Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 125

Chapter 125

The car rolled into the garage in silence.

Rain tapped softly against the roof, fading into a quiet drizzle.

Zaren turned off the engine, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

“Go to your room,” he said at last.
“Reflect on what you’ve done.”

Zatariel didn’t move.

His knuckles were white. His eyes swollen, unfocused.

Zaren exhaled sharply.

“This is my fault,” he muttered.
“I gave you too much. Let you believe you could have everything you wanted.”

He turned to him, voice hardening.

“Listen carefully, Zatariel. Not everything you desire is meant to be yours.”
A pause.
“Sometimes… the thing you want most is the one you will never have.”

Zatariel let out a hollow laugh.
“…Like you?”

Zaren stilled.

Zatariel slowly lifted his gaze, eyes glassy.

“The one you couldn’t have,” he continued, voice trembling.
“The one you still think about.”

Zaren’s jaw tightened.
“Watch your words.”

Zatariel didn’t stop.

“Guess I really am your son,” he whispered bitterly.
“A loyal dog… who fell in love with someone above his place.”

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

Zatariel looked away, wiping his face roughly.

“They tell me to stay back,” he murmured.
“To watch from a distance… while she’s given to my best friend.”
His voice cracked.
“And I’m supposed to smile like it doesn’t break me.”

Zaren opened the door.
“…Come inside.”

They walked in silence through the hall.

When they stepped into the living room, Anita looked up and immediately stood.

“Zatariel?” she gasped.

She crossed the room in seconds, pulling him into her arms.
“What happened?”

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, Zatariel broke.

He clung to her like a child, his voice shaking apart.

“It hurts, Ma…” he whispered. “I can’t breathe… I love her so much… but I can’t have her.”

Anita’s expression crumpled. She cupped his face, tears forming in her eyes.

“Then fight for her,” she said softly.
“She feels the same, don’t let anyone take her away from you.”

“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 and made him like this.”

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!”

The sound came before anyone could stop it.

SLAP.

The room fell silent.

Zatariel’s breath caught.