Can't be True~!

Ayin

"I am," he'd said, his voice steady, dripping with authority. Those two words had latched onto my mind like an unshakable shadow. I am.

It wasn't just what he said—it was how he said it. The calm conviction in his tone, the unwavering certainty in his eyes. 

I was still staring at him, frozen, trying to understand how two words had the power to dismantle everything I thought I knew. 

Then he broke the silence. Smoothly, almost lazily, he walked over to my study table, the epitome of confidence. He leaned back against the chair, one hand resting on the edge, as if he owned not just the space but the air I was breathing.

"Well," he began, his lips curving into a wicked smile, "Max—your dear brother—basically sold you to me."

I froze. The room tilted, his words crashing into me like a wave I wasn't ready for. My jaw tightened, my hands trembling as I forced myself to hold his gaze. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ithan leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto mine with unsettling intensity. "You should ask him. He'll tell you everything." He tilted his head, that infuriating smirk still plastered on his face. "But here's the short version: you're mine now, Ayin. And you'll be moving in with me—tonight."

"Excuse me?" I said, my voice rising, my shock melting into anger.

"I think I was clear," he said, leaning back into the chair as if this were just another casual conversation. "Pack your things, Ayin. You're coming with me."

My fists clenched at my sides. "I don't think so," I snapped, each word laced with venom. "I'm not going anywhere until I talk to Max and figure out what the hell is going on. You can't just come in here and command me—and"

"Actually, I can." He cut me off smoothly, his tone still infuriatingly calm. "And I will. Because if you don't, Max will face the consequences."

The air left my lungs. My body went rigid as his words sank in, their meaning heavy and unrelenting. "What do you mean, 'consequences'?"

He shrugged lightly, his nonchalance cutting deeper than any threat could. "That's between Max and me. But trust me, you don't want to see what happens if you defy me."

My vision blurred with anger and disbelief. I wanted to scream, to fight, but my words came out trembling, shaky. "You're insane," I whispered.

Ithan stood then, rising with the same slow, deliberate grace that made him so unnervingly confident. He walked toward me, each step deliberate, calculated. When he stopped just a breath away, his eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker behind them—something softer, something almost....comforting.

"I'm not insane," he said quietly, his voice low but steady. "I'm patient. And I'll wait. Whenever you're ready to call me, I'll come for you. Because I'm also yours now, Ayin."

His words were a mixture of promise and warning, and they left me trembling. I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, he turned and walked toward the door. He paused there, his hand on the handle, and glanced back at me.

His gaze was calm, commanding, but there was something else there too—something I couldn't place. "I'll be waiting," he said simply. And then he was gone.

I dropped to the floor the moment he left, my legs unable to support me anymore. My mind was spinning, the room closing in around me. What just happened? What did Ithan mean? Why didn't I talk to Max before this?

A storm brewed inside me, a mix of anger, confusion, and a suffocating sense of betrayal. Ithan's words lingered in the air like a haunting melody. What the hell has Ithan done to Max?

I forced myself to stand, wiping at my face as I stumbled toward my phone. My hands trembled as I unlocked it and dialed Max's number. The first ring barely finished before he picked up.

"Max!" I cried into the phone, my voice sharp with desperation. "What's going on? What did you do? What did he mean when he said you sold me to him?"

There was silence on the other end of the line, followed by a soft, heart-wrenching sound. Max was sobbing.

"Ayin…" he croaked, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."

His words made my stomach churn. My brother—the person I had always relied on—was apologizing like I was a stranger. "Sorry for what? Max, just tell me what's going on!"

There was a long pause, punctuated by his shaky breaths. Then, through the phone, his guilt poured out like a confession. "I failed you, Ayin. I failed as your brother." His voice cracked again, and I could hear the pain in his words. "I used you for my sake. You can hate me all you want—I deserve it. But…" He paused, as though summoning the courage to continue. "But Ithan is a good person, Ayin. He'll protect you, I swear. Just trust me on that."

My grip tightened on the phone. "Stop it, Max! Stop rambling and tell me what's going on! What did you do?!"

He exhaled shakily, and then, like a dam breaking, the truth came rushing out. "Three years ago, I started a business," he began. "It was fine at first, but then I got greedy. I made some bad decisions and started cutting corners, doing things that weren't exactly legal. I partnered with the wrong people, and a year later, it all blew up in my face. I lost everything. Bankrupt, blackmailed, ruined."

My heart sank, the pieces slowly falling into place.

"The man I partnered with had evidence—enough to destroy me completely. He threatened to sue, and I didn't have a leg to stand on. I was desperate, Ayin." His voice broke again, and I could hear the tears in his words. "That's when I went to Ithan. He was the only one who could help me. And he did. He bailed me out, promised to protect me. But…"

"But what?" I whispered, dread creeping up my spine.

"But his help came with a condition. He said he wanted something in return. I was desperate—I didn't even ask what it was. I just said yes."

There was a long, painful pause before he continued. "And then he told me… he wanted you."

My breath hitched as his words clawed at my mind. "You promised me to him? Like I'm some… some thing you could trade?"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Max cried. "And I couldn't tell anyone—not even Mom. You know her heart can't take stress like this. If she found out what I'd done, it could've killed her. So I kept it all to myself. I told her about Ithan for you that he was a good man, someone I'd trusted for years. And… and I knew that if she and I approved of the marriage, you wouldn't say no." "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But please, Ayin, believe me when I say that Ithan will take care of you. He's not as bad as you think. He has a golden heart, I swear—"

I cut him off, my anger boiling over. "Stop it, Max. Just… stop." My fingers tightened around the phone as tears streamed down my face. "You don't get to tell me how to feel about this. I trusted you. And now…" My voice broke, and I couldn't finish the sentence.

Max's voice came through again, desperate and pleading. "Hate me all you want, Ayin. But please—don't do anything rash. Ithan is your husband now. Just give him a chance."

I couldn't listen anymore. My hand moved on its own, cutting the call mid-sentence. The silence that followed was deafening, and I could still hear Max's voice echoing in my head, begging for my understanding, my forgiveness. 

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at my reflection in the mirror and tried to process it all, but it was too much. Too fast. Too cruel.

Staring at my reflection, I made a silent vow. I didn't know how I would do it, but I would find a way to free myself—from Ithan, from Max's mistakes, from this nightmare. Even if it meant tearing everything apart.