Chapter Two - Breaking Point

Cael's POV

Standing there, I felt stupid. I stared at Adrian as if he had been someone else.

"You said you could explain," I slowly forced the words through a tight throat. "So explain."

Adrian dragged his hand down his face. "Cael, it wasn't what it seemed." He paused and continued in almost a gasp. "She used me. She knew I was vulnerable; she took advantage."

Claire gasped. "That is not true!"

Ignoring her, Adrian moved closer. "She has been working for me for two years, you know that. Always around, always playing innocent. Then one night, it just... happened. I wasn't planning it. She set me up, and I...

"What Were You Thinking? My voice rose and cracked more than I intended: “You forgot you're gay? You forgot about me? You forgot about us?”

His face twisted in shame, but his words came out fast, desperate: "I don't know what happened to me. She seduced me, and I gave in. But I swear, Cael, I love you. You're the only one I want. That baby-" He looked at Claire coldly, making sick. "That baby is a mistake. She'll get rid of it; she has to. Because I can't lose you, Cael. Not after everything we've built together."

I could not look at Claire while she gasped and covered her mouth. My eyes were glued to Adrian, the man with whom I had trusted everything.

"No," I said then, my chest tight. "You're really going to stand there and preach how she would blame it all on her? You're going to act like you were some darling little victim who was seduced against his own will? Hear yourself, Adrian? You are a grown ass man for fucks! Sake!”

I know he reached for me, but I scowled and pulled away.

"Even should there be truths to be separated or excuses developed around this," I continued, "I cannot be with a man who cheats then hides behind lies. I will not stand for someone who refuses to take responsibility for his actions. And I definitely don't want someone who cannot communicate like an adult. What hurts the most? Not the betrayal. Not even her being pregnant. It is that you didn't have the guts to tell me yourself. I had to find out like this."

Adrian winced. "You should have given me a second chance. All right. I-I'm sorry, Cael. I didn't mean to panic. It wasn't meant to be like that. I'm just scared that you'd leave me and so..."

"Already lost me." I was firm, voice trembling from the rage I had gathered. I kept the fiery eyesight on him. "Within forty-eight hours, you pack your stuff and get out of my house. It is over."

His eyes grew wide with panic. "Cael, no. Don't do this. This is solvable. Please-"

Taking a deep breath , I spoke again. “I'm sorry for everything you've been through,Claire. Whatever you decide about this child is yours, but don't let him bully you into putting your life in danger. None of this is your fault."

Her lips trembled. "Thank you."

But Adrian's face was grim.

"Cael!" He called as he stretched out his hand towards me. My mind was already saved from hearing the sound of him calling. My chest felt as if splitting opened, but I kept striding on.

By the time I reached my car, the rage dissolved into numbness. I did not know where I was driving until I saw the flashing neon signs, the booming bass that trembled against the pavement.

The strip club.

Not here for lust. Not a dance. It is a trance. Forget it all.

Inside smelled like liquor…not the cheap kind though. Men danced under the strobe lights with bodies moving to tease. I ignored them and made a beeline for the bar.

"Whiskey," I muttered to the bartender. "Double."

The first glass burned, the second dulled, and the third blurred the contours of my pain. I drank until my thoughts slowed and Adrian's voice was no longer echoing in my consciousness.

Taking another shot, a sight caught my eye.

At the far end of the bar sat an isolated man. Tall, with broad shoulders, face obscured within gloom. But what snagged me were his eye sockets, devoid of light. All of theirs reflected the very pain of mine.

He spotted me, too, and for a split second, our eyes became locked before he got up and walked towards me.

"You are Cael Marcellus," said he, low and rough around the edges.

I blinked, caught off guard. "Yes, and you are?"

He gave a small, humorless smile. "Just someone who admires your work. I've followed your art for years. Controversial stuff. Lust. Desire. Sin. You paint what people are too afraid to say."

There was something about the way he spoke that always seemed to tighten my chest. He was not flattering me; he was confessing.

"Thanks," I muttered as I finished yet another drink.

He leaned almost into me, his hand brushing against mine on the countertop. "You don't look like a man who should be alone tonight."

That electric touch sent a shiver through me. Perhaps it was the drink, perhaps it was the anger still clawing at my chest, or perhaps I simply didn't want to feel anything anymore. Whatever it was, I did not pull away when his hand lingered.

One thing led to another. A touch turned into a kiss, desperate and rough, two strangers clinging to one another as if each was a lifeline. My mind screamed stop, but my body betrayed me as I found myself in a private room, my whole body aching for another touch, a touch that was not Adrian’s and the man in front of me was willing to give me that and more.

Silence, a storm all quiet in the room as we finished. With every breath, I was still trying to catch it. He was already dressing.

I sat up, throat dry. "What's your name?"

“No name:” he said.