I Hate You!!

Nyra's pov 

The photograph trembled in my hands,..

My mother's smile was genuinely unmistakable.

She looked younger, Happier and Alive.

Standing beside her was a man I vaguely recognized.

Dark amber eyes,

A calm smile,

A familiar face like a striking resemblance.

For one strange moment, relief flooded through me.

"Oh."

The word escaped before I could stop it.

Kaizen frowned.

I pointed at the picture.

"I know him."

His entire body stiffened.

"You do?"

I nodded immediately, I could see clearly his curious look.

"Mom used to talk about him."

Hope flickered briefly across his face, which disappeared almost immediately.

"She said he was an old family friend."

Silence engulfed the room….

The kind that felt heavy.

I looked down at the photograph again.

"He helped her years ago."

My fingers brushed the faded edge.

"She said he was one of the few good people she knew."

“Why do you have it”? 

Kaizen's jaw tightened.

Something about my answer bothered him a lot.

"But..." he started carefully.

I looked up.

"But what?"

His gray eyes searched mine.

Then he glanced at the surname written faintly behind the photograph.

Solenne.

The same surname,

The same name,

The same mystery,... So why aren't they related ? 

"You share his surname."

I laughed bitterly.

"So?"

His expression darkened.

"Nyra.. it's fine if you don't.."

"No."

I shook my head immediately.

My stomach twisted.

I already knew where he was going.

"No."

"Just listen, My mother never told me I had a father."

The words came out sharper than intended.

Painfully sharp because they hurt, bcause they were true.

I had spent years wondering.

Years pretending it didn't matter.

Years convincing myself I didn't care.

But I did.

 I really wished I grew up with a father.

Every child wonders…

Every child wants answers…

Yet my mother never gave me any.

Not once, not ever.

"I don't know who my father is."

My voice lowered.

"And if she wanted me to know..."

I swallowed hard. "She would've told me."

Kaizen said nothing.

The silence between us felt colder than the basement itself.

Eventually he led me out.

Neither of us spoke on our way back to the penthouse.

The city lights blurred outside the window.

My thoughts were worse…the missing students, underground fights, the photograph, the lies , this school amongst all KAIZEN!. 

Everything hurt, everything felt wrong….

By the time we reached the penthouse, exhaustion sat heavily on my shoulders.

I wanted sleep, I wanted answers, most importantly I wanted distance from Kaizen Arclair which I don't think will be possible because I'm stuck with him.

Stuck with this Jerk as a Lodgemate and a Tutor. The boy had practically dragged me into a living nightmare.

I had honestly believed he'd kidnapped me, that somehow that made me hate him even more.

I slammed my bedroom door shut behind me.

Finally..peace. Or so I thought. Ten minutes later, his voice echoed from outside.

"Nyra."

I froze.

No.

Absolutely not.

"Nyra."

The audacity.

My eye twitched.

I stormed toward the door and yanked it open.

"What?!"

Kaizen stood in the hallway.

Expression blank, cold and unreadable..not a trace of his usual annoying smirk.

"We're continuing the tutorial."

I stared at him, then laughed.

A short…disbelieving laugh.

"Are you insane?"

His expression didn't change.

"Come out." He comanded me.

"I almost got trafficked into a basement full of missing students!"

"You're exaggerating."

"Oh, I'm exaggerating?!"

Anger exploded through me.

"You are a jerk."

"A liar."

"A criminal."

His jaw tightened….Good.

I stepped closer.

"You know what?"

My voice shook, ready to drop another bombshell…

"You're worse than a criminal."

“You're devilish, I wish I never met you”

Something snapped inside me.

"You're a monster."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Dangerously, Kaizen's eyes darkened.

For the first time since meeting him…I saw genuine rage.

Raw, violent, uncontrolled rage that frightens people and frightened me too….

"Take that back."

His voice came out low and deadly. 

My pulse quickened.

"No."

"Nyra."

"No."

He took two steps until he stood directly in front of me towering and terrifying..

"Take it back."

My fear turned into stubbornness, the worst combination possible.

"Make me."

The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Kaizen slammed his fist into the wall beside my head.

The impact cracked loudly through the hallway.

I jumped…..

 It was hard that the wall dented.

Blood immediately split across his knuckles.

My heart pounded violently.

Neither of us moved.

Kaizen stared at the blood dripping from his hand.

Then at me.

And suddenly all the anger vanished, horror replaced it… Not at me but at himself, his breathe became uneven, like he'd completely lost control for a second and hated himself for it.

"Dammit."

He stepped back.

Then punched the wall again.

Harder and more fiercely..

Blood splattered.

"Kaizen"

“I'll take back my words, please stop hurting yourself”

Another punch and more…..

"Stop!!"

He didn't bulge, The sound echoed.

I was crying and yelling…. Too scared to go close to him because I can't hold him down. 

“Whatever made you take me to the basement is scary, I thought you were trying to protect me…. Please stop for God's sake, I'm traumatized!!! Kaizennnn”

Brutal and Desperate, obviously punishing himself.

My chest tightened, 

Fear, Confusion….

Everything collided together…

My lungs suddenly felt strange and tight,..too tight . 

Not now….

I tried inhaling, but it felt suffocating instead.

Panic surged instantly.

My fingers clawed at my throat.

I needed air.

Kaizen turned sharply, not hearing my crying voice..

His face was drained of color seeing me crouched on the ground….

"Nyra?"

My vision blurred…. no ..no no no, not an attack. Please not now…. Still gasping for air, I reached towards him weakly.

"Kai..."

His eyes

widened as real fear flashed across his face, the strongest emotion I'd ever seen from him.

"Kai...zen..."

My chest burned.

"Asth…….."

The word wouldn't come out.

His expression shattered.

"Nyra."

I couldn't breathe.

Darkness swallowed everything.

The last thing I heard was Kaizen screaming my name..,