Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 111

The car rolled into the garage in silence. The rain outside had slowed to a drizzle, but the storm inside Zatariel hadn’t.

Zaren turned off the engine, gripping the steering wheel tightly before saying,
“Go to your room, reflect on what you’ve done.”

Zatariel didn’t move. His knuckles were white, eyes swollen from crying.

Zaren exhaled sharply.
“I blame myself. I raised you too soft—gave you too much, let you believe you could have everything you wanted.”
He turned to his son, voice hardening.
“Not everything you desire is meant to be yours, Zatariel. Sometimes, the thing you want most in this world… is the very thing you’ll never have.”

Zatariel finally looked at him — eyes glassy, lips trembling.
“Like Cienna?”

The words struck Zaren like lightning. His shoulders tensed. “What did you say?”

Zatariel’s voice cracked,
"Guess I really am your son. A dog who fell in love with royalty."

Zaren’s breath hitched. He couldn’t answer.

“But for me,” Zatariel whispered, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.
“I’m told to stay away, to smile from a distance while she’s handed to my best friend. She’s breaking right in front of me, and I can’t do anything—because I’m a Wov.”

He hit his chest, voice trembling.
“Because I was born to protect her, not love her.”

Zaren’s expression softened, guilt flickering in his eyes. He opened the car door slowly and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“Let’s go inside.”

They walked in silence through the hall.

When they entered the living room, Anita looked up from the sofa, startled to see her son’s tear-streaked face.
“Zatariel!” she gasped, rushing to him. “What happened?”

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, Zatariel broke.
He clung to her like a child, crying into her shoulder.
“It hurts, Ma. It hurts so much… I can’t breathe. I love her—I love her so much—but they won’t let me.”

Anita’s heart shattered. She cradled his face, whispering through tears,
“Then fight for her, my baby. Don’t give up. If she feels the same, you fight for it.”

“Enough,” Zaren’s deep voice cut through the moment.

Anita turned, glaring.
“Don’t you dare tell him to bury his heart.”

“He must,” Zaren snapped.
“He’s a Wov. He needs to remember who he is. You’ve coddled him too long—made him like this. Look at him now. Crying over something he was never meant to have.”

Anita’s voice rose, trembling with anger.
“Zaren! He’s our son. He feels pain, he bleeds like you, he loves like you once did!”

A sharp crack echoed through the room.

Zaren’s hand had struck Anita’s cheek.

The sound silenced the house.

Zatariel’s world stopped.
His father’s face twisted with regret the instant it happened.

Zaren stepped back, horror in his eyes.
“Anita… I—”

But she just stood there, tears streaming down her face, one hand holding her cheek.

Zaren turned away walked out of the house without another word, the door slamming shut behind him.

The room fell into broken silence.