Wayne had never hidden the fact that Yaya was special to him. Whenever she entered a room, his attention naturally turned toward her, and he always made sure she felt comfortable and respected. Yaya appreciated Wayne’s kindness, but she sometimes wondered whether his feelings for her were deeper than friendship.

One afternoon, Yaya was sitting in the living room when Wayne walked toward her with a warm smile. He had noticed that she was worried about several things she needed to take care of, and he wanted to help her.

“Yaya, why do you always try to handle everything by yourself?” Wayne asked gently.

Yaya smiled. “Because I don’t want to depend on anyone, Wayne. I want to manage my own life.”

Wayne nodded. “Accepting help from someone who genuinely cares about you doesn’t make you weak.” Standing nearby, Mike heard every word. He noticed the affection in Wayne’s eyes and felt jealousy growing inside him.

A few minutes later, Wayne reached into his wallet and took out his credit card. He walked toward Yaya and held it out to her.

“Here, take this. If you need anything, use it without worrying,” Wayne said.

Yaya stared at the card in surprise. “Wayne, I can’t take this. It’s your credit card!”

“I’m giving it to you because I trust you,” Wayne replied. “You don’t have to feel uncomfortable about accepting my help.”

Yaya finally accepted the card and thanked him. Mike witnessed the entire exchange, and his expression changed immediately. To him, the card represented Wayne’s trust and affection.

“So, Wayne, you’re giving Yaya your credit card now?” Mike asked sarcastically.

Wayne looked at him. “Yes, Mike. Is there a problem?” Mike forced a smile, but deep inside, his jealousy was becoming harder to control.

Mike couldn’t stop thinking about Wayne and Yaya. Later, he found Wayne alone near the living room window and decided to confront him.

“Tell me something, Wayne. What exactly do you want from Yaya?” Mike demanded.

Wayne turned toward him. “What are you talking about?”

“You give her your credit card and act like you’re the only person who can take care of her!” Mike snapped.

Wayne’s expression became serious. “This isn’t a competition. Yaya is free to make her own choices.”

Mike laughed bitterly. “You think you’re going to win her heart just by helping her?”

“I don’t need to win anything,” Wayne replied. “If you genuinely care about Yaya, respect her instead of treating her like a prize.” Mike walked away, furious that Wayne had challenged his behavior.

The tension in the living room became unbearable. Yaya could sense that Mike was angry, and she didn’t want to become involved in another argument.

“I’m going inside for a little while,” she told Wayne. “I need some peace.”

Wayne nodded. “All right, Yaya. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Yaya walked toward the hallway. Mike watched her leave and waited a few seconds before following her inside the house.

Yaya entered a quiet bedroom area and placed her phone on a nearby table. When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned and saw Mike standing in the doorway.

“Mike? Why are you following me?” she asked cautiously.

“We need to talk, Yaya,” he replied, stepping inside. Yaya immediately sensed that his anger had not disappeared.

Mike stared at Yaya, trying to hide the anger building inside him.

“Why does Wayne treat you like you’re the most important person in his life?” he demanded.

Yaya frowned. “That’s between Wayne and me. Why are you so concerned about it?”

Mike moved closer, but Yaya stepped back. “He’s trying to make you depend on him,” he insisted.

Yaya shook her head. “Wayne offered to help me. I accepted his help. That doesn’t give you the right to question me.”

“You’re choosing him over me?” Mike asked angrily.

“This isn’t about choosing anyone. This is about you respecting my boundaries,” Yaya replied firmly.

When Yaya tried to leave, Mike stepped into her path. She immediately stopped and told him to move, but he refused to listen.

Yaya tried to move past Mike, but he grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her farther into the bedroom. She immediately resisted and struggled to free herself.

“Mike, let me go! I don’t want to be here with you!” she exclaimed.

Mike ignored her words and continued trying to control where she went. Yaya pulled her arm free and stepped backward.

“Stop this right now! You have no right to treat me like this!” she shouted.

Mike tried to approach her again, but Yaya raised her hand to stop him. “Don’t come any closer!”

She glanced toward the doorway, searching for an opportunity to escape. When Mike continued preventing her from leaving, she called out for help.

“Wayne! Wayne, please!” Her voice carried through the hallway. In the living room, Wayne immediately recognized her frightened voice and rushed toward the bedroom.

Wayne reached the bedroom doorway just as Mike attempted to approach Yaya again.

“MIKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Wayne shouted.

Both Mike and Yaya turned toward the entrance. Yaya immediately moved away from Mike and toward Wayne.

“Wayne!” she exclaimed, her voice shaking.

Wayne stepped between them. “Are you all right?” he asked her gently.

Yaya nodded, although she was visibly shaken. “He wouldn’t let me leave. I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Wayne turned toward Mike, his expression filled with anger. “You heard her telling you to let her go, didn’t you?”

Mike tried to defend himself, but Wayne pointed toward the hallway. “Step away from her. Now.” Mike finally moved away, and Wayne escorted Yaya out of the room.

Wayne took Yaya to a quiet sitting area away from Mike. He offered her a glass of water and gave her time to collect herself.

“I’m sorry you had to experience that,” he told her. “You didn’t deserve it.”

Yaya explained that she had thought Mike only wanted to talk, but he had refused to listen when she tried to leave.

Wayne clenched his fists, struggling to control his anger. “You don’t have to blame yourself for his choices.”

Yaya looked at him. “I don’t understand why he became so jealous because you gave me your credit card. I never asked him to compete with you.”

Wayne replied honestly, “His jealousy is his responsibility. You don’t owe anyone affection or a relationship because they have feelings.”

Yaya finally felt that someone was listening without demanding anything in return. She thanked Wayne for coming when she called for help.

Mike stood silently near the hallway, listening as Wayne spoke to Yaya. He expected Wayne to use the incident to make himself look like a hero, but what he heard surprised him.

“Yaya, I want you to know that my feelings for you are genuine. But I will never pressure you to feel the same way,” Wayne said.

Yaya remained quiet for a moment. Wayne continued, “I care about you because of who you are. I don’t expect you to repay me for helping you.”

Yaya finally responded, “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But after what happened today, I need time to understand my own feelings.”

Wayne nodded. “Take all the time you need. I won’t rush you.”

Mike stepped away, feeling as though he had lost a battle he had created in his own mind. Instead of accepting responsibility, he convinced himself that Wayne had caused everything.

He walked back toward the living room, his expression cold. His jealousy had not disappeared, and the next confrontation was only a matter of time.

Later that evening, Wayne found Mike standing near the front window.

“So, are you happy now?” Mike asked bitterly.

Wayne stared at him. “You frightened Yaya, ignored her when she told you to stop, and tried to prevent her from leaving. What exactly should I be happy about?”

Mike folded his arms. “You’ve wanted her for yourself from the beginning!”

Wayne took a deep breath. “My feelings for Yaya do not excuse what you did. Even if I had no feelings for her, you still had no right to treat her that way.”

Mike looked away. “You think you’re better than me because you gave her your credit card?”

“This was never about money. Yaya isn’t something you own,” Wayne replied.

Wayne told Mike that he needed to apologize and accept that Yaya might not forgive him. Mike walked away without responding, leaving the conflict unresolved.

The following morning, Yaya entered the living room and found Wayne sitting quietly with a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Yaya. How are you feeling today?” he asked.

“Better than yesterday, but I still can’t stop thinking about what happened,” she replied.

Wayne listened as she admitted that she didn’t know whether she could ever trust Mike again.

“Trust isn’t something you owe anyone. It has to be earned through consistent actions,” Wayne explained.

Just then, Mike appeared at the entrance. “Yaya, can we talk?” he asked.

Yaya looked at Wayne and decided she would listen, but only if Wayne stayed nearby. Mike approached slowly, keeping his distance.

“Tell me honestly, Mike,” Yaya said. “Did you ever truly care about me, or did you only care about the idea of having me?” Mike froze, unable to answer immediately.

Mike looked at Yaya, struggling to find the right words.

“I do care about you,” he finally said. “But I became jealous when I saw Wayne giving you everything I thought you wanted.”

Yaya shook her head. “You never asked me what I wanted. You decided what was happening in my life without listening to me.”

Mike lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should never have grabbed your arm or tried to stop you from leaving.”

Yaya listened, but her expression remained serious. “I hear your apology, Mike. But that doesn’t mean everything is suddenly okay.”

She explained that she needed space and wanted him to respect her boundaries. Mike nodded slowly, although he clearly wished she would forgive him immediately.

“I hope someday you’ll believe that I’m sorry,” Mike said before walking away.

Yaya answered quietly, “I hope someday you understand why saying sorry is only the beginning.”

Later that afternoon, Mike sat alone outside the house, replaying the previous day’s events. For the first time, he began to recognize how jealousy had distorted his judgment.

He had viewed Wayne as an enemy instead of recognizing that Yaya was an independent person with the right to make her own choices.

Inside the house, Yaya was speaking with Wayne. “Do you think he really understands what he did?” she asked.

Wayne answered honestly, “I can’t know what he’s thinking. What matters is whether he respects your boundaries consistently.”

Yaya explained that she wanted relationships where she could speak freely and feel safe. Wayne assured her that she deserved honesty and respect.

He chose not to pressure her about his feelings. Yaya began wondering whether his quiet kindness meant more to her than she had previously realized.

Outside, Mike noticed Wayne near the window and felt a familiar sting of jealousy. This time, however, he stopped himself from acting on it and walked away.