Chapter 261: A Lost Cause (2)
Sarah’s POV
My heart thundered in my chest. I felt sick and small and furious all at once. Every foul thing Nancy said landed like a blow, but what steadied me, what kept me from running, was Reagan’s voice: fierce, protective, immovable.
Listening to him defend me, to stand up against her poison, I felt something fierce and tender bloom in my chest. Fear and adrenaline mixed with a strange, warm pride. He believed in me enough to fight, and even in the middle of threats and lies, which made my knees go weak.
I didn’t move. I could barely breathe. But inside, behind the tremor and the shock, something else settled: a quiet certainty that whatever storm Nancy tried to unleash, we would face it together.
The moment Nancy’s last poisonous words echoed through the door, something inside me snapped. Enough was enough. I couldn’t just stand there anymore, trembling in the hallway.
My hand twisted the knob before I even realized it, and I stormed in—only to find Reagan gripping Nancy by the collar of her shirt, his jaw clenched, fury carved across his face.
For a heartbeat, I froze. I never imagined Reagan raising a hand or even a finger against a woman. But then I looked at Nancy, smug even in her cuffs, and I understood. She had pushed him past his limit. She wanted this reaction.
The instant Reagan’s eyes landed on me, his expression shifted like a storm breaking. The fire in his gaze softened into panic, guilt even, and he dropped his hold on her as though I had caught him doing something forbidden.
I hurried forward, my hand slipping into his. "Let’s go," I whispered, my voice gentler than I felt inside. "She’s not worth it, Reagan. She’s... she’s a lost cause. She’s insane!"
He nodded, his chest heaving as if he was holding himself back, and we started toward the door together. I thought we were free of her—until a sharp tug yanked me backward.
A scream tore from my throat as my scalp burned. Nancy’s hands, even though cuffed, somehow had the audacity to snatch my hair, dragging me to the cold floor with her. Before I could even brace myself, her legs locked around my waist, coiling tight like a snake she was.
"Let me show you what insane really means!" she screeched, her voice wild and feral.
"Sarah!" Reagan dropped beside me, grabbing at Nancy’s shoulders, trying to pull her off me. But she clung tighter, her strength shocking for someone restrained.
"Let go of me, you witch!" I cried, thrashing, my palms pushing against her arms as her nails scratched my skin.
"Enough, Nancy!" Reagan’s roar shook the small room, his arms straining as he tried to peel her off me. His desperation, his fear, poured into the space like fire—and in that moment, even through the chaos, I knew: he’d never let her hurt me. Not while he was here.
"What is going on here?!" A familiar voice cut through the chaos like a bell... Oliver’s.
Relief washed over me when officers finally hauled Nancy off. The sting on my scalp, neck, face, and shoulders registered all at once. She had done more damage than I first realized.
My hands flew to my hair; the soreness made me wince. Reagan was at my side in an instant, steadying me, helping me to my feet as if I were a fragile porcelain cup.
My tears weren’t from fear or shame—they were hot with fury. I wanted to shove her, to scream back, to hit until the anger inside me is gone. But the officers had Nancy restrained and were dragging her out of the room, toward the cell, and Reagan kept his hand firm at my elbow, his presence steadying me more than anything else in that small room.
"You two will regret this!" Nancy spat as she was led away, venom still in her voice. "I will bring you down with me, I swear to God! Your secrets will be revealed, Reagan! You will say goodbye to that family that you hate and to that life that you are protecting, even though it’s fake!"
Her threats echoed behind the closing door, ugly and loud, but they landed on something unshakable in me: Reagan’s grip and the look in his eyes.
He didn’t flinch. He only pulled me closer, whispering words that steadied my heart. In that tight, quiet space between us, I felt less like a target and more like someone protected—someone loved. And despite the burn on my scalp and the ugly things Nancy said, I found myself smiling through the soreness, because I knew we’d face whatever came next together.
The moment my eyes landed on Oliver, my breath caught—because right behind him stood Nick and Georgia.
A wave of humiliation crashed over me. My fingers trembled as I tried to smooth down my messy hair, tilting my head so they wouldn’t see the raw sting of tears on my face.
I’d already chosen Reagan, already given him my word, but seeing Nick and Georgia together still tugged at a tender part of me I thought I’d buried. And yet... the ache wasn’t as sharp as before. Not like the night Nick proposed to her in front of everyone. That night had shattered me. Now, it was just a quiet pang, one that I could breathe through.
"You’re bleeding," Georgia’s gentle voice broke the silence. Her eyes softened with concern as she stepped closer. "I’ll find some betadine and ointment. I’m sure the police have a first aid kit. If not, I’ll send the bodyguards to get one. Don’t go yet, I’ll be back." Before anyone could stop her, she had already slipped out of the room
And then came Nick’s voice, flat and unimpressed. "What are you two even doing here?"
The question stung more than Nancy’s grip on my hair. Reagan and I both froze, words lodged in our throats. We had gone out of our way to come early, to avoid this exact moment... and yet, here we were, caught in the very thing we’d tried to escape.
But this time, I wasn’t standing alone. Reagan’s hand found mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles, reminding me of the choice I made. And even in the awkward silence, I felt something shift inside me—I wasn’t afraid of being seen anymore. Not with him right beside me.
******
Thank you for the Golden Tickets!
Kukeng15
KATHLEEN_COLL