Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 188: Why won’t you tell me?

Chapter 188: Why won’t you tell me?

Knox paced the kitchen, the sound of his footsteps his only companion in the quiet house. It was late, and Azrael was still not home.

The evening had stretched into night, and Knox’s unease had grown with every passing hour. He picked up his phone for the tenth time that night, dialing Azrael’s number, but every time, his call was only directed to voicemail.

He started to wonder if he made the wrong choice of letting Azrael go. They had just spent the whole day happily but now, there was an unsettling feeling growing inside him already. Knox felt like every time he’d feel so happy, something wrong would happen.

It scared him. He pulled a chair on the dining table and his gaze darted to the digital clock on the kitchen cabinet. He tried calling Roy and his call was immediately connected.

"Sir Azrael probably can’t use the phone right now, Sir Knox. I will make sure to inform him that you called," Roy answered after Knox asked about Azrael’s whereabouts.

However, the bodyguard’s answer did not put him at ease. He sighed and answered, "Please, tell him, I’ll wait for him to call."

With that, he settled himself on the couch in the living room and decided to watch the television to keep him awake.

He was looking for a good channel to watch when his hands froze, and the remote stopped at the news about Elise Chen seen on the street disheveled and looking like a beggar. It showed a short video clip courtesy of a civilian who saw her in the street.

She was with a man, and now it was rumored that the guy was her lover. But Knox knew who it was. His expression darkened. He was about to change the channel when his phone rang. He quickly took it and sighed in relief seeing Azrael’s name on it.

"Azrael...dear, where are you?" Knox’s voice was tinged with concern. He turned off the television, his back straightened from the tension waiting for Azrael’s reply. He silently wished it wasn’t something dangerous.

"Hey," Azrael’s voice came through, strained and uneven. "I’m just finishing up something. I’ll be home soon, Knox. Don’t worry. Where is our little kid? Asleep already?"

Knox replied, pursing his lips and pretending like he didn’t hear the strangeness in Azrael’s tone. "Yes...come home quickly. I miss you."

A soft chuckle came from the other line, but it wasn’t enough to lift Knox’s heart from worry. There was something off, even if he couldn’t see his alpha, his instincts were telling him.

Knox tried to probe further, but Azrael’s curt responses and hurried assurances left him more unsettled.

"I have to go, dear. It would be best if you sleep now. Don’t wait for me," Azrael said before ending the call without waiting for Knox to return an answer.

How could I sleep when you sounded so...sad? What happened, Azrael? Why can’t you tell me? Knox thought, clutching the phone to his chest. He went to bed and lay beside Knoa, but even when the clock struck midnight, Azrael didn’t come home.

Azrael arrived at dawn. Knox’s shallow sleep was woken up by a cold hand caressing his face. His eyes fluttered open, and Azrael’s figure greeted him, seated on the edge of the bed, touching him.

Knox blinked. He caught his hand and wondered why it was cold and rough. Then Azrael’s whisper reached his ears, "Did I wake you? I’m sorry. Go back to sleep. It’s still dawn."

Knox grunted softly. He adjusted his eyes from the dim room lit only by the brightening sky due to the breaking dawn, and whispered back, asking, "Where have you been? Did you stay long outside? Your hands are cold."

Azrael smiled, "I just took a shower."

He came home with his hands covered and his clothes stained in dried blood. He didn’t want Knox to see him in that state, so he took a shower on his unit now occupied by the men he asked to protect his family.

Knox furrowed his brows, upset yet worried, "You just came home?"

"Mm. Go back to sleep, Knox," Azrael responded. He bent forward and planted a kiss on Knox’s forehead. He was about to stand when his hand was pulled forcefully.

Knox’s sleepiness disappeared when he finally saw why Azrael’s hands were rough. He sprung up and immediately turned the lamp on the bedside table, then he looked at Azrael with shocked eyes, "What happened to your hands?!"

The little bun under the cover beside Knox jolted. Azrael quickly leaned forward and patted Knoa’s tummy, scolding Knox gently, "Knox, lower your voice."

A hint of guilt flashed in the omega’s eyes but also vanished quickly after his gaze darted to the bruised hands of his alpha.

Knox stared at Azrael who obviously avoided his eyes. He felt aggrieved. So, he stood from the bed and went out of the room.

Azrael called out his name, but Knox ignored him. He went to the kitchen and was thinking of drinking a glass of water, but he just ended up staring at the fridge.

Azrael tried to follow Knox, but because he shouted his name forgetting about his son, Knoa jolted awake, his face scrunched and his lips turned downward, ready to cry from his broken slumber.

Azrael quickly gathered the child into his arms and lulled him back to sleep. He lay next to Knoa, and unwillingly, slowly, the events of that day wore him out, and soon he was snoring beside his son.

Knox went back to the bedroom after calming himself. He was upset that Azrael wasn’t telling him what was wrong and would rather choose to keep it all to himself.

When he saw him sleeping soundly beside their son, his disappointment disappeared, sensing how tired the alpha was. In the end, Knox just endured that unsettling feeling and lay next to the two, forcing himself to sleep again.

It was already nine in the morning when Knox woke up, but the spot next to them was already empty and had long lost its warmth, indicating that Azrael might have left early in the morning.

"Papa, I’m hungry..." Knoa grumbled, tugging on his Papa’s clothes.

Knox forced a smile and picked up Knoa, realizing the kid was already washed up. He asked him hurriedly, "Did Daddy help you wash up?"

Knoa responded cheerfully, "Yes! He cooked breakfast too but he said he needed to go to work so he left quickly. Then, he told me to wake you up if I get hungry. Papa, let’s eat..."

"Okay..."

The day passed without Azrael checking on them again. The growing uneasiness was beginning to swallow Knox whole, and he began showing his worries even to the child, prompting Knoa to look troubled and lose his lively demeanor.

Because of the strict security put on them by Azrael, and the matters about Elise Chen and Owen Mills haven’t been solved, Knox and Knoa had no choice but to stay inside their home, wasting their day watching and playing inside.

Knox sighed as he watched his child acting mature for a three-year-old, not even complaining about their lock-up situation.

He felt terrible as a father. He gazed outside, the day was bright, isn’t it a shame to just stay in their home doing nothing? Knox had decided. He called Azrael to inform him that he wanted to go somewhere.

"Sir, it would be best to stay home in these times. We don’t know when will Elise Chen send someone to follow you again," Roy answered.

Knox felt somewhat annoyed. He called Azrael, yet Roy was the one who answered. What the hell is happening?!

He pursed his lips and let out a frustrated sigh afterward. Then, he replied to the bodyguard indignantly, "What’s the point of having us tail with six of your men if they’re so incapable of protecting us outside?"

He knew he was being unreasonable. But staying at home with just the two of them for three consecutive days already started to suffocate him. He ended the call without waiting for Roy’s answer and decided to pack some things for Knoa’s needs.

After that, he stepped outside his unit, bumping into two men in black standing outside his unit. One spoke to him, "Sir, Mr. Del Valle didn’t permit us to let you out of the—

"So, he calls you but can’t even be bothered to call us?" Knox spat; he hid the hurt in his eyes by averting them away. He then walked away no matter how the two tried to stop him. "Tell him we’re visiting a friend’s café. All of you can follow us. Surely, with the six of you watching us, nothing will happen, right?"

Knox didn’t wait for an answer. He strode to the lift carrying Knoa who remained silently, probably sensing his Papa’s irritable mood.

The bodyguards hastened their steps and followed him, exchanging troubled looks.

The father and son visited Franz and Alex, and Knoa, visibly delighted at their little outing, became invigorated once again. Knox sighed in relief. He sat at one table, watching his son chat with some of the staff on break, despite the looks they were getting from a few customers.

For a moment, the lively place along with his son’s laughter, made him forget of Azrael and his worries.