Unbroken: A Love That Defies the World – by L.J. Hart – Chapter 6: Silent Cries

Unbroken: A Love That Defies the World – by L.J. Hart – Chapter 6: Silent Cries

The following week was like walking through a minefield. Every hallway felt heavier. Every glance felt sharper. The whispers were louder now, no longer contained behind hands and half-closed doors.

That’s him.
The fag.
He’s disgusting.
His father’s going to disown him.

Ethan had always feared being exposed, but now that it was happening, the fear was different — raw, wild, and overwhelming. It wasn’t the exposure that hurt most, but how easily the world turned against him. People he thought were friends had gone silent. Some avoided eye contact altogether. Others smirked as he walked past, eager to enjoy his humiliation.

The hardest part was pretending everything was fine at home.

His father didn’t know. Yet.

But Ethan could feel it coming. Like a storm creeping over the horizon, promising destruction. There were questions now — questions he dodged with careful lies.

“You’ve been quiet lately, son.”
“School’s stressful.”
“You’re always out.”
“Studying.”

The walls of his world were tightening, pressing in on him from every side. And no matter how close Nathan held him after school, no matter how sweet his kisses, there was a piece of Ethan that was starting to suffocate.

One night, after yet another day of cold stares and whispers, Ethan stood beneath the cold spray of his shower, letting the water sting against his skin like penance. His hands trembled as he braced himself against the tile, his breath shallow and ragged.

Why does it have to hurt so much?

He wasn’t ashamed of Nathan — not for a second. But he was drowning under the weight of everyone else’s shame.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed from where it rested on the counter. A message.

Come over. I need you.
—Nathan.

The moment he saw it, something inside him cracked. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He needed Nathan. Desperately.

Nathan opened the door before Ethan could even knock. One look at him — his pale face, his red-rimmed eyes — and Nathan pulled him inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

Without a word, Ethan collapsed into Nathan’s embrace, his shoulders shaking, silent sobs wracking his body.

Nathan stroked his back, whispering soothing words into his hair. “I’ve got you. Let it out, baby. You don’t have to hide with me.”

Ethan couldn’t stop the tears. Weeks of tension, of fear, of helplessness poured out of him all at once.

Nathan gently guided him toward the bed, lowering him down with care. He kissed the tears from Ethan’s cheeks, his touch gentle, reverent.

“I’m here,” he whispered. “I’ll always be here.”

Their lips met, not in hunger this time, but in desperate need for comfort. For reassurance. Ethan clung to Nathan as if letting go would shatter him completely.

The kisses deepened, their bodies moving in sync, seeking release not in lust, but in a craving for connection—skin against skin, hearts pounding together. Nathan undressed him slowly, tenderly, like unwrapping something precious, whispering soft praises between every touch.

“You’re so beautiful when you let yourself be vulnerable.”
“You don’t have to be strong for me.”
“I love every piece of you.”

The words made Ethan ache in a way he couldn’t explain. As their bodies tangled together, the world outside faded, replaced by the rhythmic cadence of breathing, moans, and soft whispers. Nathan was his sanctuary — the only place where Ethan didn’t have to pretend.

As they climaxed together, Ethan let out a quiet, broken sob — not of shame, but of release.

He wasn’t broken. He was simply… tired.

And Nathan, like always, held him through the storm.

——————–

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