[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice-Chapter 254: What Lies Beneath Brotherhood

~Nicki’s POV~

When I finally pulled my hands away, I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Nantam, you are evil!"

Nantam’s rage was a physical thing, filling the living room with toxic air. He paced, hands clenched, confirming every sick detail he had imagined.

He screamed, "He used me! For years of my life! He promised me! And then he flaunts that, that corporate puppet! Evric doesn’t see him, he only sees a prize! But I see him. I know him! And he will pay for the humiliation!"

I rushed toward him, clutching his hand tightly. "Please, Nantam, don’t do this! Don’t hurt Zayn, and don’t ruin his relationship. I was hurt too when I found out Zayn was the person Evric was dating, I understand that pain completely. But please, stop. Accept that you and Zayn were never meant to be."

Tears clouded my eyes as I pleaded desperately. "Zayn is such a pitiful soul, Nantam, you know that. God gave him Evric as a blessing after everything he’s been through. You should be happy for him, not plotting against him!"

Nantam shouted, trying to pull his hand away. "I tried! I tried to look away and accept it, but the more I see how much Zayn truly loves Evric, the more I can’t look away!"

I looked at him, my voice trembling.

I poured out my heart in a desperate attempt to defend Zayn, the brother I had never admitted to seeing him as, hoping to stir even a trace of empathy in Nantam.

"Zayn never had the easy life we did, Nantam. We’ve had everything handed to us since we were kids, but he had to fight for every little thing. His father was wealthy but abandoned them when he and Liana were still small. His mother, even with nothing, made sure they went to the best schools, that’s how we met him. He started working part-time jobs at fourteen, chasing a dream that one day he would own his own restaurant. He didn’t know how it would happen, but he never stopped believing in himself. He worked harder than anyone I’ve ever known—so independent, so determined."

"No matter how hard things got, Zayn would never ask anyone for money. He’d rather juggle two or three jobs at once, that’s how he made it through university. People offered to help him, but he always refused, saying, ’Why are you pitying me? Do I look pitiful?’ He’d smile and insist he was fine, even when he was exhausted. He studied when everyone else was asleep, worked when others were resting, and kept pushing through despite his allergies and poor health. Zayn never waited for a handout, he built everything with his own hands. And when he finally achieved his dream, he didn’t stop there. He started helping his family too."

"Zayn is patient, but he has limits. The one thing he won’t forgive is cheating."

I tried to remind Nantam of the past, hoping it would soften him. "Do you remember, Nantam? Zayn once had a girlfriend he truly loved, but she cheated on him after getting drunk at a party. She begged for forgiveness, said it was a mistake, but Zayn refused to take her back. Everyone pleaded with him to reconsider, but he stood his ground, and that was the end of it." I looked at Nantam, my voice trembling. "You should be happy that Zayn finally got another chance to love someone sincerely—and to understand that love isn’t about gender. It’s about the heart."

Nantam actually laughed out loud, a harsh, humorless sound. "Why should I care about that relationship? I was the one who ruined it!"

I stared at him, my mind unable to process the cruelty. "Nantam, no."

"Yes!" he confessed with twisted pride. "I was the one who set Zayn’s ex-girlfriend up! I orchestrated it so they would break up because I thought I would finally get a chance!"

I was utterly shocked. I could not believe my brother, could go to that length just to try and force a relationship with Zayn.

But even after that desperate act, Zayn still didn’t choose him. After the break-up, Zayn focused entirely on his career. Nantam and I traveled abroad for a while, and when we returned, Nantam found out Zayn had chosen Evric and not him. The years of waiting, the destruction of Zayn’s past relationship, had all been for nothing.

Nantam pushed me back, his eyes burning with cold rage. "You are complicit now, Nicki," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. "You took the blame at the hospital for me. You are involved. You will do exactly as I say, and you will not interfere with my plans. If you ever tell a soul, if you even hint at the truth, I will not only destroy your life, but I’ll make sure Zayn knows you covered for the man who tried to harm him.

I watched him turn and walk away, leaving me shattered and standing alone in the entryway.

Why, Nantam? Why must it turn out this way?

I wasn’t scared of his threat, not really. It’s not like anyone would ever believe me anyway. I had always been the rude, blunt, disrespectful, and utterly arrogant one in our social circle. Given that I’d publicly thrown myself at Evric in the past, and Zayn already believed I hated him, my word would mean nothing.

From that night onward, I made sure to tag along whenever Nantam said he was going to meet Zayn. I just couldn’t trust him alone with Zayn, I was terrified he might try to hurt him again.

Things got marginally better when Zayn moved to Evric’s house. Nantam had no easy way to reach him. When Nantam invited Zayn out, Zayn’s reply was always the same: "My man won’t allow me to come," or "Wait, let me tell my man," or "Wait, let me ask my man." This constant deflection, hiding behind Evric, only fueled Nantam’s hatred. Anytime Zayn and Evric had a misunderstanding, Dean would patiently advise Zayn to be mature, but Nantam would immediately jump in, telling Zayn he should break up with Evric if he wasn’t mature enough.

The truth is, even though Nantam was my family, I had tried so many times to protect Zayn without him knowing. I even fought with Nantam about it.

The day I went to Evric’s office, I heard the conversation: Zayn was planning to pass the night at Nantam’s house. I knew Nantam’s plan was simple, he would take that chance to finally sleep with Zayn.

So I rushed to Evric’s office. I went to extremes, trying to make it look like I was still trying to take a shot at Evric. I had already lost interest in the night Zayn officially revealed Evric, but I needed Evric to be desperate, to be needy, so he would go and retrieve Zayn from Nantam’s house. I knew that with the drug, he would definitely need Zayn. I had to force Evric to intervene because Zayn was determined not to go back home that night, and Evric might have let him be, which would have allowed Nantam to succeed in his vile plan.

When I spoke harshly to Zayn, I was genuinely trying to make him angry enough to leave early, knowing it wasn’t safe for him to stay alone with Nantam. It sounds stupid, giving up my dignity and risking Evric’s wrath, but I knew I couldn’t tell Zayn his friend was evil; that would crush him. I tried to create boundaries between them, but Zayn just wouldn’t leave Nantam alone.

That night at the bar, when Evric got drunk, only three of us were there—Dean, Nantam, and me.

AUTHOR SPECIAL NOTE

I hope you all understand the way I structured this part of the story. I decided to merge both the past and present events together in one flow instead of separating them into longer scenes. I did it this way so the narrative wouldn’t drag too much, but still give you the full picture of what really happened.

There’s still a lot more to tell, and I hope you can follow along and feel the emotions behind every moment. If at any point you don’t quite understand the flow or have thoughts about it, please drop a comment, I’d really love to hear your feedback and know how it reads to you.