[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice-Chapter 328: A Mother’s Wisdom Love and Respect

~Zayn’s POV~

My mother leaned closer, her voice gentle but serious. "Two days before Evric proposed to you, he traveled down here to see me. The moment he arrived, he didn’t speak a word. He just sat there, looking completely shattered and troubled."

I looked at him with concern and asked, "Son, what happened?"

She explained that Evric went on to describe everything that had been weighing on him at the time. He briefly mentioned the stress he was under, including how I constantly allowed people into my house without ever informing him first.

"He told me that you never inform him before allowing someone to stay," my mother said evenly. "He just simply comes to your house and finds new faces there."

"I asked him if he had ever talked to you about it," she continued. "He said he had, but nothing ever changed."

"So I asked him why he didn’t talk to you about it again."

"He said it’s because you’ve never seen what you’re doing as something wrong, he said, he doesn’t mind you accommodating friends or allowing visitors to stay. He just wonders what happened to giving him a few hours’ notice, something as simple as, ’Evric, my friend is coming over, and he or she will be staying for a while.’ That’s all he ever asked for, Zayn."

"He said he was still okay with everything, with you having people around and bringing friends into your home. But then he told me that, at the time we were talking, your ex was staying in your house for days, under the same roof as you." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

My stomach turned. I avoided her eyes, tracing the pattern on the sofa cushion.

"I asked him why he never mentioned it to you either," she pressed. "He said he couldn’t say anything back then, he worried you’d think he was trying to control you."

My mother shared that Evric had come to her with a lot of pain. He said he chose to speak to her because he was afraid that seeking advice elsewhere might end up breaking us.

"He said he couldn’t let his father hear any of this, and that to you, everything that’s happening seems completely normal. You honestly don’t see it as wrong."

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.

"Now," she said, her voice cutting through my shame, "I want you to tell me, Zayn. How would you feel if you suddenly went to Evric’s house today and found his ex there, and not just for a moment, but staying under the same roof for days? How would that make you feel, son?"

I looked at her, speechless. I couldn’t form a thought, let alone an answer.

"How would you feel if you went to Evric’s house and found a new face, a different man, every time you visited? How would that make you feel? Tell me, would you still want to continue this relationship with him if Evric gave you even a single reason to doubt him?"

I was silent. The image she painted was horrifying. I would be furious. I would feel betrayed and completely disrespected.

My mother shifted in her seat. "And she said tonight she saw everything with her own eyes. You just walked off with Zara, leaving your fiancé alone in the living room."

"If Evric had done the same thing to you, walked out with some random friend for three hours, how would you feel?"

I looked at her, but still, I couldn’t answer. The truth was too shameful.

"Do you even know the meaning of the ring on your hand, Zayn? Do you know the meaning of commitment? You both are planning forever, but do you even understand what that means? I didn’t raise you not to care about other people’s feelings, Zayn."

She leaned in, her gaze locking onto mine. "You know what you’re doing is hurting him, yet you continue because he isn’t complaining, or do you think he has no choice? If that’s what you believe, you’re wrong, son. He does have a choice, Zayn. The difference is he chooses you, and he loves you for who you are."

My heart felt heavy and hollow. She was right. I hadn’t been testing him; I had been punishing him for caring and for loving me enough to tolerate my behavior.

"When you followed Zara out, you could have just told her, ’My partner is waiting for me inside, I can’t stay long.’ He was giving you a chance to handle things, now it’s your turn to show him respect."

"Don’t teach him payback, son. If you push him that far, you will regret it. Evric has endured more than you realize, silently, patiently, without complaint. But if he ever reaches his limit and begins to give back what he’s been given, you won’t be strong enough to handle it."

Tears pricked my eyes. I finally understood the scope of my self-centeredness. My actions were childish, hurtful, and fundamentally disrespectful to the man who loved me most. The pain I’d caused was far greater than the ’point’ I thought I was making.

"So tell me, Zayn," my mother said softly but firmly, "what is it that you don’t understand that you need someone to explain?"

"Mom," I whispered, shaking my head, my voice thick with sudden, overwhelming regret. "I... I was wrong. I was so wrong."

The word ’rape’ that I had thrown at Evric earlier echoed in my mind, a toxic, manipulative weapon I had wielded just to watch him suffer. I hadn’t been screaming inside; I had been cold and silent, deliberately withholding any sign of pleasure to hurt him. I had manufactured the entire reaction, not realizing the depth of the pain and fear I was inflicting on the man who had only ever tried to shield me.

My mother reached out and took both of my hands. "It’s a good thing you see that now, darling. It takes strength to admit you were wrong, especially when you feel hurt yourself."

She looked straight into my soul. "Evric is a good man. A flawed man, yes, his reactions sometimes might be possessive and wrong, and he knows that. But the measure of a good partner isn’t whether they are perfect, it’s how they handle their imperfections and how much they are willing to fight for you."

"He came to me, Zayn," she stressed. "He didn’t run to his father to complain, who would have immediately told him to end it. He came to me, seeking a solution that wouldn’t end your relationship, because he loves you more than his pride."

"So, here is what you need to do, son," she said, her voice softening, yet retaining its deep authority. "You need to be better at including him and respecting his position in your home," she continued. "His biggest fault is that he feels insecure, which makes him overreact when he thinks you’re dismissing him. Your biggest fault is that you take his patience for granted. You use his silence to justify your own self-centered actions. You need to stop using silence or other people to punish him. That’s manipulative, and that’s not my son."

She smiled, a slight, understanding smile. "If he hurts you, or if you are angry, you use your voice. Say, ’I am hurt,’ or ’I need space.’ You don’t need to put on a show like tonight, or even the dramatics at the dinner table."

"Because I noticed you two had a little argument before coming here. Isn’t that true?"

I nodded. "Yes, Mom, you’re right."