Love is a Lie
"I told you he wouldn't want the baby. I know him inside out. It is best for you to leave and never come back", Levi said in a sympathetic tone and left, leaving Elian alone in the room.
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After scheduling an appointment for the abortion for the next day, Kian took a bus and headed back home. He was sitting in a cornered window seat, staring at the streets that were passing by, while Elian's words repeated in his head.
"Anything, he said he'll give up anything. Why was he acting so desperate? Is he a fool, begging me like that for a child?", he wondered. He was surprised that someone as cold as him would even want to be a father. That he would beg someone he considers below him to keep it.
It was true that he needed money, so much so that he was waiting for a miracle, but he wasn't so desperate as to go to the length of having a child, having a family. That was one word he had always hated. To him 'family' was a myth that society created to give people false hopes, to let them dream of immense happiness and love that didn't exist. He had decided he will never delusion himself with such hopes. Like his mother, who came to this country leaving everything she had behind for a life with his father, who turned out to be an evil man. Instead of feeling sorry for himself for being an orphan, Kian used to take pride in the fact that there is no one to tie him down. That he has no one to answer to. That he was a free bird who can choose to live the way he likes. And for company he had those who were like him, those who were abandoned by people who made the very mistake of letting themselves be fooled by such notions.
Even though he was exhausted beyond belief, he decided to pay a visit to the bakery before going home. He didn't want Will to feel that he was running away from his responsibilities, and he is just as determined as he was before.
As he crossed the road after getting off the bus and walked a few yards, he began noticing a few shards of glass along the pavement. When he was only a few feet away from the entrance of the bakery, his eyes moved to the glass door of the shop which was badly shattered as if someone had hammered it down. Terrified he ran inside the bakery to find a huge mess.
The furniture was scattered, chairs and tables were tipped off, dishes were knocked onto the ground. He ran inside the kitchen, Will was sitting on a stool and Allis was standing next to him holding a towel to his nose. Wayne, who was sitting on the other stool, stood up as soon as Kian walked in. "Will!? What happened? Are you hurt ? Did we get mugged?!", Kian asked in a shaky voice. He ran upto Will and caressed his face in his palm, looking for injuries. His nose was bleeding and shirt and apron were slightly torn. "I'm fine, don't worry", Will answered monotonously, and removed Kian's hand from his cheek. "What happened?! Why are you…?", Kian sensed that Will was upset, which scared him even more.
"We're guessing that the guy from yesterday might be part of a gang or something. I was in the kitchen and Will was attending the customers, when a bunch of men barged in. One of them tried to force himself on Will. Wayne came on time so it got taken care of", Allis explained. "I got a call from Uncle Lee that you were missing so I came to check here, but then this happened. I wanted to call the police but Will stopped me. I guess you know the reason", Wayne said, looking at Kian skeptically. "I'd like to talk to him alone for a minute", Will said, staring at the floor. Allis and Wayne looked at each other and quietly walked outside, leaving the room for the two of them in the kitchen.
"This is all your fault Kian!! Why don't you ever tell me anything? That guy that came yesterday might have noticed that I was an omega. He came back! He tried to…", He hesitated to say out loud the words, "He said I can make more money sleeping with men rather than doing this, if Wayne wouldn't have reached on time I would've been in so much trouble", he scolded. Will sighed, "Look, making money and being self sufficient is one thing but taking such risks?! Borrowing money from gangsters? You need to talk to me before making these decisions. I tried to fight them and so they smashed all our stuff and scared away the customers. I don't know how you plan to sort this out but I'm considering asking Uncle Lee for money. Think about it, at least we'll be safe", he said with disappointment in his eyes and walked out.
Kian couldn't utter another word after listening to all that happened. He was right, it was indeed his fault. He had risked the safety of his friends without asking for their permission. He was now risking his own safety too, what would they do if they found out that he is an omega. He had realized now how horribly he has messed up. He was so busy being ambitious that he forgot to care about others around him. And now he had no way of making it right.
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Elian got off the taxi and wobbled on his way back to the gate of the mansion. A servant approached him and led him the way inside. As soon as the door opened, "Elian! you fucking prick! Why would you disappear like this?", Declan shouted. Elian was slightly shocked due to the loud voice, he squinted his eyes to see the face of the man walking towards him. "Deck?! Why are you here? I thought you were busy training", he asked drowsily. "Irene called me! She said she thought you were in the office but then your brother called her asking about you. Everyone was worried sick, no one knew your whereabouts. I took flight right back", he answered, holding Elian up as he staggered across the room. "Oh...no worries, I'm fine, I was just having a couple of drinks down the coast", he said slipping onto the couch from Declan's shoulders. "Man! You stink of liquor. You were drinking? Couldn't you have just made one call", he scolded. "I called you endless times, why didn't you pick up? This is really selfish of you. Do you have any idea how angry my dad will be if he found out I left in the middle of my training?! Just to find out you were getting yourself drunk", he yelled.
Elian didn't say a word in response. Curious, Declan leaned to have a closer look at his face. To his shock there were tears forming around the corners of his eyes. They had been friends for twelve years now, he had seen Elian say and do a lot of embarrassing things, but he never cried, even when he was mocked by kids in school regarding his father's scandal. "What the...? Are you-? What happened?", his anger got taken over by concern, "Are you gonna tell me something? I'm freaking out!!", he asked. "You're right. I'm selfish, that's why this is happening to me. This is what I deserve", Elian said gloomily.
Declan could tell that he had sobered up. "What are you talking about? What happened?", he kept asking. Elian wiped his tears with the back of his hand like a child. "Nothing, I think I had a lot this time. I must've been way too drunk to not pick up your call", he tried diverting the subject. "We both know you're lying right now. You can't hide things from me Elian", Declan said angrily. He felt slightly offended that Elian was trying to exclude him from his matters suddenly.
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After a few cups of coffee and a couple threats from Declan, Elian poured his heart out to him. Listening to everything, Declan was slightly surprised that Elian wished to be a father in such circumstances, but he understood why that was the case.
He too had lost his mother at a very young age due to cancer and was raised by his father. Unlike Elian he had at least one parent by his side, but he too craved having a family around. He terribly missed his mother after she passed, just like Elian. That was the reason the two of them bonded after they met in high-school. Despite their differences, they both understood each other in a way most people couldn't. For Elian it wasn't about wanting an heir or anything else, it was a way to find the happiness he had craved for all these years.