CHAPTER 13: CHAPTER 13: CRASHED AND BROKEN

The sound of the door unlocking was subtle, too soft to be heard over our pleasure.

But the creak of it swinging open?

That stopped everything.

Nicki froze beneath me.

His eyes widened not in ecstasy anymore but in sheer horror. His nails dug into my shoulders as he gasped not from pleasure but fear.

I didn’t understand, not at first.

Then I looked up. And I saw him.

Rogan Draeven. My father.

Standing at the doorway in a dark suit, briefcase still in the hand of his assistant just behind him. Both of them frozen mid-step like statues struck by lightning.

His eyes locked with mine.

I was still inside Nicki, gripping his hips.

I’m still breathing hard. He is still dripping sweat onto his chest.

The shame hit like a slap.

Nicki whimpered and tried to cover himself, but it was too late.

My father’s assistant fumbled the files in his hands, papers scattering like dead leaves and bolted, face burning red as he slammed the door behind him.

But Rogan didn’t move, blink, or say a word.

He just stared. Unforgiving and unravelling.

His jaw clenched, fingers twitching by his sides. His lips parted, like he wanted to speak, but no words came. His eyes weren’t angry... they were hollow. Shattered.

Like everything he believed about me had just been set on fire.

And I?

I couldn’t move.

Still inside the man I loved, burning from the high and caught in the middle of my greatest release and my greatest ruin.

It wasn’t just the moment that broke me.

It was the look in his eyes.

That silent, soul-piercing look that told me...

I was no longer his son.

Then slowly, he took a step back, his eyes lingering for just a moment longer, and without another word, he opened the door and walked out.

I stood there frozen, barely breathing. My body was still functioning, but inside, I was completely hollow. It felt like dying would have been easier. Simpler. Because whatever this pain was... it wasn’t just heartbreak, it was devastation.

Nicki glanced at me with concerned eyes and whispered, "What happened next?"

I lowered my head. "I didn’t go home that night," I murmured. "I was too embarrassed. Too ashamed. I didn’t know how to face my family, especially not my father. But in the end... I knew I couldn’t keep running forever."

The next morning, I forced myself to get dressed. My hands trembled as I buttoned my shirt. My reflection in the mirror looked like a stranger drained, haunted, afraid.

I returned home.

To my surprise, no one said a word. My father hadn’t told anyone, not even my mother. That was the kind of man he was. He loved me deeply... and I knew how disappointed he must’ve been to see me like that. If I had been with a woman, maybe it wouldn’t have broken him this way. But it wasn’t. It was with a man. That truth alone was enough to shatter the pride he had in me.

When I entered the living room, he looked up and immediately understood why I had come back.

Without saying a word, he stood and walked silently to his room.

I followed.

There was a weight in the air heavier than silence. He turned to me slowly and asked, "What did I do wrong, Evric’s?"

His voice cracked. Every word was drenched in pain. I could see it in his eyes that silent ache only a father could feel when his expectations crumble. Still, I couldn’t lie. I couldn’t pretend.

"I love men," I said quietly, my voice trembling. "Not women. And that part of me... can’t be changed."

He didn’t speak for a while. Just stared. As if trying to comprehend who I had become.

Eventually, he let out a breath and said, "Then let this be our secret. You’ll go back to school... and you’ll end it with him. Whatever this thing is between you and that boy... It must end."

But that was the beginning of everything.

Because I couldn’t do what he asked.

I shook my head. "I can’t break up with him, Dad. I love him. I love him too much."

His voice rose sharply. "Evric’s! You know how much I love you... Please, do what I’m asking. End it."

But again, I said no.

He begged. He pleaded. He shouted. We argued. We fought. I cried. He cried.

But my answer stayed the same: I can’t let go of Nicki.

Eventually I left his room and stay in living room for awhile. My brother and my mother both noticed something was off between my father and me, but no one dared to ask. Not until Chrisly opened his mouth, anyway.

"It’s like you did something wrong to Father," he said, eyeing me with suspicion.

I looked at him, but I didn’t say a word.

He kept going. "You must’ve done something that really hurt him. He went to bed last night without eating."

And then, after rambling for a bit, he finally hit the mark. "Or maybe... he finally caught some guy screwing you?" He let out a bitter laugh.

Even though that was the truth, but he got the roles mixed up. I couldn’t bring myself to answer him. I simply stood up and turned to my mom.

"I’m leaving," I said.

And just like that, I walked out.

Chrisly didn’t stop. He kept whining behind me, throwing cheap words meant to provoke, but I didn’t bite. Arguing with him was a waste of breath. I held my peace and walked out the door, without looking back.

I returned to school. My father didn’t call. He didn’t check up on me. Maybe he needed space. Or maybe he was still trying to process it all.

Meanwhile, things between Nicki and me seemed okay at first. We were living our nights recklessly ast, wild, full of lust and fire. The sex was rough, demanding, sometimes even brutal. But I didn’t mind. That was how he loved and I was desperate to feel loved by him, even if it hurt.

Until something changed.

One night, he went out and came home quiet. Not sad. Not angry. Just... empty.

I asked him what was wrong.

He didn’t answer.

From that night on, he started drifting away.

He stopped coming to my place for days. Then a week passed. I would call him, text him, beg him to come see me. His reply was always the same: I’m busy.

I was losing him.

So one night, unable to take it anymore, I went to his apartment with the spare key he once gave me. I needed to see him. To know what was going on.

But when i get there what I saw shattered everything inside me.

I opened the door and saw him.

The man I loved...

Bent over.

Moaning under someone else.

His legs in the air. That stranger thrusting into him like I never existed.

My entire body froze. My soul left my body. I stood there at the door watching, speechless as if I was outside my own life.

It felt exactly like the way my father had seen me with Nicki that night... but worse.

So much worse.

Because this time, it was me being betrayed.

When Nicki finally saw me, he didn’t even flinch. He didn’t stop. He kept going. I walked out and sat on the porch, my heart beating painfully inside my chest, waiting for him to finish.

Minutes later, he stepped outside, sweat still clinging to his skin. No shame in his eyes. No guilt.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked him, my voice barely audible.

He looked at me coldly. "Nothing."

"Then why?" I pleaded. "What happened? What changed?"

He sighed. "I’m bored of you, Evric’s. That’s it. I’ve had enough."

I blinked, stunned.

"I never planned to get serious with you," he added. "It was all just sex for me. That’s all. And now that it’s boring, I’ve replaced you."

Hearing those words from him shattered something inside me. I didn’t even realize when the tears started falling. My knees felt weak as I began to beg, softly at first, then desperately. I told him I’d change. I’d learn everything he wanted me to. I’d be better. I’d try harder. Just... just don’t leave me. I’ll do anything. Just stay.

But he shook his head. "It’s over. Go."

He turned around and slammed the door shut.

I stood outside, heartbroken, lost in disbelief. But what I heard next destroyed the last bit of hope I had left.

Nicki and that guy... they were already at it again.

I could hear his moans.

Those same moans that once drove me wild now given to someone else, while I sat outside like a discarded toy.

I stumbled away. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see.

Somehow, I found myself in a bar. I don’t remember how many drinks I had. I only remember the bitter taste, and the way the world spun violently around me.

I got into my car, but everything was a blur. I don’t even remember turning the key or pulling out of the driveway. My hands were shaking, my chest tight, and my vision clouded with tears I couldn’t stop. My mind kept replaying his words, over and over like a broken record.

I drove aimlessly, not knowing where I was going, not caring. The world outside was spinning, my heart was heavy, and my body moved on autopilot. I was lost. Empty. Numb.

Then it happened.