[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice-Chapter 339: Lessons of the Heart Hurt

~Evric’s POV~

He immediately shook his head, unable to meet my gaze. "No."

"How did you feel, baby?"

Zayn choked back a sob. "I felt awful, Evric.

"Completely discarded," he said quietly. "I felt like I wasn’t important enough for you to wait even five minutes for. I felt rejected... and disgusting, especially after everything that happened earlier. I was hard, I was frustrated, and I felt so small I just wanted to scream. In that moment, I didn’t feel like your fiancé. I felt like a foolish distraction."

I listened intently, my own pain surfacing to meet his. "All this time, when you acted the same way towards me, when I needed your time, when I needed intimacy, when I needed reassurance, and you withheld it or postponed it without considering my needs, that is exactly how I felt, Zayn."

My voice stayed soft, but it carried weight. "Do you think that was fair to me, baby? Leaving me feeling that way?"

He shook his head again, tears welling up afresh. "No."

"It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours," I stated, the gravity of the situation sinking in for him. "And you can’t take it. Imagine how I have been feeling all this time, enduring that kind of rejection and feeling like an afterthought."

Zayn pulled away, his hands covering his face as he began to sob uncontrollably. "I understand now. I hate this feeling, Evric, I hate it so much."

His words tumbled out, raw and honest. "It hurt me so much when you walked out. The fact that I was so desperate for you, and you just... walked away... I realized that the pain isn’t just about sex. It’s about feeling loved and prioritized. It hurts. It truly, truly hurts."

He looked up at me, tears streaking his face, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Please... please forgive me. I never want to feel like this again. If you give me another chance, I promise I’ll prove it to you, baby."

"If you brought me here to make me feel everything I’ve done to you," he begged, clutching my hands as if letting go would break him, "then please... please know I can’t take it. I really can’t, baby. I didn’t understand before, any of it, but now I do. I see it. I feel it. Please, babe... forgive

"If you keep treating me like this for two weeks, I’ll break," he pleaded, his voice trembling. "I won’t survive it, baby. Please... just forgive me."

My heart ached as I watched the depth of his realization. He was utterly broken; the armor of arrogance and defensiveness he usually wore had completely shattered, replaced by a raw, genuine remorse. My plan, though brutal, had worked instantly. I reached out, wiping his hot tears away with my thumb, my own eyes stinging with emotion.

"Shh, baby," I murmured, pulling him into my arms and tucking his head under my chin. "It’s okay. I’ve got you."

Zayn clung to me, his fingers digging into my shirt as if I were a life raft. "I’m scared, Evric," he choked out. "I’m truly scared. I’m scared our love is fading away... I’m scared you don’t love me anymore."

"Why would you think that?" I asked, my heart heavy. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Because you haven’t said it back," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Since we started this conversation, you haven’t told me you love me once."

I pulled back to look at his face, cupping his cheeks in my hands. He tried to look away, unable to meet my gaze. I chose to bypass his plea for those three words for now. I had to stay firm; the bridge wasn’t fully built yet.

"I will touch you, fully forgive you, and tell you I love you only if you can answer one question correctly," I said, my voice steady. "If you can’t, I won’t touch you, until you understand this one specific thing."

"Please, Evric, no," he begged, his eyes wide with panic. "Don’t ask me questions. A lot has happened today, I can’t think—"

"Will you let me speak first?" I cut in firmly.

He went silent immediately, his chest heaving.

"What do you think you did, or said, while we were at your mother’s place that made me finalize I needed you to feel the same pain I’ve been carrying?" I paused, letting the question sink in. "Don’t answer too quickly. The wrong answer will only make this harder."

Zayn looked at me, his face hollow with despair. "Baby... this isn’t good," he said softly. "This is too much for me to handle right now."

"I can wait," I said calmly. "I can wait until you finally understand the things you say and do to me. Once you truly see it, we’ll be fine. We’re not separating, Zayn—you just need to learn this on your own. Only when you grasp the weight of your words will you understand why I’m doing this... the same way you understood the first lesson tonight."

I brushed a stray hair from his forehead. "Don’t rush. We have two weeks. It depends entirely on when you get it right."

Zayn’s voice dropped to a fragile whisper. "If I get it right now... will this stop? Will we go back to how things were?"

"Yes," I promised. "But be careful. A wrong guess will only extend the punishment."

Zayn studied me for a long moment, searching my face for any sign, but I kept my expression carefully neutral.

"Okay," he whispered at last. "I’ll take my time. But... will you at least hold me tonight, cuddle me to sleep?"

"If you eat first," I countered.

"Okay, Daddy," he murmured, his voice trembling and fragile. "My hands won’t stop shaking... will you feed me?"

"I will, baby," I replied gently.

We walked downstairs together, side by side. I reheated the dinner I had ordered earlier, now cold from waiting, and carefully helped him sit. Then, slowly, spoon by spoon, I fed him, letting each bite be a quiet act of comfort and care.

Throughout the meal, his "ocean eyes" never left mine, they were pleading, searching, hoping I would crack and just give him the answer. I ignored the silent begging and focused solely on making sure he ate. He only managed a little, and I finished the rest of my own meal in silence.

Afterward, we moved to the sofa. I wrapped him in a thick blanket and pulled him close, holding him against my side. I switched on a movie to fill the silence, but Zayn didn’t even glance at the screen. He clung to me tightly, his eyes fixed entirely on my face. I felt the weight of his gaze, but I kept my own on the TV.

I know he’s surprised I can be this cold, I thought. But it has to be done. I’m planning a future with him, and I need him to be the partner I know he can be.

"Kiss me, Daddy," he whispered.

I met his pleading eyes and let the warmth of my lips brush his softly. Afterward, Zayn wrapped himself around me, hugging me tight, as if never wanting to let go.

Eventually, his eyelids grew heavy, and he started to doze off against my shoulder. Seeing him on the verge of sleep, I turned off the TV. "Let’s go upstairs, babe."

"Hmm..." he mumbled, barely conscious.

"Come on, babe, don’t sleep on the sofa. Let’s head to bed."

I managed to stand first and reached out for his hand to lead him inside, but he shook his head.

"Carry me," he murmured. He climbed onto the sofa, sinking into the cushions so that he was eye-level with me, his gaze expectant.

He looked too small and too cute to refuse. I chuckled softly, gathered my strength, and scooped him up into my arms.

He looked at me for a lingering second, his eyes soft with a silent plea, before leaning in to press a brief, tender kiss to my lips.

Then, he buried his face in the crook of my neck as I carried him back up to our bedroom...