My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 166: Selfish J3rk

Chapter 166: Selfish J3rk

"You’re not angry with me anymore?" Eryx asked, voice low, uncertain. His hand gripped hers like he was afraid she might vanish if he loosened his fingers even a little.

Lunara frowned.

"That’s a different thing," she said. "Don’t mix them up."

Eryx looked at her, puzzled.

"Yes, I’m still angry," she admitted, meeting his eyes without flinching. "Angry at what you did. How you backed me into a corner two years ago. That hasn’t gone anywhere."

His jaw tensed.

"But love doesn’t just shut off like a switch," she added quietly. "And being here for you now doesn’t mean I’m not still furious."

Eryx looked away, his expression torn.

"It doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. But I won’t walk away just because you’re hurting. Even if you’re the one who caused the pain."

Eryx’s throat tightened. He wanted to speak, to defend himself, to explain but all the words tangled uselessly inside him.

His grip on her hand eased, just slightly.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," he murmured, eyes still fixed on the floor. "Back then... I thought if I could control the chaos, I could protect everyone."

Lunara said nothing.

"I didn’t know how to make you agree at that time." He let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "So I cornered you instead."

She looked at him, her expression unreadable.

"I wasn’t trying to be cruel," he added, more to himself than to her. "But maybe that’s the worst part. I didn’t even realise how cruel I was being."

He finally turned to her and in his eyes, the cracks showed.

"I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t even know if I can."

Lunara didn’t speak right away. She simply gazed at him, waiting, like she knew there was more he hadn’t said.

"You know, a few years ago... when I chose to prioritise myself for the first time, to be selfish just once—" His voice caught. "I lost my brother. And in that exact moment, I realised something."

He paused, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Responsibility was fated to me. It was printed on me the day I was born. I wasn’t allowed to be selfish. Not with my time. Not with my feelings. Not with my mental health."

His fingers curled into a fist against his thigh.

"That’s why... two years ago, instead of bringing you into the family, I convinced myself that leaving you out was the better choice. That keeping you away from the fire would somehow protect you."

He looked up at her again, the words raw and open.

"But maybe all I’ve ever done is run. And every time I run, I hurt the people I love. Maybe I really am just a selfish jerk."

He gave a weak laugh. But it didn’t hold.

Then, finally, the weight of it all sank into his shoulders. His back slouched slightly, his hand slid from hers and dropped onto his lap, fingers curling into a loose, tired fist.

"I’m tired, Lunara."

His voice was barely above a whisper. "Tired of pretending I know what I’m doing. Tired of carrying things that never seem to go away."

He turned his head toward her, his expression stripped bare. "I don’t know how to be the person everyone expects anymore."

Lunara watched him quietly.

"And if I keep trying," he added, "I think I’ll lose what little is left of me."

Eryx exhaled, eyes unfocused. "Maybe I should just stop trying."

Lunara’s head turned sharply. "What?"

"I mean it," he said, barely blinking. "Everything I touch turns to a mess. With Lucas. With the company. With you."

"So your solution is to give up?" Lunara’s voice rose, sharper now. "Again?"

His brows furrowed, but he stayed silent.

"Is that all you do when you’re tired? You run. You shut down. You walk away before anyone can stop you."

Eryx’s hands curled tightly at his sides, breath uneven. "Because that’s all I’ve ever fucking had!"

The words tore out of him, raw and ragged.

"Do you think I want to be like this? Do you think I like being the guy who runs? Who breaks things just by trying to hold them together?!" He laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "Every time I tried to choose myself, someone else paid the price. Lucas. You. Maybe anyone around me."

His voice cracked, and when he looked at her, his eyes were burning. "I don’t know how to stay when I’m falling apart. I was never taught that. I only know how to keep going until it crushes me, or leave before it does."

His voice cracked, and when he looked at her, his eyes were burning.

"I don’t know how to stay when I’m falling apart. I was never taught that. I only know how to keep going until it crushes me, or leave before it does."

He looked away, chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.

"So yeah. Maybe I will run. Because if I stay, I don’t know who I’ll become."

The silence between them was thick, suffocating.

Then, without another word, Eryx started the car again and it roared forward, tires hissing against the empty road.

They didn’t speak for the rest of the drive.

The car pulled to a slow stop in front of the mansion, its grand silhouette looming against the night sky.

"Get out," he said quietly, the weight of everything still clinging to his voice.

Lunara blinked. "No."

"Lunara," he said, sharper now, finally turning to her. "Please. Just go inside."

She didn’t move. "You’re upset. You shouldn’t be alone."

"I need to be alone," he said, jaw tight. "Just tonight."

Still, she didn’t budge. So with a short breath of frustration, Eryx got out of the car, walked around to her side, and opened the door.

"Eryx—" she started, but he wasn’t listening anymore.

Before she could stop him, he bent down, slipped his arms beneath her legs and back, and lifted her effortlessly from the seat. She gasped in surprise, her hands instinctively clutching his shoulders.

"What are you doing?!"

"Making sure you’re safe," he muttered, already heading toward the front door.

"Put me down!" she demanded, squirming slightly but there was no anger in her voice, only confusion.

He didn’t answer. He just carried her in silence, step after steady step until they reached the front door.

Eryx gently set her down on the doorstep. His hands lingered for a second, a thumb brushing her wrist like he didn’t want to let go.

Then he turned around without a word, walked back to the car, and got in.

"Eryx," she called after him, but the door had already slammed shut.

The engine started again. The taillights lit up red against the driveway stones.

And then, he was gone.

Lunara stood there, heart thudding, staring after the disappearing lights until the silence returned and swallowed everything whole.

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