My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 137: Of Love, Lust And Image (BC)

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3rd Person’s Pov

Adrien opened his mouth, trying to steady himself, even though the floor felt a bit wobbly under his feet. Vanessa’s words rang sharply in the room, but he managed to keep his voice steady, not letting on just how guilt and panic were twisting in his chest.

"Vanessa, you’re reading too much into this," he said, running a hand through his hair, almost hoping it would buy him a moment to regroup. "It’s not—this isn’t what you think, okay? You’re twisting things around, I’m not even..."

He trailed off, the words ’I’m not even gay.’ stuck in his throat.

But even he could hear how weak his excuses sounded. He wasn’t lying, not out loud, at least—but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. Because if she figured it out it was true, that he loved Noah, then...

Noah would find out.

And he just couldn’t let that happen.

Not when Noah was already started to meet his gaze without flinching. Not when he no longer despised Adrien.

But Vanessa didn’t give him a chance to deflect again.

"Stop it," she snapped, her voice cracking under the weight of her anger. "Just stop your bullshit, Adrien!"

He blinked, taken aback by the force behind her words as she stepped closer, gripping her robe like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

"I’ve been by your side for years," she shouted, her voice shaking so much it startled even her. "Years, Adrien! Waiting for you to look at me the way you look at her. Waiting for you to love me, to adore me like I..." Her breath caught, shoulders trembling. "Like I adored you."

Adrien’s expression faltered, the shock settling into his chest before he could hide it. She... loved him? He had always thought it was just infatuation, boredom, or habit—but love? She kept going, unaware of how frozen he felt inside.

"What does that useless loser have that I don’t?!" Vanessa demanded, tears streaming down her face now. "What?! Tell me! Because I’ve tried everything...everything to get you to see me. And you just... you refuse. You won’t even try. You won’t even look at me!"

Adrien opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Vanessa pressed her palm against her forehead, shaking with frustration. "We’re perfect for each other," she cried. "Everyone says it. We’ve always been perfect for each other. So why—why can’t you see that? Why am I not enough for you?!"

He stared at her, the weight of her confession settling heavily between them. He had heard confessions before, lust, admiration, desire—but this one hit differently. It cut through the chaos in his mind like a knife, leaving him stunned.

Vanessa loved him. And she had been waiting for something he was never going to give.

No, she to be feeding him some bullshit to get her way as she tends to do.

His gaze turned hard as she continued to ramble through her tears, her voice rising, cracking, unraveling.

"Vanessa," he muttered, rubbing his forehead, frustration and guilt battling in his chest. "Just stop—"

But she couldn’t hear him. Her emotions were spinning too fast.

"You’re throwing yourself at some guy who doesn’t even want you!" she screamed, stepping toward him again. "Noah hates you! He’ll always hate you! And you’re going to ruin everything—everything—for someone who will never love you back and is dating someone else!"

"Vanessa," he said again, his tone sharper this time, but she barreled over him as if she didn’t hear.

"He’ll never be what I am to you! You don’t even see him clearly, Adrien! You’re obsessed—"

"Vanessa, stop—"

"He will never want you the way I—"

"Vanessa."

"—love you!"

His breath hitched.

Her voice trembled with the weight of a confession she couldn’t take back, but she kept spilling it out.

"And you still look at him like he hung the moon. Why? What’s so special about him, huh? Why do you—"

"Vanessa, stop."

But she didn’t.

Adrien’s jaw clenched so tight a muscle twitched. The pressure in his chest built up until it was almost unbearable. He lost his patience.

"Vanessa!" he roared.

The word erupted in the room like a force of nature.

Vanessa froze, mid-breath, her lips parted, eyes wide with shock. Her chest heaved as silence slammed down between them.

Adrien stood there, tense, breath heavy, like someone who had lost control for just a heartbeat too long.

The echo of his shout hung in the air, sharp and unsteady, as if the room itself didn’t know how to settle.

Vanessa’s lips trembled, but for the first time since starting her outburst, she didn’t say another word.

Adrien dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply, as if her declaration had scraped something raw inside him. When he finally met her gaze again, his expression was no longer angry—it was just tired. Deeply, painfully tired.

"How could you possibly love me?" he asked quietly, the edge in his voice sharp but not loud. The softness of the question cut deeper than any shout could. "What do you even know about love, Vanessa?"

She blinked rapidly, still reeling from his earlier shout, stammering, "I—I just told you. I—"

He stepped closer, raising a hand to stop her, the movement firm and final.

"Do you think I’m fucking dumb?" he asked, voice low but steady, every word carefully chosen. "Do you think I’m dumb enough to believe that? That you love me?"

Vanessa flinched, her lip quivering as she opened her mouth to defend herself, but Adrien cut her off again, the intensity in his gaze pinning her in place.

"You want to know why I never acknowledged your... feelings?" he continued, the word "feelings" tasting bitter on his tongue. "Why I kept things between us the way they were? No strings and no expectations."

Vanessa swallowed hard, clutching her robe tighter around herself, like it could give her some protection against what he was about to say.

"It’s because you don’t love me," Adrien said, his jaw tightening as he spoke the truth she had been dodging for years. "That’s the simple answer. You never did."

"That’s not true," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Adrien, I do—"

"No, you don’t," he replied sharply, shaking his head. "You love the idea of me. You love what being with me gives you." He gestured vaguely toward the door, where the thumping music from downstairs could be heard. "The attention, the status, the label. Being with me made you untouchable at school, it kept you at the top. That’s what you want."

Vanessa shook her head fiercely, tears flowing fast now. "That’s not fair. You don’t know what I want—"

"Don’t I?" he challenged, stepping closer, making her breath hitch. "If you loved me, really loved me, you’d have actually tried to know me. Not the version of me you show off to your friends. Not the rumors. Not the image."

He pointed at himself, the gesture sharp. "Me. Who I am, what I am. What I’ve been through."

Vanessa’s eyes darted away, guilt flickering across her face.

Adrien’s voice softened, but painfully so. "You never asked me a damn thing that mattered. Not once. Everything you cared about was how we looked together when we walked down the hallway. How good we were in bed. How rich my family is. How many girls envied you."

"No," Vanessa cried, struggling to get the words out. "No, that’s not...it wasn’t like that, Adrien. I did try—I swear I did. You just—you never opened up to me."

He let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh, but there was no humor in it—only resignation. "You didn’t try, Vanessa. You asked me what car I drove. You asked what outfit I’d wear to your birthday party. You asked me to send you pictures when you were bored. You asked if I’d ditch class to hook up."

Her tears fell faster, her breathing erratic. "I wanted to know more," she insisted weakly. "You just never let me—"

"You never pushed," Adrien said firmly. "You never cared enough to push. But Noah—"

He cut himself off so suddenly his throat tightened. Vanessa’s eyes lit up at the name, fury and devastation colliding in her gaze.

Adrien turned away, rubbing the back of his neck like he needed another barrier between the truth and his voice. "Forget it."

Vanessa wasn’t letting up.

"No," she whispered, stepping forward even though she looked unsteady. "Don’t you dare walk away from that. What about the love of your life, Noah?"

Adrien remained silent.

He couldn’t.

The silence was thick and suffocating, and Vanessa’s breathing turned into shaky gasps. She whispered again, "Adrien, look at me. Please."

His jaw tightened, refusing.

"I did try to know you," she called out, stepping closer. "I tried in the only ways I knew how. I thought you liked things simple. I thought it was what you wanted. I thought it was enough. I thought I—"

She choked on her words, covering her mouth with her hand as if she could hold back everything spilling out of her.

"How could you say this to me?" she whispered, brokenhearted.