Sarah's chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, her pulse hammering in her ears. Reagan's words clawed their way into her, unraveling the last thread she was holding on to.
Then her thoughts went to Nick.
Even now, despite everything, his name still burned in her heart. Yet the way Reagan's grip tightened around her hand, the fire in his voice, the brutal honesty in his eyes, shook her in a way Nick never had.
Her throat closed up. "Reagan… stop. Please… don't do this to me." Her voice cracked, a plea for escape that sounded hollow even to her own ears.
She wanted to pull away, to cling to Nick's ghost, to the image of the man she had once sworn was her everything. But her body betrayed her, rooted to the ground, trembling under the weight of Reagan's gaze.
Tears welled in her eyes. 'Why now? Why him? Why does it feel like the ground I've been standing on is crumbling beneath me?' Reagan's words and her desperation were making her heart waver.
