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Elior, Zayn, and Adric were sitting quietly on the couch. The silence in the room was suffocating, broken only by the distant sound of Ari's soft murmurs as the nanny gently put him to sleep in his room.

“So,” Adric finally broke the silence, his eyes shifting between the two men. “Say it. What did you want to talk about?”

Elior took a breath, steadying himself. “Zayn,” he began, looking directly at him, “you were right. Maybe it’s not just my personal matter anymore. But still, can’t you at least think about the fact that he’s not the right person for you? And let’s not forget he was married to your best friend.”

Zayn scoffed, his expression unreadable. “Okay, fine. So what?”

Elior’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong with you, Zayn? This isn’t like you. You’re not the Zayn I knew.”

Zayn chuckled bitterly. “Exactly, Elior. You’re right. I’m not the Zayn you knew.” His voice trembled slightly as he said the words. His hand, resting on his knee, started shaking.

Adric immediately noticed it. So did Elior.

Without hesitation, Adric reached out and gently grasped Zayn’s hand. “You don’t owe him any explanations,” he said firmly, his voice calm but protective. Then, turning to Elior, he added, “You don’t care about Zayn anymore, right?”

Elior frowned, caught off-guard. “Excuse me?”

Adric didn’t blink. “You never really loved him, Elior. First, it was all about revenge, and now it’s about Ari your son. You’ve never been fair to Zayn. So how about we strike a deal?”

Elior’s eyes narrowed. “What deal?”

Adric leaned forward slightly. “You can take Ari with you. But on one condition you never try to contact Zayn again. Don’t call him, don’t visit him, don’t speak to him. Ever.”

Rage flashed in Elior’s eyes as he stood up abruptly. He grabbed Adric by the collar and yanked him to his feet. “Are you fucking out of your damn mind you fucker,” he growled, “how dare you?”

“This is about our son! Our son! Ari is as much mine as he is Zayn’s! And you’re telling me to take him away like he’s some burden Zayn needs to be freed from?!”

Adric yanked his collar from Elior’s grip. “Then what do you want, huh?” he snapped. “Tell me what you really want.”

Elior didn’t hesitate. His eyes flicked to Zayn, who was now silent, watching them both with hollow eyes.But he couldn't answer.

Zayn looked visibly shaken. The arguments, the accusations, the chaos around him it was too much. His head started spinning. The edges of the room blurred. The pressure in his chest grew tighter and tighter.

“Enough!” Zayn suddenly shouted, his voice cracking. “Enough is enough!”

Both men went still.

Zayn was crying. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t seem aware of it. “Please,” he whispered, “just go. Just leave. Both of you.”

Elior stepped forward instinctively. “Zayn”

“Don’t touch me!” Zayn yelled, jerking his hand away as Elior tried to reach for him. “Don’t...”

Then, suddenly, he froze. His breath hitched, and he clutched his chest tightly. The air seemed to vanish from his lungs. Panic settled in his eyes.

Adric was by his side in a heartbeat. “Zayn?” he said sharply. “Zayn, what’s wrong?”

Zayn didn’t respond. His body began trembling, his hands gripping the side of the couch as if trying to hold on to reality itself.

And then it started the visions.

Elior stared in horror. His entire body went numb. He had never seen Zayn like this.so lost, so fragile, so broken.

Adric crouched in front of Zayn, gently grabbing his face. “Zayn. Zayn, listen to me. You’re safe. You’re here. Look at me just look at me, baby.”

Zayn whimpered, his hands over his ears. “I can’t I can’t hear anything except them. They’re screaming again.”

“No, no one is screaming,” Adric whispered. “It’s just me. It’s just you and me here, okay? I’m here. Zayn, listen to my voice. Follow me.”

Zayn’s breathing was erratic, his chest rising and falling like he’d run a marathon. He gripped Adric’s arm tightly, his eyes wide with fear. “Don’t let him take Ari... please...”

“No one’s taking Ari, Zayn. I promise. I’m right here.”

Adric pulled him into his arms, cradling him gently as if he were the most fragile thing in the world. Zayn’s body slowly began to still, but he didn’t stop crying. He clung to Adric like a lifeline, sobbing into his shoulder.

Elior didn’t move. He couldn’t. He had never felt more powerless in his life. This was the man he had once loved still loved and he had no idea how to reach him anymore. No idea how much pain he’d unknowingly left behind.

After a long moment, Zayn’s sobs quieted. His breathing slowed. His eyes fluttered shut. The storm inside him, at least for now, had passed.

Adric gently picked him up bridal style. “I’ll take him to his room,” he said quietly, not even looking at Elior.

Elior just nodded, his heart breaking into pieces.

As Adric carried Zayn away, Elior sank onto the couch, his hands covering his face. His chest was tight, his throat thick with emotion.

He whispered to himself, “What have I done to him?”

---

A long silence filled the air before the door creaked open slowly. Adric walked out of the room, his face pale, tired, and carrying the heaviness of pain in his eyes.

Elior, who had been pacing restlessly near the window, looked up immediately. “Is he okay?” he asked softly, his voice coated with guilt and anticipation.

Adric sat down slowly on the sofa, exhaling deeply as he leaned back. “Yeah,” he said, voice low. “He’s fine… for now.”

Elior stepped forward cautiously. “Is that because of me?”

Adric let out a faint chuckle, though it didn’t carry any humor. “Now you realize.”

Elior lowered his head, rubbing his temples with both hands. “Shit…” he whispered, clearly overwhelmed by the weight of his actions.

Just then, the silence was interrupted by the sudden sound of the front door opening.

Rhys stepped inside.

His steps halted the moment his eyes landed on Elior. His expression froze before twisting into disbelief and fury.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Rhys barked, pointing an accusing finger toward Elior.

Elior took a step back instinctively.

“Rhys, calm down.” Adric stood up and tried to defuse the situation, stepping in between them.

“No! Tell me, Adric! What the hell is he doing here?” Rhys’s voice trembled with emotion. “Where’s Zayn?”

Adric looked away for a second and said, “He’s in his room… he had another panic attack.”

Rhys’s expression turned to horror. “He what?” Then he turned sharply to Adric again, his voice sharp. “Who let him in?” he asked, his finger pointing directly at Elior, who looked too shocked to speak.

“I did,” Adric admitted quietly.

Rhys’s jaw clenched. “Have you lost your mind?! You know what happens to Zayn every time he sees this bastard and still you let him in?”

Adric opened his mouth to speak, but Rhys didn’t let him.

“You think this is okay? Was this more important than your brother’s health?”

That’s when Elior’s head snapped toward Adric, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Brother?” he repeated, his voice almost faint. “What do you mean brother…?”

Adric’s hand instinctively went to his forehead in frustration.

Elior looked back and forth between the two of them. “Zayn… he’s your brother?”

Adric looked up at him, his eyes calm despite the storm in the room. “Yes. Zayn is my younger brother.”

Elior took a step back, stunned. His mind went back to a late-night conversation years ago, where Zayn had once briefly mentioned a brother who lived abroad. He had never seen him, never known his name never connected the dots.

“OMG” Elior whispered.

“You lied to me,” Elior accused, voice shaking.

“I never lied to you,” Adric replied calmly. “You created your own assumptions… and I never corrected them.”

Rhys scoffed. “Don’t turn this around on him. Zayn’s the one who had to rebuild himself from scratch after what you did.” His eyes flicked to Elior. “And now you’re back here why? To ruin him again?”

Elior looked at Adric with glassy eyes. “You said he had a panic attack… because of me.”

Adric nodded.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Elior whispered.

“Intent doesn’t erase consequences,” Rhys snapped.

Elior took a deep breath. “I need to talk to him.”

“No,” Rhys said instantly. “Absolutely not. Haven’t you done enough already? He doesn’t need your explanations. He needs space.”

“I didn’t come back to hurt him,” Elior said.

“Then why are you here?” Rhys shouted, his voice raw and loud. “You left. You disappeared for years. Zayn,And now suddenly suddenly you’re back?”

Elior looked at the floor. “I didn’t mean to.” he whispered.

“That’s bullshit,” Rhys shot back.

Adric stepped in. “Rhys, please. Calm down. Screaming won’t help.”

"I’ll calm down but first, get him out of here," Rhys growled, his voice low but filled with fury as he glared at Adric.

Elior, who had remained silent all this while, took a step back, his eyes dimming as he turned to leave. He didn’t say anything.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Rhys ran a frustrated hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. His jaw was tight, his body still trembling with pent-up anger.

Adric cautiously stepped forward, placing a hand on Rhys’s shoulder. “I’ll handle everything,Just... please don’t do anything reckless.”

Rhys nodded stiffly. “Hmmm.”

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