The Engineer (Batchelor Series #2)

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Kung una palang lumayo na ako kay Renz. Everything won't happen. Pambihira kasing sperm donor 'yan, na cut-off ko na sana s'ya kung di yan naging finals namin. Kasalanan to ng sperm na yon.

I thought I could do it.

Standing across the hall, I could see Renz looking at me—his usual confidence now tinged with suspicion. He had been like that ever since I started spending more time with Kaizer. Puta, this was a bad idea. But I needed him to hate me. To let me go.

Kaizer and I were sitting in the library, close enough to make it look intimate but far enough for me to still breathe.  God, this wasn’t fair to him. Kaizer didn’t deserve to be caught in this, but he agreed to help when I told him it was the only way out. He knew Renz was possessive, and he knew how deep Renz’s feelings for me ran.

“You sure about this?” Kaizer asked, his voice low as he glanced over to where Renz stood, watching us.

I nodded, though my gut twisted in knots. “I have to be.”

Kaizer leaned in closer, his arm brushing against mine, making it look like we were whispering sweet nothings to each other. From where Renz was standing, it would look exactly like that.

I glanced at Renz out of the corner of my eye. Fuck. His jaw was clenched, hands balled into fists at his sides. I could almost feel the tension radiating from him, even from this distance.

Kaizer looked over my shoulder, catching Renz’s glare. “He’s about to snap,” he murmured.

“I know.” I steeled myself, taking a deep breath. This had to be convincing. I had to push him away for good.

I stood up, making my way towards Renz. The hallway felt suffocating, each step weighed down by the gravity of what I was about to do. As I got closer, his eyes locked on mine, burning with a mix of anger and confusion.

“Drakon,” he started, voice low and dangerous. “What the hell is going on?”

I forced a smirk, even though my heart felt like it was being crushed in my chest. “What does it look like? Kaizer and I… we’re a thing now.”

His eyes flickered with disbelief, and for a moment, I thought he’d laugh it off. But when I didn’t back down, the realization hit him. “You’re lying.”

I crossed my arms, my posture stiff. “Am I?” I let the words hang in the air, knowing it was killing him to even entertain the thought. “You weren’t enough, Renz.”

His fists tightened, and I could see the struggle on his face. “Bullshit. I know you. This isn’t you.”

I took a step closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “We fucked, Renz.”

The words were like a slap across his face. His expression shattered, the anger draining from his face, replaced by something far worse—betrayal.

“Behind your back,” I added, twisting the knife deeper. “You didn’t mean anything.”

Renz’s mouth opened as if to argue, but no words came out. His breath hitched, and for the first time, he looked… broken. “Drakon,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “Why?”