Love like Pandora's box

Chapter 13.

"ZHAN STOP!" Yibo yelled, but Zhan dragged him to the swimming pool and pushed him inside, He then jumped in the swimming pool as well, grabbed the back of Yibo's neck, and shoved his head inside the water.

Yibo struggled due to lack of breath; he struggled as he felt scared that Zhan might kill him today. Zhan kept him down in the water till Yibo started to lose strength. He then pulled him up, allowing Yibo to breathe, before he shoved his head in the water again and did that again and again and again till Yibo started to violently cough. His eyes watered, and he was gasping for air.

"Stop... please stop!" Yibo begged, and Zhan finally let him go.

Yibo stumbled back but was able to control himself, but then he glared at Zhan and yelled at him, "Have you lost your mind? I could have died! What's with you? Have you become a serial killer or what!"

"I should ask you that! I told you to stay away from Dean, didn't I?! Why did you come to him? To spread your legs!"

"For fuck's sake he tried to rape me how is that my fault!"

"You gave him a chance! An opportunity to do that for you! When you knew what kind of a bastard he is! When you knew his intentions, why did you come to an empty place like this all alone? Were you waiting for him to do something?"

"Have you lost your mind! Why would I do that? What's wrong with you?" Yibo suddenly felt so overwhelmed; he was assaulted and then nearly raped and then nearly drowned he started to shiver as his voice broke, "Why would you think that I would like to be raped! Why would you say that!"

Zhan just stared at him and said, "I am just calling you out on your stupidity! You just love to ruin lives, don't you? Whether it's yours or someone else's!"

Yibo closed his eyes and cried, "For the last year you have been torturing me! Haven't you done enough?! Have I not gone through enough? Can't you let go of your anger and hatred and forgive me?! I am sorry. How many times do I have to say that?

Today is the last day. Can't we restart?"

"NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T STOLEN FROM ME! I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM MY ABUSIVE PARENTS! I COULD HAVE HAD A NEW LIFE! A BETTER LIFE IN ANOTHER CITY!

I could have control over my life, I wouldn't have been living like this miserable! Unsafe at my own house! I could have done something that I liked! But you ruined it, Yibo; you took away my chance to live! You are the reason the remaining humanity and kindness in my heart have died! You killed that single ray of hope! How am I not supposed to hate you?"

"I AM SORRY, I AM REALLY SORRY! But I NEEDED THE MONEY! My dad was a gambler; he played with the wrong people! He borrowed money from the wrong people! He wasn't able to pay it back! Those people came to my house and I wasn't home and only my dad and mother were there, along with my sister!

Those greedy men said that if my dad gave my sister to those people, they would not beat him that day and my father did he agreed! Those bastards raped my sister while my parents did nothing!

They took her with them and they warned my parents that if they didn't pay the money, they would sell her somewhere abroad, and we would never see her again! She could have died for her organs or whatnot!

I had no other option; I needed money! My parents wouldn't go to the police, and the cops wouldn't listen to me! So, I stole from you! I am sorry. I am so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know your parents were abusive to you! I didn't know they were that cruel."

Suddenly there was silence in the room; only heavy breathing was heard before Zhan said, "I had told you countless times that my parents treated me like shit."

"Everyone's parents treat them like shit sometimes, Zhan! You didn't tell me the details! You told me that your parents treated you like shit but you showed up to school in luxury cars, and expensive clothes, you looked well-fed and well-taken care of!

You had everything I didn't! That time, even my parents treated me horribly! Beatings! Punching, kicking, burning starving—you name it! You never told me your parents did that to you! If you had, I would have known better. During that time, I was so into my own problems that I never cared for anyone else, I could never understand anyone else's problem or pain because I was already in hell."

"Everything?" Zhan laughed, "Of course I had everything." He laughed more, but it was full of pain and sadness. While he was laughing, he looked in so much pain that Yibo was not able to see that.

"Zhan."

"Stop just stop." Zhan said, he raised his hand and said, "Your explanation changes nothing, I still hate you." He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, "If I had told you everything if I had told you that my parents were just like yours, would you still have stolen from me that day?"

Yibo became quiet; what can he say? On one side, it was his sister, and on the other side, it was Zhan. At that time, he had thought that his sister was in more danger and needed him more.

Since Yibo did not reply and only gave him silence Zhan laughed, "I see. Guess nothing could be done, either way, you would have stolen from me. Of course, why would anyone choose me, help me." He paused before he said, "Is your sister safe now?"

Yibo wished he could say yes, he wished he could say that yes Yuki was alright and perfect, but seeing Zhan like this, he couldn't tell him that those people had injected her with drugs when they had kidnapped her, they pumped her body with drugs and made her addicted, they made her so vulnerable and broken that she became a prostitute.

"She is." Yibo lied.

Zhan nodded. "It's good to hear that someone is okay now. I am happy that she is safe; guess my suffering brought someone happiness." He then looked at Yibo and slowly walked towards him, before keeping his hand over his shoulder. "You are right, Yibo; there are many, many things I hadn't told you.

I didn't tell you just how horrible my parents are; I just bitched about them while wearing branded clothes and owning the most expensive things. Surely you would have thought that I was a rich, spoiled, and ungrateful brat; everybody thought like that. I am done with you. Get lost, go somewhere else, live your life, and never appear in front of me again. I don't want to be entangled with you ever again; there are still so many things that I haven't told you.

And telling about them to you now wouldn't make any difference; I don't want to hurt you anymore."

Zhan said as he moved back, but Yibo grabbed his hand and said, "Can't we start over? Can't we be like before? Can't we be back on good terms?"

Zhan yanked his hand back, his face hardened again, and his eyes became cold again. "I told you, the little bit of kindness I had in my heart is dead. There is nothing left in me to give you—no trust, no love, nothing; I am already dead. Go away and live your life; you are better off without me."

Author's note: Phew, what a disaster! Now we'll focus on the past and Zhan's Pov. Buckle, because his side of the story is not easy.