Accidentally Married

74. Dinning

The atmosphere around the dinner table was unusually heavy. Only the occasional clink of cutlery against plates broke the silence that had settled over the group.

Nai sat quietly in his chair, a half-empty glass resting in his hand. Across from him, Zo, Saifah, Sailom, Sailub, Aum, and Jui all stared at their food with varying expressions of disbelief, guilt, and shock.

A few moments earlier, Nai had finally told them everything. Not just the version Aum and Jui knew. Not just the surface-level explanation he had given everyone else. Everything. The stolen clients. The stolen credit. The sabotage. The forged documents. The fabricated allegations. The accusations of commercial bribery, billing fraud, breaches of confidentiality agreements, and misconduct severe enough to destroy an entire career.

Worst of all, every road eventually led back to the same people. Moo's family. People who had never forgiven Nai for marrying Zo after Moo ran away from the wedding.

The revelation had left everyone speechless.

Even Aum and Jui looked shaken. The two of them had thought they understood the situation. Now they realized they had only known a fraction of it. The truth was far uglier. Far more vicious. Far more personal. And through all of it, Nai had carried the burden alone.

Zo finally broke the silence. "I am sorry." His voice was so soft that everyone almost missed it.

Nai immediately looked up. "What?"

Zo swallowed. "I am sorry." The words came out heavier the second time.

Nai instantly shook his head. "No, Hia. There is absolutely no reason for you to apologize."

"But—"

"No." Nai cut him off firmly. "This wasn't your fault."

Across the table, Saifah let out a slow breath. "No, Nai." His voice was calm but serious. "It was partly our fault."

Nai frowned.

Saifah continued. "We should have known Moo's family wasn't going to let things go." His fingers tightened around his glass. "Moo humiliated them in front of the entire country when he ran away from the wedding." A bitter smile appeared on his face. "People like them don't forget that kind of thing."

Sailom nodded immediately. "And we left you to handle everything alone."

Nai groaned. "Would you all stop?"

Everyone looked at him.

"You say that as if I would have allowed any of you to get involved." His gaze swept around the table. "I wouldn't have."

That much was true. Even if they had found out earlier, Nai would've done everything possible to keep them away from the situation. He knew exactly how ugly corporate politics could become. Dragging his family into it would've only made things worse.

But his explanation did little to improve the mood.

Especially not for Zo. The guilt sitting inside Zo's chest only grew heavier. He knew better than anyone how hard Nai had worked to get where he was. The countless late nights. The endless meetings. The years of sacrifice.

Nothing had been handed to Nai. Everything he achieved had come from relentless effort. And now Zo was learning that the person he loved had been forced to endure years of harassment simply because he married him.

The realization made his stomach twist. What made it worse was the fact that he had been completely oblivious.

While Nai was fighting battles at work every day, Zo had been busy trying to make Nai fall in love with him. Trying to flirt. Trying to impress him. Trying to win his affection. The memory suddenly made him feel selfish. Like an idiot.