The night air felt heavy against Nathan's skin as he walked aimlessly through the city streets, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. He could still feel the sting of Sarah's rejection, the way her eyes had looked at him, full of disbelief and sorrow. His brother had won, and Sarah... she was slipping away from him.
The rivalry between them had been building for years, but this, this was something Nathan never expected. He had tried to fight it—to bury his feelings and walk away. But with every day that passed, the ache inside him grew stronger. His heart was torn, twisted into knots. Sarah was everything to him. But now, she had given herself to Lewis. And it was more than Nathan could bear.
As he walked, thoughts of Sarah flooded his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she had looked at him earlier, how she had been torn between her loyalty to him and the love she had for Lewis. That moment in the hallway, her shocked expression, had haunted him ever since. It wasn't just the rejection that hurt; it was the fact that she was no longer his, that she had chosen Lewis.
Nathan's steps quickened, his heart racing as an idea began to form in his mind. Maybe, just maybe, if he could get her alone, if he could make her see him—truly see him—he could have her. He couldn't live like this, knowing that she was slipping further and further away. He had to try again. This time, it would be different. This time, she would see that they were meant to be together. She just had to see it.
His breath hitched as he approached her apartment building, his mind already made up. He couldn't think about the consequences, couldn't worry about what it would cost him. The only thing that mattered was Sarah. And if he couldn't have her the way he had once dreamed of, he would take what was his.
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Inside Sarah's apartment, the soft glow of the lamplight cast long shadows on the walls. Sarah was curled up on the couch, a book open in her lap, though her mind was far from the pages. She couldn't stop thinking about the confrontation she'd had with Nathan and Lewis earlier. The anger in Nathan's eyes, the desperation in his voice—it had unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
She knew Nathan was hurting. But so was she. It was a tangled mess of emotions, guilt, and love that she couldn't unravel. She loved Lewis. She always had. But Nathan... Nathan was always there for her. He had always been the one to comfort her, to stand by her when no one else did. She could never forget that.
The doorbell rang, breaking her train of thought. She frowned, wondering who it could be at this hour. She wasn't expecting anyone.
She opened the door to find Nathan standing there, his eyes wild, almost desperate. He wasn't wearing his usual calm facade. Instead, he looked as though he was on the edge of something—something dangerous.
"Nathan, what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. "It's late."
Nathan didn't answer. Instead, he pushed past her into the apartment, his movements rough and determined. He didn't wait for an invitation, didn't care about the boundaries she had set.
"I need to talk to you, Sarah," he said, his voice low, almost pleading. "Please, just hear me out."
Sarah stepped back, feeling a surge of unease in her chest. "Nathan, I've already heard everything. I can't do this anymore. I've made my choice."
His eyes flashed with something darker, something that scared her. "You don't understand. You're not seeing things clearly. You and I... we were supposed to be together. You can't just throw that away."
Before she could react, Nathan closed the distance between them, his hands gripping her shoulders, pulling her towards him. "You think you're better off with him, but you're wrong," he hissed. "You've always belonged with me."
"Stop it, Nathan!" Sarah tried to push him away, but his grip tightened, his hands forcing her back into the corner of the room. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths shallow as fear began to crawl through her veins. She had never seen him like this—never thought he could turn into someone so unrecognizable, so dangerous.
"I won't let you go, Sarah," Nathan whispered, his voice rough. "Not again. I can't lose you. Not to him."
His lips crashed against hers in a forceful kiss, the desperation in it almost suffocating. Sarah's hands pressed against his chest, trying to push him off, but he was too strong. She kicked and squirmed beneath him, her panic rising with each passing second. This wasn't the Nathan she had known. This was someone else entirely—someone who was willing to take what he couldn't have.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she struggled against him, her mind racing for a way to escape. She didn't want this. She never wanted this. Nathan had always been her friend, her confidant, but now he was a stranger.
Just as she thought she couldn't break free, the door burst open, and there stood Lewis—his face a mask of fury. Without a second thought, he charged toward Nathan, knocking him away from Sarah with a force that sent him stumbling back.
"Get away from her, Nathan!" Lewis growled, his fists clenched.
Nathan scrambled to his feet, his eyes filled with rage and humiliation. "This isn't your fight, Lewis!" he yelled. "She's mine. She's supposed to be mine."
Lewis stood his ground, his eyes never leaving Nathan's. "She's not yours to take," he said coldly. "Not anymore."
The two men faced off, their bodies tense with anger. Sarah, her chest heaving with shallow breaths, stood frozen in the corner, her mind still racing from the terrifying encounter. She couldn't believe what had just happened—what Nathan had just tried to do. The love she had once felt for him was slipping away, replaced by something darker, something she couldn't ignore.
"Nathan," Lewis said, his voice quieter but full of conviction, "this has to stop. You can't force someone to love you. And you can't hurt her like this."
Nathan's face twisted with fury, but there was a flicker of realization in his eyes. He knew he had gone too far, but his pride and his broken heart refused to let him back down.
"I didn't mean to hurt her," Nathan said quietly, his voice faltering. "I just wanted her to see that I could be the one. I thought... I thought I could make it right."
Lewis shook his head. "You don't get it, Nathan. You've already lost her. You can't fix this."
For a moment, the room was silent, the tension between the two men palpable. Sarah's heart ached as she watched the brother she had once cared for, the one who had always been her best friend, standing there broken. But something had shifted. She couldn't go back to the way things were—not after what had just happened.
"I'm done, Nathan," Sarah said, her voice trembling but resolute. "You've crossed a line. And I can't forgive you for this."
Nathan's face fell, his body stiffening as he finally realized the gravity of what he had done. He had lost her—completely. And the weight of that loss was unbearable.
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