COUGH! COUGHH! AGHH!
BOSSSS!!!!!!
AGHH!!
Zack's consciousness slammed back into his body jolting up in shock. His throat burned as he coughed violently, blood spattering onto the sand beneath him. The rough taste of blood filled his mouth. His chest heaved with each ragged breath, pain radiating through his ribs, poking his body from the inside.
Subordinate Woman moved beside him instantly, her hand rubbing his back trying to ease out his pain. The warmth of her touch cut through the haze of pain, grounding him to the reality. "Boss, are you okay?" Her voice came out urgently but with laced with concern that wrapped around him like a blanket.
Her hands and words pulled him back to reality. Zack blinked hard, trying to clear the fog from his vision. He looked around, and the sight that greeted him made his stomach drop.
Bodies…..Lots of Bodies everywhere!!
Dead people scattered across the sand arena like broken dolls. The crowd that had been roaring just moments ago was gone, vanished into thin air. Only silence remained…... Lurvi floated above Subordinate Woman, her watchful eyes look out for any surprise attack. And there, in front of him, Nat knelt in the sand, her eyes swimming with tears that caught the dim light of the underground arena.
She looked at him like her world was ending.
AGHHH!
Zack's tried to stand up but his strength gave out. His knees buckled and hit the sand with a dull thud, sending fresh jolts of pain through his battered body. Subordinate Woman moved fast, catching him before he could collapse completely. Her arms wrapped around him, steadying his weight. His head came to rest on her shoulder, the soft fabric of her clothing brushing against his cheek. His chest pressed against the sides of her breast, and his hand fell naturally onto her thigh, the warmth of her skin seeping through the thin material.
From this position, he could see Nat clearly. Her face was a mask of anguish.
For a moment, no one said anything. The silence stretched between them like a chasm, filled with everything they couldn't say and everything they were too afraid to speak out loud.....
.
"Tsk! Let go."
Zack tried to push himself up again, to move away from the comfort of Subordinate Woman's embrace. His muscles protested, but he forced them to obey. He needed to get away. He needed space to think, to breathe, to not feel the weight of Nat's broken stare boring into him.
Nat's eyes went wide with panic. Her hand jerked forward, reaching for him, but it stopped in mid-air. Her fingers trembled, suspended between them like she was frozen in time. Her knees refused to give her the strength to stand. Tears streamed down her face in steady rivers, and her mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out. Only silence….. Only the crushing weight of everything left unsaid.
Zack was halfway to standing when Subordinate Woman's hand shot out and grabbed him. She pulled him back into her embrace with surprising strength, and his face met her shoulder softly. The impact was gentle, cushioned by her body, but it stopped him cold.
"Boss, don't go.... Listen to her!" Subordinate Woman's voice came out soft, but there was a strong command underneath... A quiet command wrapped in kindness for her Boss, she knew if he walks away now then there will be huge consequences to their relationship and she don't want that!!
Zack's eyes caught on something that made his chest tighten with guilt. Marks!!!!!….. On Subordinate Woman's cheeks and neck. The shapes of his fingertips were still visible, red impressions on her skin where he'd grabbed her in his fury. He bit his lip hard, tasting blood again. "Sorry, I…"
"It's okay, Boss. I'm happy, since you're fine!" Subordinate Woman patted his back gently, refusing to let him finish the apology. Her fingers pressed against his spine in a rhythm meant to soothe, to calm the storm raging inside him.
Zack let out a long breath and turned his gaze back to Nat. She was still kneeling there; her body wrapped in a blanket that did little to cover her properly. Through a gap in the fabric, he caught a glimpse of her naked belly, the soft skin exposed to the air.
Anger flared in his chest again, not for her but for himself!! Because he failed to protect the one, he loved dearly! Yes, he was angry at her but that doesn't mean he don't care about her!
"BOSS, calm down!" Subordinate Woman's grip on him tightened. Her other hand found his, lacing their fingers together with firm pressure. "Princess is fine, please don't worry... she isn't hurt anywhere. Calm down..." She kept patting his back, kept speaking in that low, soothing voice. Her words were carefully chosen, each one designed to bring his emotions back from the edge.
Zack forced himself to breathe. In and out. In and out.... His pulse hammered in his ears, but slowly, the red haze began to clear.
"Phewwwww...…." He exhaled hard and after calming down asked a question which hurt him a lot from inside.
"Do you love Little Man?"
The question came out blunt, cutting through the tension between them with sharp edge.
"Aghh! NO!!" Nat shook her head violently, her hair whipping around her face. The denial was instant and full of desperation.
"Then why did you...why did you accept him?" Zack's voice dropped lower, even though he calmed down there was still a anger present, simmering just beneath the surface.
"I...I...I don't know. I was scared."
Silence fell again. The words hung in the air between them, their breathing hard with worry. Minutes passed. Neither of them moved.
Finally, Zack spoke again, and this time his voice cracked.
"Nat, I'm sorry. I accepted Rugged Woman into my life….. I already kissed Hazel to show my sincerity! I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before doing that!"
With Subordinate Woman's help, Zack knelt properly in the sand, facing Nat. His posture was formal, as he lowers his head to apologize. Subordinate Woman's eyes sparkled with happiness at his words, a small light of hope shining in the darkness.
But across from him, Nat shivered. Her entire body trembled like she'd been dunked in ice water. Her eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Zack like he'd just driven a blade through her heart. Her mind raced, thoughts spiralling out of control.
"WHAT??? DO YOU THINK WE'RE THE SAME?"
Zack's head snapped up, his gaze sharp and cutting through her thoughts. The intensity in his eyes was enough to wake Nat from her shock.
"ZACK, NOO...I..."
"I want her in my life, so I choose her….. Even though we were talking casually before….. didn't I say I'd be okay with you having other men in your life? And you said you'd only choose me. That...That you didn't need another man, right?"
Each word was a hammer blow. Nat flinched with every sentence.
"AGHHH...ZACK..." Nat bit her lip in frustration, the skin turning white under the pressure. She wanted to speak, needed to speak, but her inner feelings were trapped behind walls she didn't know how to break down.
"You knew I wouldn't say no if you loved him! BUT WHAT THE HELLLLLLL IS GOING ON?!! WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING WITH A MAN YOU DON'T LOVEEEEE?!!"
"NO, ZACK! I...I didn't sleep wit..!"
"THEN WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH THAT MAN?!!!!!!!!"
"UGHHH! SOBB! SOOBBB! ZACK, PLEASE!"
"BOSS!!" Subordinate Woman grabbed his hand, squeezing it hard trying to calm his raging emotions. "Shouting won't help. Please, Boss!"
She sighed, her chest rising and falling with the weight of what she was about to say. She recalled her own actions; the moments she and Hazel had crossed lines they shouldn't have. When she spoke again, her voice was steady but filled with truth.
"Weren't we the same, Boss? We tried to seduce you in the bath and many other times. We're guilty as well. Even though you weren't really doing anything, we still crossed the line. Don't be so harsh on Princess!"
Subordinate Woman's words were meant to calm him, to bring perspective to the chaos.
But Zack wasn't finished.
"You don't know what she's been doing all these years!!" He turned back to Nat, his voice rising again. "Fine! I accept I was wrong for not pushing you girls away that time! And I accept that I never said anything, that I never had the courage to speak! But now I can speak!!!!..... NAT, I'M VERY ANGRY AT YOU!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! YOU ALWAYS SPOKE ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU LOVE ME, BUT YOU...TSK!!"
Zack roared, his voice echoing across the empty arena. His fists clenched tight trying to control his anger with brute force…... "THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE NAT! YOU ALSO KNOW HOW YOU'VE ACTED ALL THESE YEARS. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO SPEAK IT OUT LOUD BECAUSE IT DISGUSTS ME TO THE CORE!"
His chest heaved with the force of his emotions. "I WAS SO GOOD TO YOU ALL THESE YEARS, AND THIS IS WHAT I GET IN RETURN? I MADE A MISTAKE, YES. BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME, NAT. THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!! WHAT ABOUT YOU?? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE HURT ME?"
Zack glared at her, and tears began to well in his own eyes. The anger was still there, but underneath it was something else... Pain...… Deep, aching pain that had been buried for far too long.
"I'M SORRY, ZACK! I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!! AGHHH! SOBB! SOBB..." Nat's voice broke completely. "I KNOW WHAT I DID! I WAS WRONG!! I LIVED A LIFE OF IGNORANCE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE TO PROVE MYSELF!"
She cried hard, her whole body shaking with sobs. Her hands clasped together and pressed against her mouth, trying to hold in the sounds of her grief. Her eyes pleaded with him through the tears, begging for mercy she wasn't sure she deserved.
"Nat, for all these years I was with you. But you never saw my love. You just blamed me, cursed me, and disrespected me. And I, a stupid person, just kept loving you without doing or saying anything. YOU SURE HAD A LOT OF FUN, RIGHT?"
Each word pierced her heart like an arrow. Nat's breathing became heavier and heavier, her chest rising and falling in irregular gasps.
"ZACK, PLEASE! I was wrong! I didn't realize how wrong I was! I will change myself! I will become a good woman! Please, just...AGHHH! SOBB! SOBB!"
"You know why I chose them to stay with me?" Zack's voice dropped to be a bit quieter, but no less intense. "Because in a few days' time, they've given me so much that I never got from you in all these years!!!!! All I can remember now is how hard I worked for you, to stay beside you. But you never let me stand beside you."
His voice cracked again, the vulnerability showing through the anger. "I worked hard, you know…... I learned a lot. I practiced a lot. So that one day you could proudly announce to the whole city that I'm your partner. But you..."
He turned to Subordinate Woman, his expression hardening. "Miss Subordinate, tell me the details of the meeting that everyone's been hiding from me. I want to know all of it. What she did in First Rock with that bastard."
"ZACK! NO, PLEASE!" Nat shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face in endless rivers.
Miss Subordinate looked between Zack's fierce gaze and Nat's crying face. She sighed deeply, the sound carrying the weight of everything she'd witnessed. Then she stood up and walked to the middle, positioning herself between them.
She sat down on her knees properly, her posture formal showing respect to both sides. She looked at Nat first.
"Princess, what you did was wrong. Did you accept your mistake?"
Subordinate Woman's voice was soft, but there was no judgment in it. Only the gentle prodding of someone trying to heal a wound.
Natalia looked at her and nodded heavily, her whole body moving with the motion.
Miss Subordinate then turned to Zack. "Boss, stop blaming her. You were also in the wrong, and you do realize that.... Stop hurting her with your words...... If you had spoken up before, this would never have happened. I'm aware you were pressured, but your lack of conviction also made Princess like this. Do you think if you'd scolded her at the start, she would be like this now?"
The question made him snap out of his anger. Zack looked at Nat's broken figure, crumpled in the sand like a discarded doll. His heart suddenly ached. The sharp pain in his chest wasn't physical anymore. It was something deeper, something that made him want to look away but couldn't.
He looked toward Miss Subordinate and nodded. Just a slight nod, but it was enough.
"Hmm, good." Miss Subordinate's expression softened. "And Hazel and I were also in the wrong. We approached you despite knowing Boss might have a woman in his life. We approached you with our own selfish intentions. We took advantage of Boss's kindness. And we were also wrong to approach Princess during her meeting without your permission. If we hadn't done that, then Boss would have explained to you properly about us."
She paused, letting the words sink in. Then she bowed deeply, her forehead nearly touching the sand.
"I'm sorry, Princess..... I'm sorry, Boss, also from Hazel's side...….. We are sorry!"
Miss Subordinate held the bow for a long moment. Zack and Nat both visibly tensed, the gesture catching them off guard. Nat's tears suddenly stopped, her hand clasping tighter as she watched. The apology hung in the air between the two people who were hesitating to forgive each other.
Miss Subordinate straightened up and looked at Zack again. "Boss, do you think sleeping with someone can increase their love for each other?"
"Agh..." Zack scratched his head, his fingers running through his hair in frustration. He glanced at Nat, and the only thing he could see now was her love for him. There was no doubt about how much she loved him. He could see it in every line of her face, in the way her eyes tracked his movements, in the way her body leaned toward him even as she stayed kneeling. But her past actions were still problematic. And when things had gotten this far, he didn't want to make things harder for Subordinate Woman and to the one woman who he loved for so long......
He decided to speak his mind. "No!!!!"
Subordinate Woman smiled at his answer then asked another question with a small curve of her lips that held hope for two of them.
"What do you see in Princess's eyes?"
Zack heard her question and looked directly at Nat's eyes. She looked back at him at the same time, and their gazes locked. The world around them seemed to fade. The sand, the bodies, the blood, all of it disappeared until there was nothing but the two of them and the space between.
Her eyes spoke volumes that her voice couldn't. Things she'd been trying to say, feelings she'd buried, truths she'd been too afraid to admit. Zack tried to contemplate her situation, to understand her feelings. Slowly, their stare deepened, looking past the surface and into each other's souls. They were trying to see the truth of each other's emotions, trying to remember the past they'd shared, trying to figure out a way to accept each other.
Because both of them knew they couldn't live without each other.
Both of them didn't want to make more mistakes.
So they shared their thoughts in low voices, words tumbling out between them in quiet confessions. Subordinate Woman listened without interrupting, her presence a steady anchor as Zack and Nat finally began to speak the things they'd kept hidden for so long.
The conversation unfolded slowly, each word carefully chosen. Zack spoke about the years he'd spent watching her from a distance, loving her while feeling like he wasn't enough. Nat spoke about her fears, about the pressure of her position, about how she'd built walls around herself without realizing she was locking him out. They talked about moments they'd shared, about misunderstandings that had grown into wounds, about the ways they'd hurt each other without meaning to.
Miss Subordinate sat between them, occasionally offering a word of guidance when the emotions threatened to spiral out of control again. She was the bridge, the neutral ground where their pain could meet without exploding into anger.
As they talked, something began to shift. The anger didn't disappear completely, but it softened around the edges. The pain was still there, but it was no longer the only thing filling the space between them. Understanding began to creep in small clump of gentle words.
Nat's tears continued to fall, but they were different now. Not just tears of grief and desperation, but tears of release. Of finally being heard….. Of finally being given a chance to explain her thoughts.
Zack's fists unclenched... His shoulders, which had been rigid with tension, began to relax just slightly. He was still angry, still hurt, but he was also listening.
They were far from okay. Far from healed. But they were talking. And for now, in this moment, that was enough...
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
I will not post any AI generated images of the chapters for this month. The reason???....Because I am very busy.....I barely have any time for writing and scheduling. Generating images takes more time, so I will just post chapters in Patreon just like in other websites. ( Already took the break for this....)
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