[5 YEARS AGO.]

"Justin, please... Just open the door," Daniel said in a desperate tone, wanting his brother to open the door for him. "You barely ate these past few days. You know it's not good for your baby," he continued as he put his forehead against the door.

Silence.

Justin didn't heed his brother's request to open the door.

He could care less about his own health. Heck, he even forgot that he also has to take care of his unborn child..

Daniel waited for a few more minutes and sighed when Justin showed no sign of opening the door anytime.

He left without saying a word and took the master key from their parents' drawer to open Justin's room.

The sound of the doorknob clicking was heard, but Justin didn't mind it.

He was too tired to even care about what was going on around him.

At the moment, he just wanted to disappear.

'If Tristan isn't here anymore, then... why am I still here?' he thought, staring blankly into the air.

As unpleasant as his thought was, it was normal for omegas to feel and think that way when they are separated from their fated mate.

Being separated from their fated mates is worse for omegas because studies show that most omegas who are far from their alphas might even commit suicide if they don't see their alphas within a month.

Justin, at the moment, was thinking about what his purpose was. He didn't see the need to exist anymore, thinking that it will all be useless if the man he loves isn't next to him.

'I should just disappear,' he thought.

Daniel's heart broke when he saw his brother's situation.

He was under his pile of clothes that still smelled of Tristan from the time that they were still living together. Although the scent of the alpha's pheromones on Justin's clothes has gotten fainter than it was before, Justin thought it was better than nothing.

He knew that Tristan wouldn't be able to be by his side and that the only thing he could do to feel comforted and less anxious is to surround himself with things that smell like his alpha.

He was quivering a lot under the pile of clothes and he looked very scared that Tristan isn't next to him.Omegas who are apart from their alphas get very anxious, especially those who have met their fated alphas even if they haven't bonded yet. To calm themselves even a bit, they collect their alpha's things that smell like them and build a nest using those things. That way, they'd become less anxious and feel like their alpha is with them.

Justin is doing the same thing right now. Although instead of using Tristan's clothes, he used his clothes instead because they still smelled a bit like Tristan.

Daniel was witnessing the worst part of being an omega.

Justin reminded him of his past lover whom he couldn't satisfy because he was a beta.

She looked just like Justin right now—anxious, confused, and scared.

His heart ached for his brother as he watched him handle this situation all alone without asking for help.

It's not that Justin didn't want to ask for help, though. He just knew that even if he did, no one aside from Tristan would be able to help him.

The cure for his suffering is the cause of his suffering itself.

[BACK TO PRESENT.]

"That wasn't the only way he has suffered back then," Daniel said as his voice shook a bit, remembering how Justin was before.

"People pointed their fingers at him, talked behind his back, and called him a useless omega. Some kept saying that he's an alpha's living sex toy and that's why he was abandoned when he got pregnant. Justin swallowed it all and kept smiling even though their words pierced through him," he said as he gritted his teeth.

"He was also forced to go through C-section in giving birth because if he didn't, he would be risking his life and the twins' lives. Giving birth left a permanent scar on his body and you know what? That wasn't even the bad part about it," he continued as he looked at Tristan.

"The bad part is... the moment he opened his eyes again from giving birth, the first person he was looking for was..." Daniel paused for a while as he felt his heart ache, remembering how desperate Justin looked at the time.

"... you," he continued.

Tristan felt even worse.

Daniel wasn't guilt-tripping him at all. After Daniel knew that Tristan didn't really know anything, the alpha asked him for the details and he's just telling him how his brother has suffered before.

"Even though he acted like he was okay before he gave birth, the moment I heard your name from his mouth when he regained consciousness, I knew he still loved you," Daniel said and sighed. "I knew my brother had lovers before you, but he never acted that way because of them. That was the first time I've ever seen him so miserable. It even seemed like he lost his will to live at the time but was just forced to see through things because of the twins," he continued as he lowered his head.

Tristan was already on the verge of tears just from listening to Daniel's story.

That wasn't even half of what Justin had to go through, yet he couldn't bear hearing more of those.

"He didn't deserve any of those. Justin is one of the best people I know. He deserves all the best in the world and yet... he went through something so horrible," said Daniel, his voice shrinking bit by bit.

When he looked up to see Tristan's face, he was taken aback by what he saw. Tristan was already crying, feeling terrible that Justin had to go through all of those things all by himself.

He kept blaming himself in his mind that if he just communicated well with him, then something like that wouldn't have happened. And that if he was with him, things could have turned differently.

What's worse is how he never knew any of those and he just approached Justin as if nothing happened. He courted the omega again without knowing anything about him from five years ago.

He felt even more terrible when he remembered that Justin practically begged him not to leave him again back when they were at the club.

"Goddamn it..." Tristan mumbled as he clenched his jaw and covered his eyes with his hand.

"After hearing all that, do you think I can still trust you with my brother?" Daniel asked, trying to challenge Tristan.

He knew that it wasn't his fault for getting into an accident, but a part of him still despised Tristan for hurting his brother.

Tristan remained quiet, not because he couldn't answer Daniel's question, but because he knew that his voice would shake and that it might even crack as he speaks.

He raised his other hand a bit, telling Daniel to wait for a while.

He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I don't think you'd want to trust me after that. Even I hate myself for making Justin go through all those. But..." the alpha swallowed hard before speaking again. "I know I can do better... No, I will do my best to make him happy. I'll give him all the best things the world could ever offer, and the same goes for my kids," Tristan said in a determined manner.

Daniel remained quiet and just observed Tristan's way of speaking and his facial expressions. 'He doesn't seem to be making empty promises, but...' he thought

"You've already said almost the same thing before. You said you wouldn't hurt my brother and that you wouldn't make him cry. What makes you think I'd still allow you to stay by his side after you broke your promise before?" Daniel said as he raised his brow.

"You'll let me stay because we've already bonded."

What Tristan said made Daniel's ears perk. He didn't hear about anything like that from Justin since he didn't even know that they were together again.

He was beyond shocked by what the alpha said. He knew there was no way he could ever separate the two, given that they've already bonded. If he does, then Justin might go through something worse than before.

Just thinking about what would happen if Tristan left Justin again made Daniel's heart ache.

He laughed in defeat and said, "Fine. You got me."

"You know what? I was actually planning on beating you into a pulp. If you didn't say that you got into an accident, I would have been charged for attempted murder," Daniel said in a serious manner without even a hint of joking in his tone.

Tristan swallowed hard as he looked at Daniel's arms.

He knew that he could take him on if they ever got into a fight, but he still doesn't want to fight back because he's Justin's brother.

"If you screw up again this time, you might not see the sunrise again," Daniel said as he patted Tristan's shoulder.

"I'll leave my brother in your care."