The tension in the air was thick, suffocating even. After that night, everything changed. Sarah had never felt more alone, more lost, than she did in the days following Nathan's assault on her heart. And yet, something within her told her that she couldn't just let go, that the storm between the two brothers needed to pass, no matter how destructive it was.
But the storm wasn't over. It was only beginning.
Days passed in a blur, each one marked by a sense of dread that she couldn't shake. Every time the doorbell rang, every time she heard footsteps in the hallway, her heart would race, wondering if it was Nathan—wondering if he was coming to finish what he had started.
But on that fateful night, it wasn't Nathan who showed up. It was Lewis.
Sarah had been cleaning the apartment, trying to distract herself from the whirlwind of emotions she had been feeling. She wanted to believe that she could find peace, that the broken pieces of her heart could be put back together, but the reality was that she was still torn between the two men she had once loved. And that was a mess she couldn't fix.
She had been pacing the living room when she heard the knock on the door. It was late, much later than she would have expected him. Still, her heart leapt in her chest. Lewis. She hadn't seen him since that day in the hallway when Nathan had come into her life with that venomous fury. But there he was, standing in front of her, looking like the man she had always known, though there was something different in his eyes now.
"Hey," Lewis said quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I thought we should talk."
Sarah hesitated. "Lewis, I... I don't know if I'm ready for this."
He stepped closer, his expression softening. "I know it's been rough, but we need to talk about what happened. We can't just pretend it didn't happen, Sarah. I can't walk away from this."
Her heart ached at the sound of his voice, the rawness in it. He was right. They couldn't ignore it. But the reality of the situation—their situation—felt like a weight she could no longer carry.
Before she could respond, a loud bang echoed through the hallway. The door slammed open, the force of it rattling the frame.
Nathan.
Standing there in the doorway, his eyes wide with anger, Nathan looked like a man on the edge, like a beast cornered. His fists were clenched at his sides, his breath coming in heavy gasps. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment—the moment when he would confront Lewis, when he would put everything out in the open. But Sarah could see it. She could see the madness behind his eyes, the storm that was about to break.
"Get away from her, Lewis!" Nathan snarled, his voice barely a whisper of control. He was shaking, his muscles taut with the kind of anger Sarah had never seen in him before. His body trembled with the raw intensity of his emotions. "She's mine. You don't get to come here and act like nothing happened."
Sarah's heart pounded in her chest as she moved quickly between them, trying to calm the situation, trying to prevent it from escalating any further. "Nathan, stop it! Please. This isn't helping."
But Nathan didn't listen. His gaze was fixed on Lewis, who had yet to say a word. He wasn't backing down either. It was like the two of them were locked in a battle of wills, and neither was willing to give an inch.
"She's not yours, Nathan!" Lewis finally snapped, his own temper boiling over. "You've already lost her. Don't you get it? She chose me. She doesn't want you."
Nathan's eyes went wide, the words striking him like a physical blow. "She chose you?" His voice was hoarse, shaking with anger. "You think you've won? You think you're better than me? She was mine first! She always was!"
The words tumbled out in a violent rush, his hands balling into fists. Sarah could see the shift happening, the way Nathan's body tensed as if he was about to explode. She knew this wasn't going to end well. Not now. Not when the two of them were this far gone.
"You don't deserve her," Nathan spat. "You never did."
Lewis's jaw tightened, his hands forming fists of his own. "You're crazy if you think I'm just going to stand here and take this from you," he growled. "I'm not the one who's wrong, Nathan. You are. You've been playing this game for too long."
With one swift motion, Lewis took a step forward, his body pressing into Nathan's chest, trying to push him back. It was like a battle for dominance. Both of them were strong, but neither one was willing to back down.
Sarah screamed, rushing forward in an attempt to break them apart, but before she could get between them, Nathan's fist swung forward with terrifying force.
It was a blur. A moment of pure chaos.
Sarah gasped, watching in horror as Nathan's fist connected with Lewis's chest. But in that instant, something terrible happened. Lewis's body lurched back, and before Sarah could scream, he tripped over the coffee table, falling backwards with a sickening thud. His head struck the edge of the corner with a brutal crack.
Silence.
Sarah froze. The world seemed to stop in that moment. The room was eerily still, the only sound the heavy breathing of Nathan and the rush of blood pounding in Sarah's ears. Her eyes were wide in shock as she watched Lewis's body lie motionless on the floor.
"No... no, no, no..." Nathan whispered, his voice cracking with disbelief. He fell to his knees beside his brother, his hands shaking as he touched the side of Lewis's face, desperate for any sign of life. But there was nothing.
Lewis wasn't breathing.
Sarah screamed. She rushed to his side, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse, but there was none. The blood on the floor was a cruel testament to the brutality of the fight, to the mistake Nathan had made in his blinded rage.
It was over. Lewis was gone.
Nathan's face went pale, his body stiff with horror. "What have I done?" he whispered, his voice broken. He couldn't seem to comprehend what had just happened. The realization hit him like a wave of cold dread.
Sarah could barely breathe. The man she had once loved, the man who had been her brother, her confidant, was gone. And it was all because of a mistake—a moment of rage. A fight between two brothers that had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.
"Call an ambulance!" Sarah screamed, but deep down, she knew it was too late.
Nathan's face was haunted, his hands shaking as he backed away, his body trembling with the weight of what he had done. He had killed his own brother. And now, there was no going back.
The room was filled with nothing but the sound of Sarah's broken sobs, the silence of loss hanging heavily in the air.
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