Reading Arkan's message made his chest ache. Why, he didn't know. As far as he knew, he had always thought of Aurelia as a little sister he loved and protected, just as Arden treated her. But knowing that another man liked her—why did his chest hurt so badly?
What was happening to him?
His wedding was only three months away, and Darren was sure he loved the woman who had been by his side all this time.
The night air swept across his face as he left Aurelia and Arden's home. He got into his car and drove through the streets, which had grown relatively quiet. Without looking back, because he needed to convince himself that what he felt for Aurelia was nothing more than the affection an older brother had for his little sister. Just like the love he felt for his own younger sister, Putri.
Blasting music reached Darren's ears when he arrived at the parking lot of a famous bar in Kemang. The smell of alcohol immediately assaulted his nose as he stepped inside. Walking straight ahead without being bothered by the music or the drunk people who occasionally bumped into him, the man made his way to the second floor and opened the wooden door marked VVIP.
His eyes immediately locked onto Arkan as if he wanted to swallow the man whole.
Arkan, who was receiving that look, merely grinned. He had a pretty good idea what was about to happen. He knew exactly what he was going to be confronted about.
"I hope you're not planning to get close to her."
"Why not? She's single, and so am I, so there's no rule against it. Even Arden, her own brother, doesn't mind," Arkan teased confidently.
"Are you sure Arden would let you get close to her?"
"What possible reason would he have for not letting me get close to his sister? We're best friends, bro. Arden knows what kind of person his best friend is, doesn't he?"
"That's exactly why. Because he knows you, he won't let you get close to Aurelia. Who knows better than him how rotten your track record is?"
Arkan furrowed his brow at Darren's words.
"Rotten? The fact is, I'm not engaged. That kind of behavior can change once someone finds the right woman to tame him. But if you're already engaged and still want to approach another woman, that's complicated, bro. How could your feelings change like that?" Arkan fired back.
"Thud."
Darren's fist landed squarely at the corner of Arkan's mouth. The impact rang out clearly, even over the deafening music. Arkan was knocked backward, his back hitting the leather sofa. Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his lips. He wasn't angry. He simply wiped the blood away with the back of his finger, then laughed softly.
"There. Now you can't lie to yourself anymore, can you?"
Darren stood silently in front of him. His breathing was ragged. His hands were still clenched into fists. Every muscle in his arms was tense. Until this moment, he hadn't realized how angry he was. How afraid he was. How shattered he had been when he read Arkan's message earlier.
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
"I know better than you do. For seven years, you've gone to that house every week. For seven years, you've always bought her favorite kind of chocolate. For seven years, you never let anyone hurt her. And you still have the nerve to say it's just a brother's feelings?" Arkan slowly rose to his feet. He wiped the remaining blood from his chin. "You're an idiot, Darren. A complete idiot. You've spent seven years loving her, and you didn't even realize it yourself."
"I'm getting married in three months." Darren's voice trembled. It was the first time Arkan had ever seen his usually calm friend shaken. "I made a promise."
"Yes. You made a promise. And now you're going to spend the rest of your life regretting it. Every night, you'll wake up and think about her. Every time you look at your fiancée's smile, you'll imagine hers. And someday, you'll come to her wedding. You'll see her wearing a wedding dress. And you'll stand there smiling while everything inside you shatters into pieces."
Arkan stepped forward. Now they were only inches apart.
"And the saddest part of all? She'll smile back at you. And she'll hide the same thing, too. Because she loves you, too. And the two of you will destroy each other, all because you're too cowardly to admit one simple truth."
Darren didn't answer. He turned his face away. Outside the window, the sky was beginning to redden with dawn. His phone vibrated in his pocket. A message had come in from his fiancée.
"Are you home yet? I'm waiting for you."
He stared at the message for a long time. Then he looked toward Arkan. And for the first time in his life, Darren didn't know what he was supposed to do.
He had always known every answer. He had always had a plan for everything. But tonight, he simply stood there. With bloodied fists. With a chest that felt as if it were being crushed. And with one truth he had only just discovered—one that would destroy the entire life he had built.
Arkan sat back down on the sofa. He poured two glasses of whiskey and pushed one toward Darren.
"Welcome to hell, bro. Now you're just like the rest of us."
Darren didn't take the glass. He simply stood there, listening to his own heartbeat and realizing the most terrifying thing of all.
Arkan was right.
Everything he had said was true.
And there was nothing Darren could do to change it.