Zander’s POV.
The crackle of the fireplace was the only sound in my office as I reviewed the same report for the third time, the words blurring together. My thoughts weren’t on the papers in front of me. They were with my brother-his face, his laugh, the way he always managed to find the good in everything, even when I couldn’t. He’d been gone for three weeks, but the ache felt as raw as the day it happened.
A soft knock cut through the heavy silence in the room, pulling me out of my swirling thoughts. It was faint, almost hesitant, but before I could even respond, the sound of the door creaking open followed. I turned my head sharply, wondering who would interrupt me this late at night.
Sarah stepped inside without a word, not bothering to wait for permission before entering as if she had every right to be there. She moved with a confidence that felt deliberate, as though she wanted me to notice her presence immediately.
“Sarah,” I said sharply, my voice filled with irritation as I straightened in my chair. My muscles tensed, and I leaned forward slightly, trying to keep my growing frustration in check. “What do you think you’re doing here?” My tone was firm, the question more of a demand than anything else. It wasn’t like Sarah to barge into my space like this, and the fact that she hadn’t waited for my approval made her sudden arrival all the more suspicious.
She ignored the edge in my voice and quietly closed the door behind her, the soft click of the latch echoing in the room. Her face was unreadable, her expression guarded in a way that immediately put me on edge. She didn’t speak right away, instead taking a few slow steps toward me as if she was planning her next move. “I needed to talk to you,” she said softly, but her tone carried something new-something sharper, heavier. It wasn’t the usual sugary sweetness she used to mask her intentions. There was something serious, almost cold, in her voice that I hadn’t heard before.
I leaned back in my chair, keeping my eyes on her as I tried to figure out what she was up to. “It’s late, Sarah,” I said, my voice calm but firm, making it clear that I wasn’t in the mood for whatever game she was playing. “Whatever it is you think you need to say, it can wait until morning.” My patience was already wearing thin, and her uninvited presence wasn’t helping.
She didn’t back down. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, and she took another step closer, her movements deliberate and steady. “It can’t wait,” she said firmly, her voice unwavering as she stood just a few feet away from me now. There was a strange determination in her eyes, something I hadn’t seen before, and it made me uneasy. For the first time, I realized she wasn’t here for a casual conversation. Whatever she had to say, it wasn’t going to be simple.
“What is it, Sarah?” I asked, letting out a slow breath as I tried to keep my frustration from bubbling over. Her presence felt heavier than usual, like it was pressing down on me, testing my limits. I didn’t have time for this, but the look in her eyes told me she wasn’t leaving until she got whatever it was she wanted.
She paused for a moment, her confidence faltering slightly as she hesitated. But then she took a deep breath, her shoulders straightening as she steadied herself. “Zander,” she began slowly, her voice low and deliberate, “I think we both know that something’s been building between us.” Her words hung in the air, heavy and bold, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I had heard her correctly.
My brow furrowed deeply as I stared at her, disbelief and confusion settling over me like a thick fog. “What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice low and cautious. I needed her to explain herself, but part of me already dreaded where this conversation was heading.
She leaned forward, closing the distance between us even further. Her hands pressed against my desk, her knuckles white as she held her position firmly. Her gaze didn’t waver for a second, her eyes boring into mine with unsettling intensity. “I know you don’t want to be with Aria,” she said bluntly, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “You married her for revenge. For what happened to your brother.”
Her words hit me like a physical blow, sharp and unforgiving. The mention of my brother stirred something deep and painful inside me, a wound that had barely begun to heal. My jaw tightened instinctively, and I clenched my fists beneath the desk, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Don’t,” I warned her, my voice low and sharp, a clear threat in the single word.
But Sarah didn’t stop. She pressed on, her voice unwavering as she continued. “It’s true, isn’t it?” she said, her tone almost accusatory now. “You’re only with her because of him. Because of what happened. You don’t love her, Zander. You don’t even *like* her. You’re just using her to settle the score, to even the scales after what she cost you.” Her words were relentless, each one hitting harder than the last.
Her accusations cut deep, not because they were entirely wrong, but because they were too close to the truth. She wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t already thought myself, but hearing it out loud from someone else made it feel harsher, more real. I had married Aria because I blamed her for my brother’s death. He had chased after her that night, driven by love, obsession, or whatever it was he felt for her. And it had cost him his life.
Three weeks. That’s all the time that had passed since I’d buried my brother. Just three weeks of grief, rage, and guilt, all wrapped up in a marriage that was nothing more than a carefully constructed lie. Three weeks of pretending that my relationship with Aria was real, when in truth, it was nothing more than a means to an end. A way to make her feel the pain I carried every day.
Sarah’s voice softened slightly, her tone shifting as she tried to pull me back into the moment. “You deserve better than this,” she said, her words quieter now but no less deliberate. “You deserve someone who understands you, someone who’s on your side. Someone who can give you what Aria never will.” Her words were heavy, each one designed to plant doubt and pull me further into her orbit.
I felt the weight of her words lingering in the air, pressing down on me like a storm cloud. “What are you saying, Sarah?” I asked cautiously, though deep down, I already knew exactly what she was trying to say.
She stepped around the desk, moving closer to me with slow, deliberate steps. Her hand brushed against my shoulder, the touch light but intentional. She leaned down, her face close enough that I could feel the warmth of her breath. “I’m saying I can be that person for you,” she whispered, her voice soft but confident. “I can give you what you need. What you *want*.”
I stared at her, my mind a mess of emotions that I couldn’t untangle. Anger, grief, and something darker swirled together, clouding my judgment. A part of me wanted to push her away, to stand up and tell her to leave and never come back. But another part of me-the part still consumed by the loss of my brother and the rage I couldn’t let go of-hesitated.
Sarah’s hand slid down to my chest, her touch lingering as she looked at me with a confidence that was almost unnerving. “You don’t have to feel guilty about this,” she said softly, her voice soothing yet calculating. “Aria doesn’t deserve your loyalty. You know that. Deep down, you’ve always known that.”
The memory of my brother’s face appeared in my mind like a ghost I couldn’t escape. His smile, his laugh, the way his eyes used to light up when he was happy-it all came rushing back at once, sharp and overwhelming. The grief hit me like a wave I wasn’t ready for, crashing down and pulling me under.
For a moment, it was too much to handle. My chest tightened painfully, and I closed my eyes, trying to take a breath, but even that felt shaky and unsteady. The weight of losing him was something I carried every day, but in moments like this, it felt unbearable. When I finally opened my eyes again, hoping to shake off the memory, Sarah was still standing there. She hadn’t moved, hadn’t looked away. H
er gaze was locked on me, filled with an intensity that made it impossible to think straight. It felt like she could see everything I was feeling, like she was peeling back the layers I tried so hard to keep hidden.
“Fine,” I muttered under my breath, barely loud enough for her to hear. The word slipped out before I could stop it, and as I stood up from my chair, I felt like I was moving in slow motion. My legs felt heavy, my body weighed down by everything swirling inside me. Grief, anger, confusion-it all tangled together into a knot I couldn’t untangle.
Sarah’s eyes lit up, a flicker of triumph crossing her face so quickly I almost missed it. Without hesitating, she reached for my hand, her fingers curling around mine like she’d already won. She didn’t give me time to think or change my mind. Instead, she led me out of the office and down the hallway. I followed her without saying a word, my feet moving automatically as if I were a puppet and she was pulling the strings. My mind felt blank, like someone had turned off a switch, leaving me with nothing but the dull hum of numbness.
When we reached my room, Sarah stepped inside first, her movements confident and deliberate. She closed the door behind us with a soft click, sealing us in together. Then she turned to face me, her expression unreadable for a moment before it softened into something almost tender. She took a step closer, closing the space between us. Her hands slid up my chest slowly, her touch deliberate and sure, as if she knew exactly what she was doing. When her body pressed against mine, her warmth felt like it was burning straight through my skin.
“You made the right choice,” she whispered, her voice low and soft, but her words carried a weight that made them linger in the air. Her lips brushed against my ear as she spoke, sending a shiver down my spine.
I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t. My throat felt tight, the words trapped somewhere deep inside me. My mind was a storm of emotions I couldn’t name, swirling and crashing into each other until I couldn’t tell one from the other. Grief, anger, guilt-they all mixed together into something dark and unrecognizable. I let myself get swept up in it because it was easier than fighting it. Her lips found mine, the kiss demanding and hungry, and I didn’t stop her. I couldn’t.
Clothes were tossed aside without thought, her hands and lips moving over me with a purpose that left no room for hesitation. She pulled me toward the bed with a confidence that I didn’t have the strength to resist. I let her take control, let her guide me as I pushed everything I felt deep down, burying it beneath the haze of her touch. The grief, the anger, the guilt-all of it disappeared for a little while, and I clung to that numbness like it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.
The sound of the door opening snapped me out of the haze like a bucket of cold water being dumped over my head. My eyes flew open, blinking against the harsh sunlight streaming through the windows. For a moment, I didn’t understand what had happened, where I was, or why my heart was pounding so hard in my chest. Then I realized I wasn’t alone. Beside me, Sarah stirred, her bare shoulder peeking out from beneath the sheet that was tangled around her.
“Zander-”
The voice froze me in place, my entire body going rigid as I turned toward the doorway.
Aria stood there, her hand still on the doorknob, her face pale as if all the blood had drained from it. Her green eyes were wide, filled with shock and something deeper-something raw and painful. She looked like she had been struck, like the sight of me and Sarah together had physically hurt her. She took a small step back, her hand falling from the doorknob as if it had burned her.
“Aria-” I started, my voice weak and unsure, but she cut me off before I could say anything else.
“You cheated on me,” she said, her voice trembling but strong enough to echo in the room. Her words were filled with fury, sharp and cutting. “You *cheated* on me, Zander.”
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, running a hand through my hair as I tried to think of what to say. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Everything I could have said felt hollow, meaningless.
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her whole body vibrating with anger and betrayal. Her green eyes burned with a fire that made it hard to meet her gaze. “You’re no better than Asher and Lyra,” she said bitterly, her words hitting me like a slap across the face. “You’re exactly the same as them. Do you remember how it felt, Zander? Do you remember how much it broke you when they betrayed you? How it tore you apart from the inside? Well, congratulations. Now I know exactly how that feels. You’ve made me just like you.”
Her words hit harder than I expected, each one cutting through the haze of guilt and confusion that had clouded my mind. She wasn’t just angry-she was devastated, and I had done that to her.
“I will never forgive you,” she said coldly, her voice steady now, like she had made up her mind. The hurt in her tone was gone, replaced by something harder, something unyielding. “Never.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her with a force that made the walls shake.
I sat there in the silence that followed, my head in my hands, the weight of what I had done crashing down on me all at once. It felt like a suffocating blanket, heavy and impossible to escape. Beside me, Sarah shifted slightly, but I didn’t look at her. I couldn’t.
For the first time in years, I realized I had lost control of everything. And I had no idea how I was ever going to get it back.