Chapter 50
Bellami
My ears twitch at the subtle commotion in the hallway.
The front door opened and closed, but it’s ten p.m. and my wife is sleeping next to me, so who the fuck just entered my penthouse? My guess is either Aiden or Visha. If it’s neither, then I pity the poor fucker who managed to break into my property.
I pull my gun out of the nightstand, ready to shoot whichever motherfucker decided to bother my well-deserved rest. But then, as I point the weapon at the bedroom door and see my little brother bawling his eyes out, I lower it and sigh.
“Bellami…” he mutters between sobs.
What the fuck happened? Last time I saw him, he was kicking his feet because his relationship was thriving. How on earth did he end up in this state?
I lift the covers off, careful not to wake up my beautiful wife. She’s terrifying when she doesn’t get enough sleep.
“Go to my study.”
“But-”
“Go and stop crying.” Visha doesn’t stop wailing, and I’m almost tempted to throw my slippers at him instead of putting them on. “Be quiet. Francesca is sleeping.”
He nods but the tears keep streaming.
Something twists in my chest, and I groan while I get out of the room, leading my brother into my study. The second the door shuts behind us, his arms wrap around my neck, and he starts crying louder.
I stagger back from the sheer surprise of his action. Visha doesn’t carry me in his heart. I’d even say he dislikes me, if not hates me half of the time. But him coming to me means something serious happened.
Visha initiating a hug is anything but normal. He’s punishing himself, not asking for comfort.
I lock my arms around his back, squeezing him and hoping it’ll still soothe him even just a little bit. “What happened? Why are you crying?”
“I fucked up,” he says, sobbing loudly. “I fucked up and now he hates me.”
He must be talking about Aoi. I don’t know anyone else who can make someone as stubborn and strong as Visha bawl his eyes out.
“What do you mean by that?” I clutch his shoulders and push him off me. His puffy eyes meet mine and I sigh. “Tell me everything and I’ll solve the problem.”
He shakes his head. “You can’t solve this. He broke up with me.”
Fucking hell. “Why?”
“He found out. He knows the truth and now he finds me disgusting. Bell, he said he hated me!” His breathing is chopped, and he wails harder, shattering in front of me.
“What do I do? You should’ve seen the look on his face when he told me he knew.
The rage and disgust in his eyes. Bellami… what do I do?”
I pull him back into my arms and let him wet my shoulder as he sobs, his tall frame shaking against me.
This is a real problem. But fuck, I can’t do shit to help him.
If he’d been harmed by anyone else, I would’ve simply killed them, but this is Aoi we’re talking about.
If I touch a single hair on his head, Visha will never forgive me.
Hell, he might snap my neck himself.
Visha detaches from my embrace and walks toward the couch, plopping down on it and sagging like a bag of potatoes. “My life is meaningless now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
He doesn’t even bother glaring at me and merely covers his face with both hands, tears streaming down his cheeks. “My soulmate hates me. How can you say it’s ridiculous? Ma vie n’a pas de sens sans lui.6”
Visha has never been ashamed of his emotions.
Love, sorrow, anger, joy–he feels them all deeply and never hesitates to show them.
Many men believe that crying or showing vulnerability is a weakness, but not my brother.
He is strong, grounded, and comfortable in his feelings—and I know it was Aoi who taught him that.
I might not like the man, but I respect the hard work he’s put into raising Visha while I couldn’t.
“So, he found out you’re the kid he took in eleven years ago? Honestly, what I don’t get is how he didn’t realize sooner.”
His head snaps up, fury dancing in his eyes. “Don’t lie. I know you kept tabs on him all these years. You knew about his memory loss before I did. You should have told me the second you found out, instead you hid it from me.”
“Indeed. Are you mad at me now?” I ask, eyeing him skeptically. “You have bigger fish to fry, for the record.”
Visha groans and another wave of tears floods his face.
What the hell am I supposed to say? I fucking suck at cheering people up.
That’s Francesca’s talent, not mine. If someone should’ve been awoken it should’ve been her.
She definitely knows better how to deal with the heartbroken mess that Visha is.
“You’re so unhelpful.”
“Don’t remind me. I’m trying to figure something out. Excuse me for never having had my heart broken before.”
He rolls his eyes, wiping them on the back of his sleeve. “I don’t see why Francesca likes you. You’re a jerk.”
I stuff my hands in the pockets of my bathrobe and shrug. “Me neither. She’s too good for me.”
“At least you’re self-aware.”
“Are you here to whine about your ass getting dumped, or me being a piece of shit?”
He snorts and I smile, glad he stopped dehydrating himself by weeping all over the floor. “You said it, not me.”
I walk up to him and sit down on the couch beside him. “Back to our horses. You love the man, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. He’s my fucking soulmate.”
“Then go get him back. Yeah he’s pissed, which is understandable. He just found out that the man he’s been dating is the same brat he raised over a decade ago. You should have expected this outcome. Considering your departure-"
“Kidnapping.”
I grunt at the correction. “Whatever you want to call it. Considering it impacted him gravely to the point he suffered memory loss from the event, I understand that he’s so shaken. It must’ve been a shock to find out you were lying to him.”
“I know. I fucking know that! But how am I supposed to win him back?” He digs his nails into his palms. “You didn’t see how hurt he was, how furious, and disgusted he was.”
“That means he loves you.”
Visha scowls, staring at me like I’m suddenly dressed in a dinosaur costume. “What the fuck are you talking about? I told you he hates me.”
“That’s because he loves you.” I flick his temple. “If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. This tells you that, at least, he loved you.”
“Loved,” he repeats, deflating on the couch. “He doesn’t love me anymore.”
I push myself off the couch and grab him by the collar, hauling him to his feet.
“Stop this crap. You’re impossible. Instead of whining and crying about getting your ass dumped, you should be thinking about ways to conquer the motherfucker’s heart back.
” I shake him but he doesn’t bother putting up a fight.
“You don’t have time to complain about your sad little heart.
Get your shit together and go get your man for fuck’s sake. ”
“That’s one hell of a shitty pep talk,” a female voice behind me mocks.
I turn around to find my beautiful Francesca standing near the door frame, only wearing her nightgown. “What are you doing here, mon coeur? You should be asleep.”
“I couldn’t sleep with the ruckus you two were making.” She walks up to me and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I thought you were fighting. I was about to smack your ass if you hurt little V.”
I let go of my brother’s collar, and he smiles at my wife. “Thanks, but if we were really fighting, I’d have broken his nose already.”
“Don’t get cocky just because she’ll take your side,” I remark, wrapping my arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. “Go back to sleep, mon coeur. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She eyes us and visibly notices Visha’s sorrowful expression, but she doesn’t point it out, aware that it’s not the appropriate time. Kissing my lips, she bids us goodnight and closes the door behind her.
“You can stay the night. The guest room is ready.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t want to leave Ao alone too long. She might get bored without me.”
“Alright, but think about what I said. If you want something, fight for it.”
Like I fought for you.
He smiles, sniffling a little. “Thank you.”
I nod and motion toward the door. “Any time. Now get out, my wife is waiting for me.”
“Christ, talk about favoritism.”
I smirk but don’t bother denying it. Francesca is the most precious person in my life. There isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do for her, but Visha is my brother. My flesh and blood. I will love and protect him until I draw my last breath.
I refrain from telling him that, because he needs someone to hate and blame for bringing him home to France with me.
Since he reunited with Aoi, I knew I had to tell him eventually about what truly happened all those years ago - how I found him. Though I can’t say I’m prepared for the rage that is going to follow when he learns the whole story.
Tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow I’ll tell him.
It’s time he knows the truth.