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Burn scoffs. "Save your fortune cookie wisdom. You don't know what it's like, living in your shadow."
I shake my head. Maybe if we'd talked more openly, it wouldn't have come to this. But the past can't be undone.Burn's blows rain down relentlessly, fueled by years of pent-up resentment. I block and parry, but he's fighting like a man possessed.
"She was mine!" he rages. "You stole her, just like you steal everything!"
“Just like you stole Daisy from me!” is my retort.
“I only stole her because she is a manipulative witch, just like your wife,” he growls. “You keep thinking with your dick and making the wrong decisions.”
I duck under a wild punch, coming up to smash my fist into his ribs. He staggers but doesn't go down.
"Talia chose me," I say through gritted teeth. "Get over it."
With a bellow, he charges forward, wrapping his arms around me in a crushing bear hug. We crash to the ground, grappling and rolling in the sand. I drive my elbow into his side, wrenching myself free.
We both climb unsteadily to our feet, chests heaving, bodies bruised and bloodied. This has gone too far.
"Don't make me fight you, Burn," I plead, looking him in the eyes. "I’m the only one with someone to lose. I’ll win this fight."
His lip curls in a sneer. "Such pretty words from such a fool."
He rushes me again. I sidestep, sweeping his legs out from under him. He hits the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him.
I stand over him as he gasps for breath, glaring up at me with undisguised malice. In his eyes, I see no trace of the brother I once knew. There's only venomous envy and a thirst for vengeance.
My heart sinks. Have we really reached a point of no return? I thought there was still hope of reconciliation. But now I see the bitter truth.
The brother I loved died long ago.
My fists pummel him mercilessly. This is not just about my wife and I think in the back of my mind I know it. I feel like every blow is a little repayment for all the anger I’ve felt inside for the past few years.
“Dare…” Talia says.
I smash my fist into his face, flecks of his blood hitting my face. I grit my teeth and the taste of his blood floods my senses. “This has to be over! I have to end things!”
“Stop! Dare, stop! You don’t want to do this.”
Talia’s pleas slow my fists. Burn isn’t moving anymore. He doesn’t even seem conscious.
I stare down at the broken shell of a man I once called brother, pity and regret welling up inside me. This is not how I wanted it to end between us. But his relentless obsession has left me no choice.
“I have to kill him,” I whisper.
“You stopped him, Dare.” She steps into my line of sight, clutching at her stomach. “Please. You’ve done enough.”
I step back, dragging a bloodied fist over my chin. My eyes are riveted on Burn. If he gets up, I’ll have to finish what I started. But there is no movement that I can see other than the slight rise and fall of his chest.
He’s still breathing, but he isn’t about to come at me again.
“Dare.” Talia touches my arm and pushes me back a few more steps. “Say something.”
I turn to her, my hands coming up to cradle her face. Her skin is cold beneath my fingers. Gently, I brush back the windswept strands of hair from her eyes and then look down at her swollen stomach.
"Are you alright?" I ask urgently. “Is the baby okay?”
She nods, eyes brimming with emotion. "I'm okay now. Thanks to you."
Relief floods through me. I pull her into my arms, holding her close against my pounding heart. The familiar scent of her hair fills my senses. My heart beats wildly as I try to convince myself that the threat has passed.
