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The next day, Adric and Elior, along with their team, had a meeting scheduled. As everyone settled down, Adric turned to Zayn and said,

“Zayn, why don’t you start?”

“Yes, sir,” Zayn replied calmly, and then he began explaining everything with clarity and confidence.

“This project is incredible, and I truly believe we can make it successful.”

Adric nodded in approval. “We’ll work on it,” he said, extending his hand.

They both shook hands firmly.

As they exited the VIP area together, Adric turned slightly toward Zayn and said something.

Zayn moved a little closer and replied, “Yeah... but what should I do now? No, Adric, we can’t cancel the project. It’s a huge opportunity for our company too.”

Adric smiled at him, placing a gentle hand on Zayn’s head. “You’ve grown up… giving me advice now?”

Zayn laughed lightly, then suddenly leaned in and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Adric… for everything.”

“Shut up, Zayn. You’re my brother. How could I not be there for you?”

The two stood there, embracing like family.

But neither of them noticed the figure standing a short distance away, watching everything silently.

Elior stood there, gripping his phone so tightly it felt like it would crack. His heart pounded, and thoughts raced through his head.

Has Zayn really moved on?

That one thought kept ringing in his mind, making him more and more restless.

---

"Hey, do you know Adric?"

"Yes sir, I know him. Why?"

"Is he... is he Zayn's boyfriend?"

"Sir... who's Zayn?"

"The one who was with him in the meeting just now."

"Ohh! No sir, as far as I know, Adric is already married."

"Ohh... so he's having an extra-marital affair?"

"I don't think so, sir..."

Elior didn't respond after that. His jaw clenched slightly as he looked away, lost in thought. A few seconds later, he opened his phone and typed a message:

"Meet me at [XXX PLACE]. I know Ari is my child."

Zayn saw the message pop up and froze. His hands trembled slightly as his eyes stayed locked on the screen. He didn’t reply right away. But after a deep breath and a moment to gather himself, he replied:

"Okay. I’ll be there."

The next day…

Zayn arrived at the place Elior had mentioned. It was a high-end restaurant, and the staff escorted him to a private VIP section. The atmosphere was quiet, yet the tension in Zayn’s chest made every step feel heavy.

He reached the door.

Taking one last breath, Zayn slowly pushed it open and walked inside.

---

Zayn stepped inside the VIP restaurant quietly, his fingers tightening around the knob before closing the door behind him. His heart was already thudding against his chest, but he forced himself to stay composed. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Elior—sitting silently on the VIP room sofa, his posture rigid, arms crossed loosely over his chest like he’d been waiting for this confrontation all day.

Elior didn’t say anything at first. He just looked at Zayn, expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he motioned toward the sofa across from him.

Zayn hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly and walking toward it. He sat down, leaning back as if to put some emotional distance between them, though physically they were barely a few feet apart.

A heavy silence lingered in the room, like a storm cloud threatening to burst.

Finally, Elior broke it.

“Zayn,” his voice was quiet but firm, “are you going to tell me the truth or not?”

Zayn’s jaw clenched. His eyes met Elior’s, unwavering.

“You lost the right to ask me that the day you questioned whether the child was even mine,” Zayn replied, his voice low but sharp, heavy with disappointment.

Elior’s expression faltered for a brief second. His lips parted, like he wanted to explain himself.

“I thought,” Elior began, swallowing thickly, “I thought you were playing a trick on me. I thought maybe this was just some twisted game you cooked up to get back at me or.”

“A trick?” Zayn cut him off, his tone almost incredulous. “Elior, when did I ever play tricks with you? When did I ever treat what we had like a game?”

There was pain in his voice now raw, uncovered.

Elior didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He just stared at Zayn, his gaze shifting downward for a moment before flickering back up eyes glossy, as if on the verge of tears. He looked like a man torn in two, like someone who had realized too late that he’d broken something beyond repair.

Elior leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlocked tightly. His voice came out in a whisper, fragile. “Are you… I mean… is he really your boyfriend?”

Zayn’s brows furrowed.

“What difference does it make to you?” he asked, the bitterness returning. “Why do you care, Elior? Why does it matter to you if he’s my boyfriend or not?”

Elior flinched slightly, but Zayn didn’t stop.

“You did everything out of revenge, didn’t you?” Zayn continued, his voice rising, shaking with emotion. “Every touch, every smile,every confession,every goddamn moment we shared you were just collecting pieces for your little revenge, right? Everything between us was fake for you.”

Elior looked down, unable to meet his gaze. His fingers were trembling now, and he clasped them tighter, as if to keep himself from falling apart.

“You already took your revenge,” Zayn said, quieter this time, broken. “Your revenge, your friend’s revenge... whatever the hell this all was for. You got it. You won. So tell me, Elior, what more do you want from me?”

He paused, his voice cracking as he added, “Just tell me. I’ll give it to you. I swear I will. I have nothing left to fight for anymore.”

Zayn wiped his eyes, roughly, almost angry at himself for letting Elior see him cry. But the tears didn’t stop they kept flowing, silent and relentless.

“I’m tired,” he said, voice barely above a whisper now. “So damn tired, Elior.”

The room went still again. Zayn looked away, not wanting to see Elior’s face anymore afraid it would only make the pain worse.

But Elior stood up.

Zayn…

Elior couldn’t find the words. His lips moved, but nothing coherent came out. For a moment, he just sat there, staring at the man in front of him.  The man he had hated. The man he had blamed for a death that broke him in ways he still hadn’t healed from.

Zayn was still wiping his tears, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. He looked exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally. His eyes were red-rimmed, his fingers twitching slightly as if holding back all the words he wanted to scream.

Elior finally found the strength to speak.

"Zayn... you know my friend Aseal, right?" His voice cracked halfway through the sentence, and he quickly cleared his throat. "He was... he was everything to me. My only real friend, my anchor, the one person who knew all my darkness and never left. The one who stayed even when I didn’t deserve it."

Zayn looked at him silently. Not judging. Just listening.

Elior lowered his eyes and continued, “One day, Aseal came to me. I still remember it so clearly. He looked... nervous, but there was this light in his eyes I hadn’t seen in a long time. And he told me... he liked someone. Deeply. Helplessly. He didn’t even know how or when it started. But it was there, and it was consuming him.”

Zayn’s brows furrowed slightly. His voice was low when he asked, “And that someone... was me?”

Elior nodded once. “Yes. It was you.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

“I didn’t think much of it at the time,” Elior admitted. “I just thought it was a crush. I even laughed and teased him about it. I told him to go confess, and he said he would try. He was hopeful, Zayn. Do you understand what that means? After years of trauma, of rejection, of being made to feel like he was less he had hope because of you.”

Zayn closed his eyes. His fingers curled into fists on his lap.

“But when he came back to me... he was shattered,” Elior whispered. “I’ve never seen someone break like that. He said you were cruel. That you laughed at him. That you told him things no one should ever have to hear. That you said no one could love someone like him. That he should stop dreaming above his league.”

“He was humiliated. Ashamed. And he hated himself more than he already did. I tried to fix him, I tried to make him see that one rejection doesn’t define his worth. But he wouldn’t listen. He started withdrawing, skipping classes, sleeping all day, barely eating... and then one night.”

He stopped.

Zayn’s lips parted, his body going completely still.

“He was gone,” Elior whispered. “Just like that. He left a note. One line. ‘I wasn’t enough for the world.’ And he was gone. And I.....I lost him.”

A single tear slipped down Elior’s cheek.

“I blamed you, Zayn. For everything. For his pain, for his death, for the void he left behind. I hated you with every fiber of my being. I wanted you to feel even a fraction of what I felt. So I did everything I could to destroy you.”

Zayn was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “You really think I killed him?”

Elior’s eyes met his. “At that time? Yes. I needed someone to blame. And you were the perfect villain.”

Zayn shook his head, slowly, painfully.

“I never led Aseal on. I swear to you.I never gave him false hope. From the start, I made it clear to everyone that I wasn’t dating, that I didn’t want a relationship. Not because I was cruel, but because I didn’t have the emotional space for it.”

He paused, voice becoming softer. “Aseal... was persistent. He kept showing up, bringing coffee, waiting after class, writing little notes. I ignored it at first, but eventually I had to confront him. I told him I didn’t feel the same way, that I couldn’t give him what he wanted. But he just... wouldn’t let it go.”

Zayn swallowed hard. “That day..I had a very big fight with my dad and I am already in a very bad mood when he comes to me so I snapped. I was tired, frustrated, overwhelmed. I said things I shouldn’t have. I lashed out. I admit, my words were harsh. Maybe even cruel. But, Elior... I didn’t mean to break him.”

His voice cracked then.

“I didn’t mean to kill anyone. I didn’t know he was hurting that badly. I didn’t know he would take his life. If I had known... I swear, I would have done something. Anything.”

The air between them was heavy with grief, guilt, and years of pain.

Elior looked at Zayn for a long time. “Why didn’t you ever say anything? After he died, why didn’t you try to explain?”

Zayn laughed bitterly. “Explain? To who, Elior? No one would have listened. Everyone had already painted me as the villain. I was the cold, arrogant one who broke the fragile boy’s heart. I couldn’t breathe without being judged. So I stayed quiet. I mourned in silence. And I hated myself for the things I said. I still do.”

Elior clenched his jaw. “I wanted you to suffer... and I think you did. More than I ever imagined.”

Zayn looked up at him, eyes shimmering. “Yes. I did. Every day. And now, you come back into my life, digging up old wounds, questioning me like I owe you something.”

“I thought I did,” Elior admitted. “I thought you owed me the truth. But now... I don’t know.”

A long silence settled between them before Zayn finally spoke. “I’m tired, Elior. Tired of fighting ghosts. Tired of paying for mistakes I’ve already punished myself for. If you want closure, take it. If you want to hate me, go ahead. If you want to kill me then do it. But please... don’t make me relive this anymore.”

Elior didn't’t respond. He just stared at the table, hands clasped tightly together.

Elior hesitated. “Was he really our child?”

Zayn looked up sharply. “What?”

“Ari,” Elior whispered. “Was he really... mine?”

Zayn stood up, his eyes fierce. “If you really believed that, Elior... you would’ve come a long time ago.”

Elior froze.

Zayn stepped forward. “You don’t get to ask me that now. Not after all this time. Not after everything you did.”

And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Elior standing alone gutted, speechless, and drowning in a truth he had never been ready to face.

---

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