Shattered Bonds

Nick watched her disappear into the night, his heart splintering with every step she took. He turned back inside the restaurant, forcing himself to move, to breathe, to act as if he weren't breaking apart. As he sat opposite the woman, he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a check and sliding it across the table.

"Thanks for today. You can leave," he said, his voice hollow.

The woman hesitated, her gaze locking onto his face, searching for something beneath the mask he wore. She saw the pain there, raw and unfiltered.

"I don't have the right to ask why you did that to her," she murmured, "but I think you just lost something precious."

She stood and left without another word.

Nick sat motionless for a moment, his fingers clenching into fists, his nails biting into his palms. Then, without thinking, he got up and walked out.

When he reached his apartment, the silence was unbearable. The walls, the furniture, everything felt suffocating. He snapped.

Glass shattered against the floor as he threw a vase against the wall. The coffee table overturned with a violent crash. He grabbed a chair and sent it flying across the room.

His chest heaved, his hands trembled. And then, all at once, his strength gave out. He sank to the ground, his knees hitting the cold floor.

Tears blurred his vision, hot and relentless.

"I'm sorry," he choked out.

He clutched his chest, gasping between sobs.

"I'm so sorry."

His broken cries echoed through the empty apartment.

His mind dragged him back to the moment everything unraveled.

It had been days since he confronted Paul, demanding answers, demanding Jane. Then, as if savoring the moment, Paul had finally called him to his office. Desperation had driven Nick there, and Paul knew it.

Sitting across the desk, Paul smirked as he pressed play on a video.

Nick's stomach twisted as he watched Jane's life unfold on the screen—confined, trapped, suffering in a place that was more prison than home.

His blood boiled.

"So you do have her, you bastard," Nick growled, his fists shaking. "Tell me where she is."

Paul merely chuckled, smug and unfazed.

Nick snapped. He lunged, his fist colliding with Paul's face. Paul reeled back, but retaliated just as viciously. They fought, the room filling with the sounds of fists meeting flesh, of grunts and ragged breaths.

Then Paul spoke.

"You can't find her, Nick. And even if you do… she's not yours anymore."

Nick froze.

Paul smirked, reaching for his phone. With a few taps, he pulled up a photo of Jane in a hotel bed cuddling to him with a smile on her face. It broke Nick's heart. 

Nick felt the ground shift beneath him. His breath caught in his throat.

"I did sleep with her that day," Paul mused, watching Nick's reaction.

Nick stumbled back, his legs giving out as he collapsed into a chair.

Paul's laughter rang in his ears.

"Her life is in my hands, Nick. 

Nick shook his head, his voice hoarse. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Paul taunted.

Nick's hands clenched. "She's mine. I love her. You're the one who came between us."

Paul sighed, feigning boredom. "I really don't have time for your heroics. Here's the deal—if you want to see her again, you'll do as I say."

Nick swallowed hard. He already knew what was coming.

"You have to break up with her," Paul continued, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Make her hate you."

Nick's world tilted.

"I'll never do that."

Paul burst into laughter. "Do you remember how you cleared her name at the press meet? What if I release these pictures now? What do you think the media will say? They won't care about the truth, Nick. They'll see what I show them."

Nick's stomach twisted painfully.

"I'll tell them she was sleeping with me. That she's nothing but a whore." Paul's voice darkened. "She'll have nowhere to go."

Nick saw red. He lunged again, swinging at Paul. But this time, Paul was ready. He dodged the blow and countered with a swift kick to Nick's stomach, sending him crashing to the floor.

"You don't have a choice, Nick."

Nick coughed, clutching his side. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't let her suffer more than she already had.

Paul knelt beside him, whispering in his ear.

"She already feels guilty for sleeping with me. She's starting to accept it. But with you around? She'll never be fully mine."

Nick's head pounded, his body trembling with rage, with helplessness.

Paul grinned. "Tell me, Nick, how many times should I sleep with her before she gives in completely?"

Nick gasped, horror surging through him. His stomach churned, bile rising in his throat.

"Perhaps I should show you a video of that too?" Paul chuckled.

Nick's vision blurred. His hands shook violently.

"Please," he croaked. "Don't hurt her."

Paul clapped him on the shoulder. "Then do as I say."

Nick barely felt the touch. He was drowning.

"Okay," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'll do it."

He forced himself to look up, meeting Paul's triumphant gaze.

"But please… don't hurt her."

Paul smirked. "Oh, don't worry. Even if she doesn't love me yet, her body responds to me just fine. It's only a matter of time before she gives in."

Nick closed his eyes. His soul shattered.

And that was the moment he knew—he had lost her.

…..

The days blurred together in an endless haze of pain. Jane lay curled up in bed, her body trembling with silent sobs. The walls of her confinement closed in, suffocating her. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't eat.

He left her.

The man she loved, the man she had dreamed of spending her life with—he was gone. And the worst part was, she didn't even know why.

Her world had collapsed overnight, and no one could tell her why.

Her stomach twisted in pain, her head light and dizzy from starvation. She ignored Marie's desperate pleas to eat something but she refused and starved for days.

Then, everything went black.

Jane awoke to the sterile scent of antiseptic. The beeping of machines echoed in the quiet hospital room. Her body felt weak, her limbs heavy.

Slowly, she turned her head.

Paul.

He was asleep beside her, his head resting on his folded arms by the bed. His brow was furrowed, his face slack with exhaustion.

Her chest tightened.

Why is he here?

He was the reason everything had fallen apart. The reason Nick had walked away. The reason she was trapped in this nightmare.

Jane sighed, shifting slightly. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV, needing a distraction from the weight crushing her chest.

The screen flickered to life.

And then, her heart stopped.

Nick's face filled the screen.

Her breath hitched, her fingers trembling as she turned up the volume.

The news anchor spoke in a clear, unbothered voice.

"Tycoon Nicholas Carter has officially announced his engagement to Evelyn Sinclair, daughter of business mogul Richard Sinclair. The couple was spotted together at a private gala last night. When asked about his previous relationship with Jane Evans, Nick had this to say..."

The clip cut to Nick, standing before a sea of flashing cameras. His face was cold, unreadable.

"We broke up due to a difference of opinion."

That was all he said.

Just six words. Six words that destroyed her.

Jane's vision blurred as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Her throat tightened, a choked sob escaping her lips. Her fingers fumbled for the remote, her hands shaking violently as she switched off the TV.

The room was suddenly too quiet, too suffocating.

Paul sighed beside her.

"Jane… I tried talking to him so many times," he said softly.

Jane's nails dug into her palms.

"I even gave him the footage of the home," Paul continued. "I tried to prove to him that I never touched you. But he won't listen, Jane. He's already moved on."

His voice wavered, and Jane turned, startled to see a single tear rolling down his chin.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It's all my fault. I ruined everything."

The door creaked open.

Marie.

She stood at the entrance, her face twisted in fury.

"It is your fault," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You ruined her life!"

Paul flinched.

"I'll go meet Nick again," he said suddenly. "I'll kneel if I have to. I'll beg him to meet you, Jane. I'll do anything."

Jane shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line.

"What's the use now?" she whispered.

Her voice was lifeless. Empty.

"He doesn't care anymore."

Paul opened his mouth to protest, but Jane turned away.

"It's fine."

But it wasn't.

It never would be.