Chapter 40 - Crossroads
The rooftop air pulsed with tension. The glittering skyline seemed to lean in, as though the city itself was holding its breath.
Serena’s heartbeat drowned everything out. Damian’s raw fury, Nathaniel’s smooth taunting—they blurred into one thing: the demand for her choice.
Him. Or him.
Her throat ached. She wanted to scream that she wasn’t an object to be chosen like a prize, that her heart wasn’t some pawn in their war. But words tangled inside her chest, too heavy to escape.
Damian stepped closer, his jaw tight, his voice unsteady despite the steel. “Serena, don’t let him twist you. I know I broke your trust, but I swear to you, I’d burn everything before I let him have you.”
Nathaniel chuckled low, setting his champagne glass on the railing. “And there it is. The grand declaration. But let’s be honest, Serena—when has Damian ever not chosen power first? He’ll burn everything, yes. Including you.”
Serena flinched, the words cutting too close to the fracture already inside her.
She drew a shaky breath. “Both of you… stop. I’m not—”
But Damian’s eyes never left hers. They burned, begging her. “Tell him, Serena. Tell him you don’t want this. Tell him you’re with me.”
Nathaniel leaned in, his tone silk over steel. “Or tell him the truth. That you’re tired of lies and cages. That you want freedom.”
The rooftop tilted, her world spinning. Two men, two choices, and neither felt whole.
Her phone buzzed again in her pocket. She pulled it out this time, Damian’s earlier messages glowing: Please. Just tell me where you are. Another, sent minutes ago: I can’t lose you.
Tears pricked her eyes. She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to. But the fracture in her heart whispered otherwise.
“Serena.” Damian’s voice softened, dropping all armor. It was just a man speaking now, not the ruthless CEO. “Please… choose me. Not because of a contract, not because of the press. Because you want to.”
For a heartbeat, she almost stepped toward him. Her body leaned, her chest aching with the pull.
But then Nathaniel’s words slithered in, precise. “Ask yourself this—if you hadn’t been useful to Damian, would he have ever looked at you twice?”
The blow landed. Serena’s breath caught, her chest caving inward. She thought of that night at the gala, the spilled wine, the humiliation that had sparked everything. Had she been nothing more than an accident that became convenient?
She stumbled back a step.
Damian’s eyes widened. “Serena—”
Her voice cracked as she finally spoke. “I can’t do this.”
Both men froze.
“I can’t stand here while you fight over me like I’m a trophy.” She shook her head, tears spilling. “You want me to choose, but right now? All I see are lies. Power plays. And I’m drowning in them.”
Damian’s face fell, devastation flickering in his eyes. Nathaniel tilted his head, studying her with something sharper than disappointment—calculation.
“Serena—” Damian tried, but she cut him off.
“No. Not here. Not like this.”
She turned on her heel, walking toward the rooftop doors.
“Running won’t save you,” Nathaniel called after her, his voice smooth, almost amused. “Sooner or later, you’ll have to decide whose truth you want to live with.”
She didn’t stop. Didn’t look back.
Damian took a step to follow, but Nathaniel’s voice dropped low, cutting through the night. “Careful, Wolfe. If you push too hard, she’ll break. And when she does… she’ll fall into my arms.”
Damian froze, fury vibrating through him. His fists clenched, his chest heaved—but when he turned, the doors had already shut behind Serena.
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The elevator ride down felt endless. Serena pressed her palms against her face, trying to breathe, trying to make sense of the storm inside her.
Damian’s desperation. Nathaniel’s venom. Her own broken heart.
The glass doors opened to the street, and flashes erupted instantly—paparazzi waiting like vultures.
“Serena! Serena!”
Questions clawed at her from every side. “Were you with Nathaniel Crane tonight?” “Are you leaving Damian Wolfe?” “Is the marriage a sham after all?”
She shoved through, blinded, trembling, her tears catching in the cameras’ light.
Her driver wasn’t there. No protection. No shield. Just her, alone in the frenzy.
She ducked into the nearest alley, breath ragged, the city pressing in.
Her phone buzzed again. Damian. Calling this time.
She hesitated, thumb hovering over accept. Her heart screamed to hear his voice, to let him in.
But then, another buzz. Another message. Nathaniel.
I told you. He’ll break you. When you’re ready for the truth, I’ll be waiting.
The screen glowed with both names. Two men. Two choices.
Serena slid down the cold brick wall, her head in her hands, her chest splitting open.
And for the first time, she admitted the truth that terrified her most.
She didn’t know which man she feared losing more.
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