HE KILLED HIM.

013

A heavy silence hung in the air, thick and suffocating. The weight of Ryan’s voice had sent shockwaves through the room, shattering the heated haze that had consumed Lucas and Ash just moments ago.

Lucas scrambled first, the shock jerking him into motion. He pushed Ash off him, hastily reaching for his trousers, his fingers fumbling with the fabric as he struggled to pull them back on. His breaths were short and uneven, panic setting in.

Ash wasn’t far behind. She grabbed her dress from the floor, hastily slipping it over her shoulders. Her hands trembled as she zipped it up, eyes darting toward Ryan, whose expression remained unreadable—stunned, frozen in place, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The groceries lay scattered on the floor, cans rolling across the polished tiles, their echoes cutting through the tension like a knife. Ryan hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken another word. He simply stood there, staring at them as though his mind refused to process the betrayal before him.

Lucas was the first to break the silence. He swallowed hard, taking a cautious step forward, hands raised in a pacifying gesture. "Ryan… it's not what you think." His voice wavered, cracking under the pressure.

Ryan’s eyes flickered, dull with disbelief yet simmering with something dangerous beneath the surface. His chest rose and fell heavily, his breaths labored as if he were holding back a raging storm inside him.

And then, Lucas staggered.

A sudden wave of dizziness struck him, his vision blurring. He gripped the edge of the couch for support, his body swaying slightly. Confusion clouded his face. "Wha… what’s happening?" He barely got the words out before his knees buckled.

But Ryan saw nothing else.

All he saw was betrayal.

His brother. His own blood.

With her.

Rage exploded inside him like a dam breaking loose. He lunged forward, his body moving faster than his thoughts. A fist flew, connecting hard with Lucas’s jaw, sending him stumbling back.

Lucas groaned, trying to steady himself, but Ryan was relentless. Another punch came, landing in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Lucas coughed, gasping, but he was too weak, his body still reeling from the sudden dizziness.

Ryan grabbed him by the collar, eyes wild with fury. "How could you?" he spat through gritted teeth before driving his fist into Lucas’s ribs. Lucas grunted in pain, crumpling to the floor.

He tried to push himself up, but Ryan didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.

Another punch. Then another. And another.

Ash gasped, backing away, but she didn’t intervene. Her wide eyes darted between the two men, her lips slightly parted, as if calculating her next move.

Lucas groaned again, his body barely able to keep up with the blows. His vision swam, his breath shallow. He tried to lift a hand, a feeble attempt to shield himself, but Ryan's next strike was the final one—brutal, unrestrained.

A sickening crack echoed through the room.

Lucas’s body went limp.

His head lolled to the side, eyes dull, lifeless. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the pristine floor.

Ryan stepped back, panting, his fists still clenched, knuckles dripping with blood. His chest heaved, his pulse roaring in his ears. The room tilted around him, his anger evaporating as the reality of what he had done settled in.

Lucas wasn’t moving.

He wasn’t breathing.

A deep, suffocating silence swallowed the space.

Then—

BANG!

The door burst open, slamming against the wall as armed officers swarmed inside.

"Hands in the air! Now!"

Ryan barely registered the shouts, his ears ringing. The world felt distant, muted. He was still staring at Lucas’s lifeless form, still trying to grasp the irreversible truth.

And then, a sound cut through the chaos.

A sob.

Ash.

She collapsed to the floor, wailing, her hands clutching at her dress as tears streaked her face. "Oh my God!" she cried, her voice cracking. "He killed him! He killed his own brother!"

Ryan’s head snapped toward her, his bloodied hands trembling.

What?

Ash turned to the officers, her body shaking as she pointed a trembling finger at Ryan. "It—it was out of anger," she gasped between sobs. "They had a small fight earlier, but—but I never thought he'd go this far!"

Ryan’s breath caught.

No.

No, that wasn’t what happened.

She was lying.

He looked at her, his mind scrambling, searching for the woman he had once trusted, the woman he had loved. But all he saw now was a stranger.

Her lips quivered, her eyes filled with carefully crafted terror. "He's been aggressive," she whispered, as if ashamed to say it. "He—he’s hit me before. I tried to stop him, but—" A fresh sob wracked her body as she covered her face, shoulders trembling.

The officers exchanged glances.

Ryan took a step forward, his voice hoarse. "Ash…?"

She looked up at him then, her tear-streaked face contorted with anguish, but in her eyes, beneath the surface of her grief, he saw something else.

Cold calculation.

Ryan’s stomach twisted.

The weight of his own blood coated his hands.

The betrayal he felt before paled in comparison to the one unfolding now.

He had lost everything.

And now, he was going to pay for it.