"She only told she had two older brothers and a mother. Said her dad had already passed away, and her family ran a small business," Ryan said, still trying to defend himself, repeating everything Naomi had told him.
Eryx let out a short laugh of disbelief, but Lunara gently slapped his arm to keep him in check.
"What?" Eryx looked at her, clearly not satisfied. "You believe that nonsense? You know how Naomi acted when she went out, right?"
Lunara frowned. "What do you an?" Then her eyes widened. "Are you talking about how she spent money?"
Eryx shook his head. "That’s one thing. But our security never left her side. And this guy says he didn’t suspect a thing?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously at Ryan.
Lunara tilted her head, thinking for a mont. "Honestly..." she tugged on Eryx’s sleeve. "I never noticed security around Naomi either... at least not before I knew who she really was."
Ryan pointed at her, as if agreeing. "Exactly! She never spent a cent when she was with . She said her family was struggling with their business at the ti, and I never asked her to spend anything when we were together."
He suddenly snapped his fingers as a mory hit him. "Oh... there was this one ti. Two n in suits tried to stop her from entering a hotel. She told they were debt collectors asking for money—"
Before he could finish, Eryx grabbed his collar again, eyes blazing. "How many tis did you take her to a hotel, huh?!"
Ryan flinched, clearly caught off guard. "What? No—wait, it’s not what you think—"
Eryx didn’t let go, his grip tightening. "You think just because you say you ’love’ her, I’m going to let this go? She’s my sister. You think I’ll let so guy drag her to hotels and then say he didn’t know who she was?"
Lunara quickly stepped in again, placing her hand on Eryx’s arm, trying to defuse the situation. "Eryx, stop. Let him talk first. You’re not even listening."
Eryx’s jaw tensed, but he released Ryan with a shove, stepping back with clenched fists. "Start explaining. And this ti, don’t leave anything out."
Ryan gulped, trying to steady his breath. "Actually... that was the first and the last ti we—"
A punch landed hard on his left cheek, sending him staggering backward.
"And you decided to run away?" Eryx growled, his jaw tight with fury. "All I knew was that you were her first boyfriend. And when she finally trusted soone, you threw her away—"
"I did not!" Ryan shot back, shaking his head. "I told you, it was just—this was the first ti for . I an, getting soone pregnant—"
Another punch was about to fly when Lunara quickly stepped in, grabbing Eryx’s arm. "Eryx... no!"
Eryx closed his eyes, exhaling sharply as he tried to calm himself. His voice was low and bitter. "Your first ti getting soone pregnant?"
Ryan lowered his gaze, hand pressing against his cheek. "I didn’t disappear," he said, breathing unsteady. "I just... I said the wrong things. I panicked and everything ca out wrong. She thought I was backing away, and by the ti I realized how badly I ssed it up—she had blocked . Everywhere."
Eryx’s eyes darkened, but he stayed silent.
"I tried calling, texting, emailing—I even went back to that café we used to go to, hoping she’d show up. But nothing. It was like she vanished."
Lunara looked at him, lips pressed together. "Then what did you say that made her block you?"
Ryan let out a breath. "I told her we needed to talk. That maybe we rushed into things. I didn’t an I didn’t want the baby—I ant I wanted to do things right, not just blindly walk into it. But she took it like I was trying to run away." He scratched the back of his neck, frustrated. "And to be fair, our relationship was still new. I didn’t even know her last na."
Eryx scoffed. "You were dating her and didn’t even know her last na?"
"I didn’t ask," Ryan admitted, looking ashad. "We were just... caught up in each other. She never brought up her family, and I didn’t push. I thought maybe she had her reasons."
Eryx ran a hand down his face, biting back another comnt.
"As I told you earlier, she told her family had a small business," Ryan continued. "Said that she was living with her mom and her brother. I believed her."
"Technically not a lie," Lunara muttered.
"And to be honest, if you think I dated her for money," Ryan said, glancing between the two, "then I would’ve asked her for so during the six months we were together."
Eryx’s brows furrowed. "Six months?"
Ryan nodded. "Yeah. We started dating right before both of us flew back to the country."
Eryx narrowed his eyes, starting to feel confused, "How old are you? Twenty-three?"
Ryan nodded again, quick and sure. "Yeah. I finally agreed to go out with her just a few weeks before our flight back. But..." he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes dropping, "I really regret how I handled it. I might’ve said things that didn’t sound sincere at all."
Eryx scoffed. "You think?"
"I didn’t an to hurt her," Ryan added, his voice soft now. "I just didn’t know what to say. I’ve never been in that kind of situation before. And honestly when she told she was pregnant and I... I froze. Said the dumbest things possible."
Lunara looked down, unsure whether to pity him or stay neutral. Eryx, however, wasn’t ready to let it slide.
"So instead of staying and fixing it, you let her believe you were running away."
Ryan winced. "I didn’t want her to feel that way. But she already made up her mind about before I could explain. I know I ssed up. But I didn’t lie about not knowing who she really was."
Eryx let out a heavy sigh, tension still visible on his face. "And now?"
Ryan lifted his head, more resolute this ti. "Now I just want to fix it. If I can. If she’ll even let ."
"Tell everything about you and your family. Only then will I decide if you’re allowed to et her again." Eryx needed to know everything, especially now that the information he’d received about Ryan didn’t quite match up. The inconsistencies were starting to make him curious.
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