Chapter 14
Back home, Blake had just finished handling urgent documents, rubbing his temples, about to rest. His phone suddenly rang–Ryan’s overseas number. He frowned instinctively, feeling inexplicable irritation.[]
He answered, but before he could speak, Ryan’s hoarse, broken, nearly insane roar exploded through the speaker, mixed with heavy alcohol and desperate sobs:]
“Bro… BRO!!!“]]
Blake’s heart jumped, voice getting serious: “Ryan? What’s wrong? You drunk?“]
“Bro… I’m screwed… I’m totally SCREWED!” Ryan’s voice sounded like sandpaper, incoherent. “She hates me… she looks down on me… she says I’m disgusting… ugh…” He seemed to be vomiting, voice completely chaotic.[]
Blake frowned deeper, the unease growing: “What are you talking about? Who?“]
“Madison! It’s MADISON!!!” Ryan suddenly raised his voice, screaming that name with all his strength, carrying nearly collapsed despair and confession: “Bro! I think… I think I really fell in love with her! Not just playing around! Not just sleeping with her! I REALLY love her! You hear me?!!!“]]
On the other end, Blake instantly froze, breath catching! His grip on the phone tightened suddenly, knuckles turning horrifyingly white.[]
Kyan kept screaming in agony, not caring about the other person’s reaction: “But why?! Why won’t she even LOOK at me?! I tried everything! I apologized! I begged her! I waited for her like an idiot every day! But she won’t acknowledge me! She’d rather smile at a random dog than smile at me once! Bro! I can’t take it anymore! I’m going crazy!!!”
“SHUT UP!” Blake cut him off harshly, voice ice–cold with rage he didn’t even recognize–fury at having his territory invaded: “Ryan Morrison! What the hell are you talking about?! You’re NOT allowed to love her! You hear me?! You don’t DESERVE her!“]]
That “you don’t deserve her” was like a sharp knife stabbing Ryan’s already shattered heart.[]
He was stunned for two seconds, then burst into even crazier laughter, full of misery and mockery: “I don’t deserve her? HAHA… Right! I don’t deserve her! But YOU do? Bro?! You used her like a chess piece! You threw her away like garbage after using her! You sent her to sleep with someone else! You’re worse than me! What right do you have to lecture me?! HUH?!”
Beep beep beep-“]
Blake’s face was iron gray as he slammed the phone down! His chest heaved violently, breathing rough.[]
Ryan’s drunken, reckless words exploded like bombs in his mind!]]
Tell in love with her…“]]
Really fell in love with her…”
Lach word was like red–hot iron brands searing his heart![]
An unprecedented, intense jealousy and rage that could tear him apart instantly demolished all his rationality and composure![]
Why?
What right did Ryan have to love her?!]
A person who played with her, deceived her–what right did he have to claim love?!
And what about himself?
What was this all consuming fury and jealousy?
just brotherly anger at his siblings ridiculous behavior?]
Blake staggered backward and collapsed into his feather office chair, face pale[]
The study was deathly quiet exceps for his ragged breathing 0
His brother’s earth shattering confession was like the sharpest key, violently prying open the emotional floodgates he’d desperately suppressed and denied!]]
Mouths of restlessness, distraction, uncontrolled comparisons and memories, secret satisfaction when Ryat was rejected, pant when she left all the emotions hurd attributed to “losing control” and “not being used to it now crashed over him like a tital wave, revealing their truest, most vicious face-
It was jealousy!!
Chapter 14
It was caring!]
It was…
love!
He might have… fallen for Madison long ago![]
Maybe during those two years of “playing boyfriend,” through her silent gentleness and careful attention.[]
Maybe in her eyes that endured hurt but still quietly suffered.[]
Maybe… earlier, at that basketball court, when she looked up startled and their
eyes first met.
het.[]
But his pride, his habitual obsession with Harper spanning over a decade, his sense of “duty“-all of it made him deliberately ignore, even cruelly trample this quietly growing attraction![]
He’d treated her like a tool, a stepping stone, ultimately pushing her to the breaking point, pushing her to someone else, even to his own brother![]
“Ugh…”
Blake clutched his chest as sharp, belated pain seized him, nearly bending him over.[]
He finally… understood.]]
But too late. The price was too high.]
