Chapter six

Irem set dinner on the table, awaiting Eren’s return from work. She was excited to break the news to her husband, the baby she was pregnant with was a boy! Just like Eren wanted! He was desperate for it to be a boy, he told her about how a boy would be better suited to continue his legacy and bloodline. She found it a bit funny how he insisted that if he believed enough that the baby was going to be a boy, then that would become true. She thought maybe he was onto something, the baby was indeed a boy.

Eren walked into the house, his work boots clunking against the wooden floor as he made his way inside. He was still in his uniform, his faded blue shirt splattered with patches of dried cement and dust, clung to his broad shoulders and strong physique.

Eren’s nose immediately identified the smell of food filling the air “Irem, is that Sauerbraten you’ve made?” He asked with eagerness.

“Oh yes, I thought you’d like your favourite dish, especially on this day.” She answered with a teasing tone.

“This day? What about it?”

“Oh come on Eren! I went to the ultrasound technician today for a scan! You were right! It’s a boy!”

Eren’s eyes widened, delight written over his expression, “Oh my god! Oh my god I’m right, I've been blessed with a boy!” He couldn't contain his joy any longer and scooped her up into his arms, spinning her around in the air. “I knew it! I just knew it!” he exclaimed, his heart beat increasing with happiness. He placed quick kisses on her lips, “I told you to trust my intuitions! Trust me, Irem!”

Irem couldn't help but be swept up in Eren's infectious happiness. Seeing him so overjoyed and emotional filled her heart with warmth. She reached out to gently touch his cheek, her eyes brimming with affection and love.

“I love you Irem, you’ve made me the happiest man on earth.” He said before kissing her again. “This calls for a drink!” He exclaims as he takes a bottle of mixed beer from the cupboard and pours a glass for himself. “Do you want me to fill you a glass?” He asks, glancing at his wife.

“Oh no, that won’t be good for the baby.” Her hands motion to decline.

“What are you being uptight for? It’s just a drink. I’ve seen other women drink and their babies turned out fine.”

“I’ll pass, no thanks.” She insists, a little irritated by his comment.

“You always pass on drinks, Miran isn’t weak to be disturbed by some good beer but suit yourself, Irem.” Eren raised his glass and took a sip as he glanced back at Irem with a mischievous grin.

“Miran? It’s a lovely name but you never consulted me about calling the baby Miran.”

“Why should I? It’s my son.”

Irem’s irritation was growing at his dismissive attitude, she was excited for this to be a special night but he was being difficult and ruining things with his annoying tendencies. She was on the verge of expressing her frustration when a sudden knock on their door interrupted the moment.

“I’ll get that.” He said as he went to fetch the door. He was greeted by an unexpected visitor, his older brother. “Soran?” Eren's surprise registered on his face as he saw Soran, standing before him. He was dressed impeccably in a tailored suit. Eren couldn't help but wonder what brought his well-groomed and distinguished brother to their humble home.

“Good evening, I heard the news from Auntie Viyan. You’ve been married for a while now and you have a baby on the way. I must say, congratulations. Why haven’t you invited me to your wedding?” His voice was smooth and composed as he spoke, just like Eren always knew it to be.

“My friends were enough to fill the seats, besides I’d rather not burden you with the expense of bringing me a wedding gift.” Eren replied, feeling defensive under his scrutinising gaze. He was trying to excuse excluding Soran from his wedding.

Soran raised an eyebrow, his smile never wavering. “Ah, I see. How thoughtful of you to consider my finances.” His tone carried a touch of sarcasm that didn't go unnoticed by Eren.

Soran steps inside without an invite, closing the door behind. He embraces Eren for a short moment as he whispers in his ear. “I must say I'm surprised, I thought you’d always be a street junkie.”

Eren's jaw clenches at the condescending remark, his fists tightened but his arms remained unmoved. He couldn't push off Soran like he wanted to, a sense of powerlessness took over him. He couldn't muster the courage to stand up to Soran, even in his own home. His brother's presence always made him feel inferior, like he couldn't assert himself or find the right words to use against his brother’s remarks.

Irem stepped to the doorway as Eren took a moment to answer the door. Soran's eyes quickly swept over her, and he greeted her with a warm smile, “Good evening. You must be Irem! It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I must say, my brother is a lucky man indeed.” His compliment caused a blush to grace Irem's cheeks.

“Thank you, you are Soran?” She asked. Soran smiles charmingly at Irem, taking her hand gently. “Yes, that's right. I'm Soran, Eren's older brother.”

“You should stay for dinner, I’ve just made it. Excuse me for a minute to prepare the dining table.” Irem smiled politely, her hand still in Soran's grasp.

“Thank you, Irem. I'd be delighted, take your time.” Soran nodded, releasing her hand. She disappeared into the kitchen again, leaving the brothers alone again.

“That is my wife, Soran.” Eren said, emphasising the word “my”. He tried to subtly assert his relationship with Irem, his insecurity and jealousy growing as Soran directed his charms on her.

“I’m aware.” He replied, careless in his tone. “Did you invite mother to the wedding?”

“I did, I waited for her but she never showed up. She barely believed me when I called her about it, then she said ‘may god help the unlucky woman’ before shutting the phone in my face.” Eren told him.

Soran smirked, resisting a laugh to remain composed. It’s like nothing Eren does will ever earn their mother’s approval, he thought.

Eren notices Soran’s face, and fires back at him. “How about you, huh? Did she attend your wedding? Oh wait, you never had a wedding. No wife, no girlfriend, nobody.”

Soran’s face dropped, the smirk no longer there. It frustrated him to see Eren being better than him at something. He was always the better-looking one, the smarter one, the more successful and more liked one. He was better, he was the polite, composed and well respected brother. He couldn’t understand how Eren could land a beautiful woman like Irem to be his wife and he couldn’t.

Soran’s scrutinising gaze lingers on Eren's appearance, his dirty faded blue shirt. “Couldn’t you change your clothes? You look like a mess. Mother was right, Irem’s an unlucky one to have ended up with you. She deserves better, don’t you say?”

Before Eren could find the words to express his annoyance and fight back, Irem returned, breaking the tension in the room. “You can come to the kitchen, it's ready.” she said, unaware of the undercurrents between the two brothers.

Eren doesn’t say anything as his brother makes his way to the dining table, he didn’t want Irem to sense what’s going on or hear how Soran spoke to him. He didn’t want Irem to perceive the way he was with his brother, he didn’t feel like a man as he allowed his brother to step over him without having the courage to physically strike at him. He felt weak, inferior and he didn’t want her to see that.

During the course of their dinner, Soran was making conversation with Irem and complimenting her cooking. “Wow Irem, this is amazing, you should cook for me too, sometime maybe.” He suggested, making it seem like a joke.

“Thank you, this is Eren’s favourite dish, actually.” She said, her hand gently finding Eren's under the table.

Eren’s jaw remained clenched, his angry stare boring into Soran’s skull, irritated by his flirtatious behaviour with Irem. He couldn't shake the lingering feeling of unease and possessiveness that Soran's presence stirred within him.

“Did you decide on a name for your baby?” Soran asked her.

“Oh.” She said in a low tone, remembering Eren’s dismissiveness that bothered her earlier. Her hand slipped away from his under the table. “Eren decided on a name, he's naming the boy Miran.”

He felt a surge of anger rising as he noticed her pulling away from him in response to Soran's question. The unease and irritation were written across his face, he was further frustrated at the perceived distance between them.

“Well I can’t wait to meet my nephew, Miran. Make sure you stay away from alcohol, caffeine, smoking and highly processed food. I read that it’s advised for pregnant women to avoid those.” Soran advised her.

“I don’t drink or smoke, I’m going to make sure that I don’t get tempted to have a cup of tea.” Irem replied, genuinely impressed by Soran’s care. She couldn't deny that Soran seemed more knowledgeable about pregnancy-related matters than Eren, who only earlier wanted her to have a glass of beer.

“That’s even better, maybe someone should be taking notes from you.” He glanced at Eren.

Eren could sense the subtle competition in his brother's words, he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable and panging with insecurity. He knew he wasn't measuring up to his brother's standards. The fear of losing Irem's admiration to his brother terrified him, he couldn't help but blame Irem for being so receptive to Soran's charms. He questioned why she seemed so impressed with his brother. He wanted to interject, to reclaim her attention but he couldn't find the words, like he was mute. He could only clench his fists under the table to keep from lashing out.

“We both decided it would be a good idea for Miran to attend the local school that Eren worked in constructing.” Irem mentioned in pride, showing off her husband’s achievements.

“Yeah, that local school, totally!” Soran wiped his mouth, “Did Eren tell you I was the leading architect to designing it? The company I work at was contracting with Eren’s construction company.”

“Oh, really?” Irem looked surprised. “No, he didn't mention that. I really liked the building and the way everything looked, you’re amazing.”

He knew Soran's tactics all too well, and it infuriated him to see his brother trying to overshadow him in front of the woman he loved. He was all too well at recounting all achievements back to himself, centering himself in front of Eren’s wife and undermining Eren in his discussion. Oh how he wanted to give him a well deserved punch and kick him out, he wanted to humiliate him the way Soran humiliated him all his life. He felt pathetic, Soran had the ability to make him feel like an outsider in his home, with his wife, with their parents. He despised Soran, he hated him with a passion.

Soran thanked Irem for the meal, he helped clear the table and clean their dishes too to ensure he wasn’t being a burden. She appreciated his gesture and willingness to contribute to homely chores, something Eren refused to do because that wasn’t a “man’s job”. She thought he was considerate and sweet, she wished Eren would pick up some things from him.

Before heading out, he bid his farewell to Irem, “Thank you for having me for dinner, it was lovely to meet a beautiful woman like you, Irem.” Soran said before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek. Irem blushed at the unexpected gesture, feeling charmed by Soran’s attention but she quickly composed herself and replied with a “Goodbye”. Soran waved at his brother with a smirk on his face before he walked out through the door.

Irem turned back to the table where Eren was quietly sitting, he hasn’t spoken a word the entire time. “Why did you not talk to him? Your brother’s such a gentleman, maybe you should be more like him.”

Irem's words struck a nerve with Eren, drastically fuelling up his rage. The frustration he had been suppressing since Soran's arrival now boiled to the surface. He despised hearing those words again, the ones that had been thrown at him throughout his life, now coming from his own wife's mouth. It felt like a betrayal, a wound to his pride, like his worst fears became true.

As Soran finally left, Eren's demeanour shifted. He no longer felt restrained by his brother's presence, and a sense of bravery took over him. In a fit of anger, he abruptly flipped the dinner table with a force that made Irem shout and jump back in terror. He left his beer glass on the table that smashed once he flipped the table and broke into glass fragments. Eren stood there, his chest heaving with anger, not caring about the mess he had made.

Irem's eyes widened in shock and fear as she watched her husband's sudden outburst, she stepped back in fear as he approached closer to her. His hand striked her cheek, the sound of his slap was sharp and distinct. There was a brief moment of silence before Irem gasped, a red mark was on her cheek. Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Eren’s upset face.

“Fucking whore.” He insulted her, resentment in his eyes.

He left her standing there as he slammed the bedroom’s door after his entry, the door slam emitted a loud and aggressive bang. Irem felt a sense of threat and fear. She wondered if she shouldn’t have said that, she was still processing what happened. She didn’t know what to do after that, she didn’t want to see Eren for now nor did he want to see her for the given moment.