149

149.

"So, this is what you're doing behind my back, drinking with this shameless guy?!" Bryan pointed his finger at Devin, who was sprawled on the ground.

The man's lips were bleeding from Bryan's punch. Shabila screamed, "No, I didn't intend to meet him at the club, and it just happened that he was going home. I asked him to take me home."

"Why didn't you call me? Why did you have to come home with this bastard?"

"He's not a bastard; he just gave me a ride because I forced him to." Shabila defended Devin, extending her arms to shield him from Bryan's blows.

However, in this situation, Shabila felt guilty because of her actions, as Devin almost got into trouble because of her. She also didn't expect Bryan to be sitting on the porch waiting for her, especially in such an emotional state.

"So now you're defending him, or maybe you've already slept with him?!" Bryan accused her, angry. "You give your body to him, which is why he's willing to take you home, even though our homes are in opposite directions, Rei!"

"Shut up! Don't accuse me like that."

"Accuse? Didn't you admit it like that to me before we got married?" Bryan taunted, bringing up Shabila's previous admission before their marriage. Shabila had confessed that she wasn't a perfect wife.

Shabila laughed bitterly, "So you want to bring up my past, even though I've been honest with you? Even though I've tried to be a good and perfect wife for you, are you sure about that?"

"Don't change the subject!" Bryan dragged Shabila. "From now on, you shouldn't leave the house without my permission."

"That's not possible. I have a life, and you have no right to dictate this and that." Shabila pushed Bryan's hand away, rebelling to be released. She refused to be treated like an animal.

Bryan continued to drag her ruthlessly. She was wearing high heels, so her steps were staggered as she was dragged into the house.

Devin, who witnessed the argument between Bryan and Shabila, could only shake his head. He wiped the corner of his bleeding lip before rising and returning to his car. In his heart, he swore never to deal with Bryan or Alesya again because he felt that involving himself with those two names would bring him nothing but bad luck.

The commotion downstairs continued as Bryan dragged Shabila upstairs, disturbing Nicholas, who had just closed his eyes after his intimate moment with Alesya a few minutes ago.

"Why, Nik?" Alesya withdrew from Nicholas's embrace as he still hadn't closed his eyes.

"Nothing's wrong; you go to sleep first. I want to check what's happening downstairs. I'm confused as to why my sister never lives peacefully even though she has what she wants."

Nicholas shifted, hastily putting on his pajamas and tidying up Alesya's blanket before bidding her farewell to see the situation outside.

True enough, when Nicholas opened the door, both Shabila and Arya turned to look at him. The married couple seemed equally engulfed in intense anger. The misunderstanding between Bryan and Devin had indeed seriously affected their emotions.

"Both of you, if you want to argue, please do it in your room or in the backyard. Don't disturb someone who is sleeping."

"Shut up! Don't interfere in our family matters!" Bryan warned, pointing his finger at Nicholas.

Nicholas responded with a chuckle, "Of course, this is your family matter, Kak. But could you argue without raising your voices so high? Akys is trying to rest, and you should respect that."

"It has nothing to do with you or Alesya, so shut your mouth, close your bedroom door, and just ignore us."

"That's not possible; your voices are really disturbing. Alesya can't sleep."

"Don't make excuses; now go back to your room and mind your own business."

Bryan sulkily left, dragging Shabila back to their bedroom. It seemed that this issue would take a very long time to resolve.

Nicholas could only smile wryly as he watched his elder brother, who had never experienced peace since marrying Shabila. There was always some problem, whether it was an argument with their father or with Shabila herself.

Nicholas also couldn't understand how Bryan could choose Shabila, who clearly had a messy past. It was not like Alesya, who was perfect, and Nicholas himself had made sure that Alesya was a good girl.

"Alesya immediately confronted Nicholas with questions as soon as he entered the room."

"I don't know, they got angry as soon as I asked, as if I was demanding three billion from them. But all I did was ask what was going on and why there was so much commotion late at night, as if someone had no manners."

"Not normal, you mean?"

"She seemed like she had just finished drinking, that's why she was talking a bit incoherently. And it's understandable, Kak Bryan got mad because his wife came home late at night and was drunk."

"Alright, you study first, I'll try to sleep without you. It's not fair for you to stay up all the time just to keep me company." Alesya let go of Nicholas and changed her position, now with her back to him.

"When you're asleep, that's when I'll get to work." Nicholas clung to his girlfriend, hugging Alesya from behind and holding her hand.

"From today, tomorrow, and beyond. Basically, in this world, Alesya has no one else to confide in except Nicholas. Only Nicholas, and he's the only one she has right now."

This is a moment filled with warmth and peace in Alesya and Nicholas's relationship. Despite the commotion in the house, they have each other to face it. In his embrace, Alesya feels safe and loved. They plan their future together, and Alesya couldn't ask for more in that moment.

And once Alesya had begun to drift into the realm of dreams, Nicholas slowly extricated himself from her embrace. He tucked her in properly, kissed her forehead, and then quietly left the room. He sat in front of his laptop, contemplating how to organize the thesis he needed to complete soon, perhaps in time for his graduation.

As he worked diligently, Nicholas couldn't help but notice his phone on the nightstand vibrating. It disrupted Alesya's peaceful slumber. Quickly, he answered the call before she could wake up.

"What's going on?" Nicholas asked flatly, addressing the woman on the other end of the line.

"I-I need your help, Nik. I'm scared," a trembling voice replied, belonging to none other than Viska.

"Why are you scared?" Nicholas inquired, unmoved. He wanted to end the call, but he knew Viska would keep contacting him.

It was better to listen to her once and ensure she wouldn't reach out again for any reason.

"Gibran hit me, forced me not to file for divorce," Viska confessed while crying, her voice quivering with fear.

"What does it have to do with me?" Nicholas responded indifferently. He wanted to end the call. Still, Viska would likely continue reaching out to him. It was better to address it and ensure she wouldn't contact him again. "Unfortunately, I've considered you dead for a long time. You should also remember that I have a girlfriend now. I don't want her to misunderstand and create problems in our relationship. Furthermore, you have no right to contact me or ask for my help because I am nobody to you or to Gibran. I am just part of your past. It's better if you contact your parents or your lawyer and report this issue to the authorities. That would be a better course of action to get proper assistance. If you contact me, all I'll do is laugh at your foolishness all these years. I'm thankful that you're facing the consequences of your betrayals. Goodnight, and I hope your number won't bother me again."

Nicholas unilaterally ended the call, despite Viska's desire to express her many grievances to him. On the other side, Viska was angry and threw her phone to the floor. She felt heartbroken by Nicholas's rejection. Despite her various tactics and schemes to manipulate him into meeting her, the result was nothing less than a resounding rejection. Nicholas was, in her opinion, a heartless man, and she lamented her fate.

Bryan dragged Shabila into the room, without mercy and ignoring the woman's cries. Bryan kept forcing him to come along.

It didn't stop there, Bryan also pushed Shabila onto the bed. Stripping off all his clothes, checking if there were any traces of another man there.

Shabila continued to struggle, pushing away all of Bryan's touches. He didn't want to serve Bryan if he was treated roughly like now.

“I'm in pain!” Shabila shouted, pushing Bryan's chest, but it was no use at all. If only Shabila had more energy, it is certain that by now she would have turned things around.

However, Shabila is just an ordinary woman. He was unable to compensate, let alone respond to what Bryan did to him. He was tired, already hurt, so he just let Bryan treat him badly. The man even had a husband and wife relationship by force.

Shabila felt no pleasure there, because Bryan was like a lion tearing apart his prey.

Shabila was numb. His body lay helpless, receiving all the hard blows that hit his body. In his heart he asked, is it true that the man who is entering him now is Bryan?

Shabila didn't think so, but unfortunately when she opened her eyes, it was true. The man who was touching her roughly was really her husband, Bryan.

Not counting how long it took Bryan to achieve release. What's clear is that Shabila felt like hers was sore down there, because there was no heating at all.

After his release, Ariyan went straight to sleep, without caring how broken Shabila's heart was at the moment.