S A R A H

I sweeps the living room, trying to keep myself busy so I don't have to think about anything else. Yesterday's party felt so good and i am already missing Nayla and Ryan.

The front door creaks open, and my heart skips a beat. I turn around to see a woman standing in the doorway, her silhouette framed by the harsh evening sunlight streaming in.

She's stunning-long legs, perfectly styled hair, dressed like she's about to walk a runway. Her eyes narrow as she looks me up and down, her lips curling into a smirk.

"You must be the new toy," she says, her voice dripping with venom. "How much is he paying you to warm his bed?"

Her words hit me like a slap, and I freeze, gripping the broom tighter. "Excuse me?" I manage to say, my voice shaking with anger and disbelief.

She takes a step closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor. "Oh, don't play dumb," she sneers. "You think you're special? You're just another girl Noah's playing with until he gets bored."

I can feel my blood boiling, but I swallow it down, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break. "I don't know who you think you are," I say, trying to keep my voice steady, "but I'm not here for him, and I'm definitely not interested in your delusions."

My heart pounds, but I stand my ground, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break. "I don't care what you think," I say, holding her gaze. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

But her eyes gleam with something dark, something vicious. "Oh, I know your type," she hisses. "Little broken girl pretending to be strong. How long until you fall apart? Until everyone sees you for the mess you really are?"

Her words dig deep, scraping against old wounds, and it feels like my chest is caving in.

"Stop it," I whisper, my voice trembling. But Ryza only leans in closer, her smile growing sharper. "Oh, sweetie, you're nothing. Not to Noah, not to anyone. He just sent me here to see how easy it would be to break you. "

Her eyes darken, and I can see I've hit a nerve. "You think you're better than me?" she spits, stepping closer until she's right in my face. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. Do you really think Noah cares about you? He asked me to come here, to put you in your place."

Her words dig into me, deeper than I'd like to admit. My heart lurches, a sickening feeling settling in my stomach. I don't want to believe her, but doubts start creeping in.

Has this all been some twisted game?

"I don't believe you," I say, but my voice is weaker now, barely a whisper.

She laughs, the sound cruel and sharp. "Oh, honey, you should," she says, her eyes gleaming with malice. "He's just using you, like he uses everyone. You're nothing to him."

A sob chokes in my throat, but before I can crumble, a shadow looms over us.

"What the hell is going on here?" Noah's voice is a growl, raw with fury.

Noah stands between us, eyes blazing, and I've never seen him look so furious. "Get out, Ryza. Now," he orders, voice tight with restrained rage.

But Ryza just laughs, a cold, mocking sound. "Why should I? You wanted me to push her, remember? You wanted to see if she'd crack."

My stomach twists painfully, her words slicing through me. Noah turns to me, his expression torn. "Sarah, it's not true. I swear-"

"Don't," I cut him off, my voice cracking. I can't hear this. I can't breathe. I push past him, desperate to escape, but his hand wraps around my wrist.

"Let go of me!" I shout, wrenching my arm away. The look in his eyes-hurt, desperation-only fuels the chaos in my chest.

The room starts to spin, her words hitting all the wounds I've tried so hard to keep buried. Memories of my father's cruelty, his endless taunts that I was worthless, that I'd never be loved. It all comes rushing back.

I need to get out of here.

I turn on my heel, dropping the broom, and make a run for the door. I can't let her know she got to me.

I sprint out the door, my vision blurring with tears. I'm halfway down the driveway, my feet pounding against the pavement, when I hear Noah's frantic voice behind me.

"Sarah, stop! Please!"

But I can't stop. I need to get away, to breathe, to not feel like I'm suffocating under the weight of his betrayal. I bolt for the gate, not looking back, not caring where I'm headed, as long as it's away from him.

Suddenly, a blinding light flashes in front of me. A car horn blares, tires screeching. I freeze, my heart leaping into my throat.

The car swerves just in time, missing me by inches, and my legs give out beneath me. I collapse on the asphalt, gasping for air, my hands shaking violently.

"No!" I hear Noah's scream, raw and broken.

I lift my head, just in time to see him drop to his knees in the middle of the street, hands pulling at his hair, his face twisted in anguish.

All I can do is stare. He's kneeling there like a man on the edge, like he's lost everything. Then, as if something inside him snaps, he slams his fist into the ground.

Once.

Twice.

Over and over, until there's blood dripping down his knuckles.

"Why can't I ever get it right?!" he roars into the night, his voice shattered.

I want to leave, to run as far away from this mess as possible, but something in the way he breaks apart right in front of me roots me to the spot. His eyes squeezed shut, body trembling as he cradles his bloodied hand.

I should walk away. I should hate him for everything that's happened. But instead, I find myself moving closer, one hesitant step at a time.

"Noah..." I whisper, my voice barely audible.

He doesn't hear me, lost in his world of rage and regret.

"I'm sorry," he chokes out, his voice breaking. "I never meant to hurt you. I just... I'm so messed up."

My heart twists at the sight of him like this. But I can't fix him. I don't even know if I can forgive him. He starts to punch the ground again.

"Noah, stop!" I scream, horrified.

But he doesn't. He keeps hitting it, his face contorted with rage and self-loathing. "Ahhhhhh!" he yells, his voice hoarse.

I can't move, can't think. All I can do is watch as he collapses to the ground, his shoulders shaking, his bloodied hands hanging limp at his sides.

The sight of him like this, so shattered and alone, does something to me. Against my better judgment, I take a step towards him, and then another, until I'm standing right in front of him.

"Noah..." I whisper, my voice trembling.

He looks up at me, his eyes red and filled with so much pain it nearly breaks me. "I'm sorry," he chokes out, his voice barely audible. "I'm so fucking sorry, Sarah."

I can't do this. I can't keep breaking for someone who might not even be worth it.

I stand frozen, my breaths coming in ragged gasps as Noah's screams echo in the night. The sight of him on his knees, blood dripping from his knuckles, hits me like a punch to the gut. I don't want to be here, but my feet won't move.

His eyes darken. There's something unhinged, almost wild, in the way he looks at me. He gets up slowly, stumbling a bit, before he closes the distance between us.

"Sarah," he says, his voice sounds almost pleading. "You weren't supposed to see this... any of this."

I swallow hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Why, Noah? Why did you bring her here to hurt me?" The betrayal laces every word, and I don't care if he sees how much it's breaking me.

His face contorts, pain and frustration warring in his eyes. "Fine! You want the truth?" he snaps, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Yes, I told Ryza to push you. I was so mad, Sarah. Mad that no matter what I do, you keep judging me. You look at me like I'm some monster, like you know exactly who I am, but you don't!"

I feel my chest tighten. The anger in his voice is like a slap, but it's his next words that cut the deepest.

"And yeah," he adds bitterly, his lips curling into a harsh smile. "I wanted to show you that I have other girls, too. That you're not special. That you can't waltz in here and look down on me just because you came back with that Ryan guy, acting all happy. I was jealous, okay? I just wanted you to feel... to feel how I felt."

His words hang in the air, a brutal confession that leaves me reeling. I blink rapidly, trying to hold back tears, but they spill over anyway.

"So, this was all just some sick game to you?" I ask, my voice cracking. "You brought her here to hurt me because you were jealous?"

Noah steps closer, his eyes glistening with something I can't quite place. Regret? Shame?

"I'm sorry, Sarah... I messed up. I just-" he pauses, the rage slipping from his face, replaced by something far more vulnerable. "I just wanted you to see me, to not hate me for once."

But it's too much.

The pain, the confusion, the betrayal. I take a shaky step back.

"I can't do this, Noah," I whisper, my voice breaking as I turn on my heel, leaving him standing in the darkness with his regrets.