Joseph heard the words but it didn't seem to make any sense.

While his befuddled mind was trying to make sense of what Kyle was saying, Kyle was still ranting on, "If I told you once, I told you a million times. Why can't you get it? It's not that we're trying to control you or dictate what you do, but you tend to do things without thinking."

"You always are trying so hard to show that you're an adult, that you can do it, but you have yet to prove it," Kyle stated in frustration, "Your thoughts and actions are still so immature. Can't you understand that?"

"You always feel passionately about something, but most of the time, you don't carry it through! Like badminton. Wanting the best racket, and playing like crazy. Injuring yourself and all that but after a year? Done."

"Same with guitar. Playing PubG. Whatever!"

"And getting married is a prime example! Doing it without telling your parents? Hiding it? What's going on in that mind of yours?! Do you think getting married is just about being with the one you love?! How naive is that?!"

"Or what? You just want to be able to f*ck legally? No guilt whatsoever, is that it?!"

"KYLE REXINGTON SMITH!" Kay screamed, wanting to rush at Kyle but was held back by Joseph.

"Shut up! Just shut up!!" Kay said, tears streaming down her face but her expression was livid, "I admit, it was wrong for me to keep it from you but you are crossing the line here!"

"In what way am I crossing the line?" hissed Kyle, glaring at her, his eyes cold, "Joseph is eighteen. EIGHTEEN, Kay."

"SO?! Ali was 18 when he got married. So was Sam," Kay said, shivering a bit upon being hit by that cold eyes but she didn't back down.

"That's different!" Kyle roared, his killer aura being released relentlessly, causing Joseph to be completely frozen.

"Why is it different?! WHY?!" Kay roared back, challenging him despite the shaking of her knees.

Her Smith Anger was in play, helping her fight the intensity of his aura against them, "You may be my brother, Kyle, but you do NOT control my life! Neither do you control his!"

"Control? CONTROL?! Is that how you have seen it? Great, juuuuust great," Kyle growled, his eyes seeing red by now, "Get married and suddenly, I'm a pain, is it? You know what? You can just -"

Before he could finish his sentence, a dainty hand covered it and another hand held his shoulder, holding him down.

Kyle's head whipped to the side to growl angrily at his wife.

"Ssssh," Sayuri said gently, "You wouldn't want to say something you can never take back."

He pushed her hand away and hissed, "Stay out of this."

"No," she said quietly, and firmly, unperturbed nor angry at his ice-cold gaze or intense aura.

Kyle's voice lowered dangerously, his eyes narrowing as he said, "Sayuri, I am warning you …"

Kay and Joseph shivered.

She had never seen this part of Kyle, and definitely, never heard him talk like this before.

He was like the devil's incarnate.

Was this how he was like as Ice, Kay wondered.

For the first time, she felt fear.

No, not fear that Kyle would lose it and hurt them in any way. However, he was still scary as hell like this.

She was used to the indulging, loving brother. Not this.

Sayuri, on the other hand, didn't seem affected at all.

Instead, she just looked at him with such confidence and love … and then … to Kay's absolute shock, saw her putting her hands on Kyle's cheeks and staring at him.

"God, you're so hot when you're like this," Sayuri said breathlessly, before kissing him deeply.

Kyle was frozen like a statute, just standing there while Sayuri plastered herself on him. Kay and Joseph, on the other hand, were just staring at the couple in amazement, too shocked to move or say anything.

Their minds were blank.

They didn't even know when Sayuri entered.

Or how she entered.

She didn't make a sound and suddenly, she was there.

And now, she was kissing Kyle like nothing was wrong, as if he wasn't standing there like some Hades on Earth.

Sayuri broke the kiss, flung her hand around Kyle's shoulder and looked at the couple with a small smile, "Excuse us for a minute while I talk to my husband. I apologize in advance for the noise later on."

Grabbing Kyle by the collar of his shirt, she pulled him along. Surprisingly, he followed her without protest, and they entered the guest bedroom.

The door slammed shut.

First, there were some muffled shouts, then some loud noises as things seemed to be thrown about, followed by some intense banging sounds like something was hitting the wall repeatedly.

Joseph ignored the strange sounds, and was focused on Kay completely.

He wiped her tears with the handkerchief he always carried out of habit (courtesy of Stephan), "I'm sorry."

Kay looked up at him in surprise, "Why are you apologizing? I am the one who is sorry."

"I failed to protect you," Joseph said softly, "I let him make you cry."

He felt so horrible.

He didn't know why, but when Kyle had gone on that tirade of his, his mind just went blank. His body was frozen. He couldn't think, he couldn't move.

What sort of man was he?

What sort of failed husband was he?

He couldn't even hold up against his brother-in-law?

Even when he wanted to refute him, he found he couldn't.

All those things Kyle had said, were things he had done. If he was to say that he was serious about Kay, hadn't he always said that about other things? What could he do, or show, to prove that unlike the other things, he would never change his mind about Kay?

Or change how he feels?

Nothing.

Joseph felt completely useless.

Joseph was so upset over that, that he failed to even wonder or think about why Kyle knew all those things about him. He simply accepted them without question.

As for Kay? She, too, didn't think about the way in which Kyle had been exposing himself like that, for she was just feeling too upset. She, too, felt helpless and useless about the whole situation.

If Sayuri hadn't come and stopped Kyle, she, too, would have said things that she would have regretted.

She already did when she screamed her resentment at him for trying to dictate what she could, and could not do. Even though she knew he wasn't doing that.

He never did force her into anything and had always thought of her in everything that he did for her, or had her do.

Still, all of that went out the window when she was angry.

Words, once spoken, can never be taken back. You can apologize, but the hurt will be there. One can never truly be the same. Just like when you crumple a piece of paper and later smoothen it out.

No matter how hard you try, that piece of paper will contain the marks when it was crumpled.

"No, this is inevitable," Kay said with a sigh and went to the kitchen to wash her face, cooling it down as well.

She turned and hugged Joseph, who was waiting behind her patiently. She buried her face in his chest and then, finally, looked up at him.

"Do you regret it?"

He frowned.

"Regret what? Marrying you? Never," Joseph said firmly, holding her close, "No matter what, this is the one thing in my Life that I actually did right."

He kissed her forehead, "No matter what lies ahead of us, I will never back down on this. We still have my father and your parents to tell as well."

Kay sighed.

✿ Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l. ✿

Twenty minutes later, Kyle came out of the room with Sayuri, appearing much calmer. Kay and Joseph were, as well.

The moment Kyle came out and his eyes met with Kay, it was as if a huge weight was lifted off their shoulders. Kyle looked at her apologetically, as did Kay.

Without a word, she rushed to him and they hugged.

"I'm sorry," both of them said at the same time.

Kyle looked at his sister in the eyes.

Kay bit her lower lips, her eyes getting watery again.

Kyle admitted, then he laughed a bit

Kyle sighed.