expression unreadable.

"I’ll ask this question only once," he said quietly but firmly. "And I need you to be honest."

I nodded. "Okay."

"When you left my office earlier... when you said someone was waiting for you... did you already know it was her? Or did you only find out when you got to the restaurant?"

I hesitated, tempted to lie. But something in his eyes told me he’d see right through it.

But instead, I told the truth. "I knew before I left your office," I admitted.

His lips curved into the smallest smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. Without another word, he opened his door and stepped out. He didn’t wait for me. He walked straight inside.

I rushed to catch up. His mood was unreadable, but from the way the air shifted in the house, I could tell everyone here understood him, except me.

We reached the living room. Most of the staff had already disappeared to their duties. Only Nuala stood on the stairs, watching from a distance.

I finally snapped. "What is this attitude, Evric?"

He turned to me, his voice clipped. "You call this attitude? You left my office to meet a girl when all I’ve been thinking about... is you."

"And so what?" I shot back. "Can’t I go see my friend?"

His voice rose, sharp and raw. "Don’t fucking lie to me! She’s your admirer. You know damn well she has feelings for you, and you still left me to go meet her."

I clenched my jaw. "Evric, I was meeting her for the first time in my life. I was just trying to appreciate her, she sent me a gift last time."

He gave a bitter chuckle. "So you can accept a gift from her, but nothing from me. You always say you don’t need anything, that you have your own. But from her? That’s different."

I stepped closer, trying to calm him. "Evric..."

"Don’t touch me," he snapped, stepping back.

My chest ached. "You’ve never given me anything except that card," I shot back, my voice trembling. "And I told you why I rejected it."

His voice dropped, quiet and almost broken. "Just tell me all you want is a girl. I know I can’t be that. But at least I’d know. At least I’d understand that it’s not a boy you want, it’s her."

"You’re overreacting," I said, my patience wearing thin. "I left your office to meet a friend. What’s so wrong about that?"

"You think I don’t have friends? You think there aren’t people who need my attention too?" His eyes burned into mine. "I give everything to you."

"That’s your choice," I said, heat rising in my voice. "How is that my problem?"

His voice shook. "I know it’s not your problem. That’s why I can look you in the eyes and tell you I love you... knowing you won’t say it back." He drew in a ragged breath, pain flickering in his gaze. "But I never thought you wouldn’t care, about how I’d feel, when I find out you left me... to meet a girl."

His breath hitched, the words trembling as if each one cut him. "You don’t appreciate me. You don’t see me the way I see you. You don’t carry me the way I carry you, Zayn."

"Enough!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "We’re not even dating yet, and you’re making all this fuss?"

That pushed him over the edge. He stepped toward me so quickly I flinched, his hand twitching as if he almost grab my neck...

"Enough, brother!" Nuala’s voice rang out from the stairs, sharp and desperate. "Just... enough, please!"

He froze, hands trembling, before turning away.

Evric’s chest heaved. He turned toward the dining table and, in one violent sweep, sent every mug and plate crashing to the floor. Porcelain shattered, the sound slicing through the tense silence.

I froze. This was the first time I had ever seen him like this, shaking, barely able to hold himself together.

I started after him, but Nuala caught my arm and held me back. Her grip was firm. Her eyes said more than her mouth... let him go.