Betrothed To An Alpha? I Don't Think So!-Chapter 114: Nothing But Miserable

Zayne wouldn’t look at him.

"Have we ever started off well?" he asked.

Dario furrowed his brows at him. "What do you mean?"

"We used to be close."

"I know."

"Why did you never ask what went wrong?"

Dario blinked at him. "I don’t know. People grow apart...don’t they? And I have always been the least favorite, even to our mother. I guess I was just used to it and that made me throw off the idea of asking."

Zayne stared at him.

"I’m sorry," he said. "For everything."

"What are you sorry for?" Dario raised a brow, genuinely curious. While he understood that there was some stiffness between the two of them, he actually never knew the reason. So he gazed questioningly.

Zayne proceeded to answer, "I don’t dislike you, Dario. You’re my brother."

"Then what was it?"

"I was mad at you."

Dario frowned. "For what? What did I do wrong?"

"Our mother." Maybe met his eyes. "She talks about you, wants to see you, to talk to you. She’s sad you don’t visit her and says that when she tries to reach you, you’re never available almost as if you’re avoiding her and never want to see her."

He took a deep breath. "I understand that I have no clue what is going on or why you’re this way towards her. But I hated seeing her that way. And it just seems that even if she cried in front of you, you still wouldn’t give her face at all. I wondered how heartless you could be. I mean...she’s our mother."

Dario shook his head. "You don’t know anything, Zayne."

"I understand that fully now. And that’s why I’m asking." Zayne fixated his gaze on him. "Why are you angry with our mother? What did she do wrong to you?"

Dario stared at him.

Zayne balled his fists. "Just tell me the truth. I care deeply for her, and I can’t help finding myself mad at you for the way you are to her. So, please, make me understand."

Dario stood up and began to pace back and forth. "It’s not that I can’t tell you."

"Then what is it?"

"I don’t know how to."

"Dario?" Zayne pressured. "We’re family. What’s so hard about—"

"We’re stepbrothers."

Heavy silence dropped between the two and the temperature in the room dropped.

Zayne blinked. Dario swallowed.

"What did you say?"

"We are stepbrothers," Dario repeated.

Confusion pooled all over Zayne’s features and he shook his head. "I don’t understand."

"We don’t share the same father."

Another block of silence. Zayne couldn’t speak, watching him. Dario was quick enough to explain.

"I can still remember it. Our mother and my father had arguments, and the next thing I knew, she left him. And shortly after, she got married to your father. Then you came and so did Alessio. She never explained to me that his age could leave him and find someone else so quickly. My father was miserable because of it, and eventually he..."

He clenched his fists. "He died."

Zayne still wasn’t speaking.

Dario forced his gaze over to meet his eyes.

"Our fathers...are different, is what you’re saying?"

Dario nodded. "Yes. We only share the same mother."

"You...resent her for that, is that it?"

Dario shrugged. "I wouldn’t call it resentment. I just can’t stand to look her in the eyes, so I avoid her thoroughly. That’s about it. And I suppose I am angry. That’s all,"

Zayne wanted to ask further questions, he wanted to understand what in the world was going on. But he restrained himself, nodding.

"Let’s speak about this again when we get home. Everything will be fixed."

_________

Brandon gazed at Evelyn who sat on the balcony of his home staring out into nothing. Since she returned from the hospital, she wouldn’t say a word and as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was worried.

"You need to eat, Evelyn," he said. She still made no response.

He pinched between his brows. "Do you plan not to return to work?

Silence.

"Evelyn, people at the company are panicking. The shareholders are asking questions. The project has been put to a stop because of your absence. Say something." He was starting to grow frustrated. "Do you intend to abandon our father’s hard work?"

She still gave him no response.

Brandon balled his hands tightly by his side, uttering, "You’re like this because of Zayne Mancini. I get it, you love him but do you intend to be this way forever?"

He spat, "He’s probably already dead out there. I mean it’s been 5 days already and there has been no news of him. Here you have been seated, moping and so gloomy. I’m your brother and it’s killing me to see you like this, Evelyn. And you can choose to believe me or not."

He turned around to storm off, but then, she finally spoke, "We had a big fight."

Brandon paused. He turned to look at her.

"I was mean, I said a lot of hurtful things to him. I loved him, and I couldn’t even tell him. I couldn’t be honest with him. Yet he came for me. To save me, only to...only to fall off in the process."

"Evelyn—"

"It’s my fault, Brandon." Her little sniffles resounded. She was sobbing. "Everything is my fault. And if he doesn’t come back, I don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to cope."

Brandon flickered his eyes. He took a deep breath.

"It is not your fault," he said. "Zayne wanted to save you. You were all he could think about. Even if anyone or even you had asked him not to come, he would have still done so. What happened was an accident. And besides, hope is not completely gone."

She looked at him. "W-what do you mean?"

"His brother Dario went to look for him. There has been no news since then. So for now, we don’t know whether Zayne is alive or dead. Therefore there is still hope. Alessio hasn’t called either, so keep yourself strong. If he’s alive, I don’t think he’ll want to come back and find you like this."

"...Nothing but miserable."