Chapter 43: #FORTY-THREE

NICHOLAS’S POV

I looked around the tiny living room once more, convinced I had simply remembered it wrong.

No.

I wasn’t crazy. Everything looked exactly the same as the first time I’d visited... except for the portrait. I distinctly remembered Jayden picking it up with a smile, dusting the frame with the sleeve of his hoodie before proudly introducing me to the older brother he spoke so fondly about. It had been impossible to miss. Yet now, the spot where it once stood was completely empty.

"Jayden..." I called carefully, not wanting to sound accusing. "The picture... the one you showed me the last time I was here."

His tired eyes slowly followed my gaze until they landed on the empty cabinet. For a brief second, something unreadable crossed his face before he lowered his head. "The portrait?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah." I forced out a small smile, trying to keep the atmosphere light. "I actually wanted to show Elijah what your brother looked like."

The room became quiet and I waited for him to say something. Anything at all to explain what was happening.

Could Elijah be right about Jayden?

Jayden’s fingers tightened around the blanket draped over his shoulders before he let out a shaky breath. "It’s gone."

"What do you mean... gone?" I asked, confusion clouding my features.

"A few days ago..." His voice cracked. "There was... a small fire."

I frowned. "A fire?"

He nodded weakly, wiping beneath his nose before coughing into his fist. "The kitchen. It wasn’t anything huge, but... by the time I noticed, the smoke had already spread into the living room. Some things were ruined before I could put it out." His gaze drifted back toward the empty cabinet. "The portrait was one of them."

Oh.

My lips parted, but no words came out.

"I tried to save it." He laughed bitterly, though it sounded more like another cough. "I really did. The frame shattered and... the picture..." His breathing became uneven. "It burned before I could pull it out." His eyes slowly filled with tears. "That..." He swallowed hard. "That was the only picture I had left of my brother."

The last sentence barely escaped his mouth before he covered his face with one hand, his shoulders trembling despite his attempt to stop himself. Watching him break down like that made every doubt inside me hesitate. Nobody would cry over a lie like this... would they?

"I’m... sorry," I whispered, immediately regretting bringing it up. "I didn’t know."

He shook his head. "You couldn’t have. It’s totally fine."

"I shouldn’t have asked."

"No... it’s okay." He sniffled, forcing another weak smile that only made him look worse. "People always tell me I should move on anyway."

I lowered my eyes, guilt settling low in my stomach. Maybe we’d made a mistake coming here. Maybe we’d allowed fear to turn an innocent person into a suspect simply because a few clues happened to point in his direction.

Then Elijah spoke, his voice gruff and irritated from beside me. "I’ve had enough."

The coldness in his voice made me look up immediately, but he wasn’t looking at me nor paying any attention to me, he was staring directly at Jayden.

"What?" Jayden asked weakly.

"I said I’ve had enough." Elijah snapped, his voice cracking like a whip across the space.

The room seemed to go silent at the command in his voice.

Elijah took a slow step forward, his eyes never leaving Jayden’s face. "Every single answer you give sounds perfect. It’s almost stupid."

Jayden blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"The picture burned?" Elijah let out a hoarse laugh.

"It did." Jayden looked at me for a second, before turning to Elijah, the confusion still evident on his face.

"The fire was convenient. I have to give you props for that." Elijah waved a finger at him.

"It wasn’t convenient—"

"You happened to give Nicholas a hoodie that nearly killed him." Elijah snapped.

Jayden’s face immediately paled. "I didn’t—"

"And another hoodie with the exact same scent was left behind by the person who broke into our house."

"I don’t know anything about that." Jayden looked very uncomfortable now.

Elijah didn’t back down. "You expect us to believe that?"

"I swear, I don’t."

"You just happened to own both hoodies." Elijah threw his head back with a laugh that was anything but humorous.

"They belonged to my brother!" Jayden raised his voice for the first time before another violent cough interrupted him. He bent over, coughing so hard he had to grip the arm of the couch for support.

I instinctively stepped toward him. "Jayden—"

"I’m fine..." he managed between coughs.

Elijah didn’t move. If anything, his expression hardened. "You know what I think?" he said quietly. "I think you’re smarter than you look."

Jayden slowly straightened, breathing heavily. "I don’t understand."

"I think every time Nicholas gets close to finding the truth, you suddenly become the victim."

Jayden stared at him in disbelief. "You think... I’m pretending to be sick?"

Elijah’s voice hardened into steel. "I think you’re pretending about a lot of things."

His breathing became heavier. "I haven’t lied to him."

"No?"

"No." Jayden shook his head.

Elijah crossed his arms. "You’ve never entered our mansion?"

"No!" Jayden’s eyes widened, like he couldn’t believe anyone could think this of them.

"You’ve never watched him?" Elijah pointed to me.

Jayden shook his head. "No!"

Elijah kept the questions coming, each one more accusing than the last. "And you’ve never followed him?"

"No. I have never done that"

"You’ve never sent him those pictures?"

"I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT PICTURES YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!" Jayden snapped as he stood there breathing hard, his face flushed with fever, tears clinging stubbornly to his eyes.

Then he coughed again, the sound so loud that his entire body shook from the force of it.

I reached out to steady him, but Elijah caught my wrist before I could. "Don’t."

I stared at him. "He’s sick." I hissed.

"Or he’s acting."

Before I could react, Elijah crossed the distance between them in two quick strides and grabbed a fistful of Jayden’s shirt, dragging him upright so abruptly that the blanket slipped from his shoulders.

"Elijah!" I shouted.

"You think we’re stupid?" Elijah shouted, his voice echoing through the tiny apartment. "Do you have any idea what Nicholas has been through because of you?"

"I didn’t do anything!" Jayden pleaded.

"The hoodie!" Elijah reminded him.

"It belonged to my brother!"

"And the poison?!"

"I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS POISON!" His voice cracked completely and tears spilled freely down his cheeks as another coughing fit overtook him. "I didn’t know..." he rasped.

"You liar!"

"Stop it!" I yelled, grabbing Elijah’s arm with both hands. "Stop!"

He barely moved.

"Elijah, let him go!" I shook him hard.

"I want the truth!" Elijah sounded pissed.

"He’s sick! You fucking bastard!" I grunted, trying to pull him off.

"I don’t care!"

"I do!" I shoved him with everything I had. For a second, he refused to budge. Then he finally released Jayden’s shirt.

Jayden stumbled backward immediately, collapsing against the couch while clutching at his chest, coughing so violently that it sounded painful just to listen to.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted, standing between them before Elijah could take another step. "Can’t you see the state he’s in?"

"He could be fooling you." Elijah was breathing heavily but not a hair was out of place.

"And if he isn’t?!" I asked, anger dripping in every word.

"He—"

"If he isn’t, then what?" My voice shook with anger. "You just came into his house and attacked someone who’s burning with fever because you decided he’s guilty before hearing him out!"

"He almost got you killed!" Elijah ran a hand through his hair. "Why are you defending him?"

"We don’t even know that!"

"I know enough." Elijah turned to me finally.

"No, you don’t!" I snapped. "You think you do!"

Neither of us spoke for several seconds. Behind me, Jayden was still coughing. I turned around immediately and knelt beside him. "I’m so sorry," I whispered. "I’m... I’m really sorry."

Jayden couldn’t even answer. He simply shook his head weakly while trying to catch his breath.

I closed my eyes for a moment. "I think we should leave."

Elijah didn’t argue, he simply stared at me as I walked toward the door. "Nicholas."

I ignored him.

"Nicholas!"

I opened the door.

"Nicholas, wait." He hurried after me.

Without looking back, I stepped outside. By the time Elijah caught up with me, I’d already made it halfway down the stairs.

"Nick."

"Don’t." I cut him off.

"I was trying to protect you. You know that."

I stopped walking and slowly, I turned to face him. My chest was rising and falling so fast it hurt. "Protect me?" I laughed bitterly. "By manhandling someone who could barely stand?"

"You don’t understand—"

"No." I cut him off sharply. "You don’t understand."

He fell silent.

"If Jayden is guilty, we’ll find out." My eyes burned as I looked at him. "But if he’s innocent..." I shook my head. "He’ll remember today for the rest of his life."

"I..."

"I’ve never been more disappointed in you." I shook my head, body shaking with anger.

"Nicholas—"

"I hate you." The words left my mouth before I could stop them and his expression paled instantly.

And goddess help me, I truly did.