let's dive into the chapter-see you at the end! đ
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Sky didn't hear the guard's footsteps. He didn't register the murmurs of guests or the clinking of glasses as he passed through the hallway. The walls might as well have been closing in on him-each step toward the podium echoing with the sound of Nani's voice.
"You're right. I'm a slut."
"Please, just let me go."
Those words clung to him like blood under fingernails.
He had meant to protect him. Destroy anyone who touched him. But somehow, in the heat of his own rage, he'd ended up doing worse. Blaming him. Shaming him. And now, Nani's silence-the kind that didn't come from weakness but from collapse-was carved into his memory like a scar.
The ballroom doors opened.
Flashes of light. Guests turned. Polished smiles. Expectation.
Sky stood tall, chin raised, mask slipping back into place. They didn't see the fire burning behind his eyes, or the war he was barely holding together beneath his skin.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice announced. "Please welcome Mr. Sky Thamnithit, standing in for his brother this evening."
Applause.
He stepped up to the podium. Gripped the edges.
Cleared his throat.
But his voice caught. For a breath, just a breath.
Then-calm. Sharp. Controlled.
He began to speak.
Words flowed-about family legacy, business growth, and honoring tradition. Polite, powerful, practiced. Everyone listened. Everyone smiled.
But inside
He was crumbling.
He saw Ohm's smug, bruised face every time he blinked. The image of Nani's trembling hands. The panic in his voice. The pain in his eyes. "He was trying to rape me."
And then his own voice echoed back:
"Why wouldn't he-when you dressed like a little slut?"
God. What the fuck had he done?
Sky's knuckles whitened on the podium. He clenched his jaw hard enough to ache.
He hated Ohm. Hated that man for touching what was his. Hated him for laughing. For turning Nani into prey.
But he hated himself more.
He'd seen the disappointment in Nani's eyes-not for Ohm, but for him.
And that was the part he couldn't shake.
As the room applauded the end of his speech, Sky bowed slightly and stepped back, mechanically. Hollow. As if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't just torn someone he cared about apart.
He walked off the stage, ignoring the compliments and shoulder taps, moving quickly toward the only thing on his mind now-
Nani.
Because no matter how far he tried to run from it, something inside him whispered:
If you break him... you'll never be able to fix him.
~~~
Walking into Sky's room made Nani's stomach turn.
The air was thick with his scent-clean, expensive, familiar. It settled around him like an unwanted blanket, warm but suffocating.
He didn't want to be here.
Didn't want to feel this close to someone who'd just blamed him for almost being assaulted.
But he was too exhausted to walk back to his own quarters. His legs were barely holding him up. If he pushed himself, he'd probably faint in some corridor and be found by another monster in a suit.
He dragged himself into the bathroom.
Stripped off the dress.
Avoided the mirror.
And sank into the tub, turning the water hot-so hot it stung.
He didn't move for a long time. Just floated there, eyes on the ceiling, letting the steam burn away the cold shame clinging to his skin.
When he finally got out, his body felt a little lighter.
But the ache inside him-the ache that came from being torn open in more ways than one-lingered.
He dried off, pulled on one of Sky's briefs-clean, soft, but heavy with Sky's scent. Then he climbed onto the bed.
The sheets smelled like him. Warm. Male. Possessive.
Nani curled into it.
And for a split second... it felt good. Safe.
But then the memories returned.
Sky above him, moaning, groaning like he couldn't get enough.
And then hours later, those same lips spitting venom
"You dressed like a little slut."
"Yes. It's your fault."
Nani flinched. The sheets tangled around his legs like chains.
Then-his phone vibrated.
A soft buzz against the silence.
He grabbed it, eyes scanning the screen.
Win.
> Hey, where are you? Are you okay?
A small part of Nani cracked open at that. Someone had noticed. Someone cared.
He replied:
> Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little tired. I left early.
No explanation. No mention of what happened. He couldn't talk about it. Not now.
He checked the time-10:56 PM.
His vision was already blurring. Muscles giving up. Mind shutting down.
He dropped the phone. It fell beside him on the bed.
And just like that-he drifted off.
Sleep claimed him fast and hard, like a body collapsing under too much weight.
Because tonight, for the first time in a long time, Nani realized something terrifying:
He was an object.
~~~
The door clicked shut behind Sky.
He didn't turn on the lights.
The moonlight spilling through the curtains was enough-and somehow, too much.
He stood by the door for a moment, eyes locked on the bed.
Nani.
Curled up on his side, barely a lump beneath the sheets. One of Sky's briefs clung to his frame, the rest of him wrapped in blankets like a child hiding from monsters.
Except Sky knew...
He was the monster.
He swallowed hard and stepped forward.
Closer now, he could see it-Nani's damp hair against the pillow, faint tear tracks on his cheek, the slight furrow in his brow even while unconscious.
Sky's gut twisted.
He'd blamed him.
Thrown venom at someone already bleeding.
Watched Nani flinch from his words-and still let him walk away.
He crouched down beside the bed, his breath shallow.
He wanted to touch him. Brush a hand through his hair. Apologize. Say something-anything.
But all he did was watch.
And while Sky watched, Nani dreamed.
---
In the dream, he was standing in a glass room-naked, exposed. The walls around him were see-through, but beyond them was only darkness. No exit. No escape.
He could hear voices echoing in the black.
Sky's voice.
"You're mine."
"You dressed like a slut."
"I don't want anyone else touching you."
And then Ohm's voice, slithering in like smoke.
"Just once."
"Sky wouldn't have to know."
"You're making me crazy."
Hands pressed against the glass. Hundreds. Dozens. Faceless men watching him. Touching the glass like they could feel him through it. Hungry. Possessive. Judging.
He backed away, but the floor disappeared.
He fell-into Sky's arms.
Sky was staring at him now with those burning eyes.
"Mine," he said again, softer this time, cradling Nani's face. "You like being broken, don't you?"
And Nani-helpless in his own mind-nodded.
He didn't want to.
But he nodded.
Tears slid down his face in the dream, and yet his body arched under invisible hands, responding, betraying.
He was drowning in contradictions-Sky's warmth and Sky's cruelty. The sharp sting of shame. The weight of blame and the ache of longing.
Then-
He cried out.
Back in the room, Sky jolted upright.
Nani had twisted in the bed, breath coming fast and shallow, whimpering in his sleep. His fists clenched the sheets. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.
"Nani..." Sky whispered, reaching for him.
But before his hand could make contact-
Nani flinched, bolted upright, gasping.
His eyes locked onto Sky-and for a moment, they were filled with fear.
And that was the moment Sky realized the truth.
He didn't just hurt Nani.
He had become the place Nani ran from in his sleep.
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I don't know, guys... how was the chapter? đ„Č I feel like it was a bit complex-tried to squeeze in so much at once. So please bear with me! đ You might have to pay extra attention so it doesn't get confusing. Anyway, I hope you still enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Love you all! đ