You Broke Me Firs tVolume 1— Chapter 3:
The Price of Truth
The rain had finally ceased, leaving the city washed clean but eerily quiet. Inside the hospital room, the tension was palpable, thick as the silence that hung between Shayne, Hagar, and the man who had just entered—her past incarnate.
The man's cold eyes bore into Hagar's, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "You thought you could run from me, Hagar. From what we shared, from the debts you owe. But the past doesn't forget. And neither do I."
Shayne instinctively stepped in front of Hagar, his muscles tense, ready to protect. "Who are you? What do you want from us?"
The man's smile widened, but it was devoid of warmth. "I'm the consequence of your choices, Hagar. And now, Shayne, you're part of those consequences."
A Past UnveiledHagar's voice was steady but laced with pain. "This is Marcus. My ex-husband. The man who shattered my world."
Shayne's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here now? What do you want?"
Marcus's gaze flicked to Shayne, then back to Hagar. "I want what's mine. And you owe me more than you realize."
Hagar's hands clenched into fists. "I owe you nothing."
Marcus laughed bitterly. "You think you can erase the past with lies and staged love? You're wrong. And now, you've dragged an innocent boy into our mess."
Shayne's heart ached—not just for himself, but for the woman standing before him, broken yet fierce. "I'm not innocent anymore. Not if it means standing by your side."
The Weight of SacrificeThe room grew heavy with unspoken words and memories. Hagar's eyes glistened with tears as she finally let her guard down. "I was young, naïve. I thought love could save me—from him, from the pain. But it only chained me to a nightmare."
Shayne reached out, wiping a tear from her cheek. "You don't have to carry that alone."
She looked at him, vulnerability and hope mingling in her gaze. "I staged the love because I was afraid. Afraid of being hurt again. But you… you made me believe in something real."
Shayne's voice was soft but firm. "We can't change the past, but we can fight for our future."
A Dangerous AllianceMarcus's expression darkened. "You think this ends here? There are others—people who won't stop until MacTech is theirs. And you, Shayne, are a pawn in their game."
Hagar nodded grimly. "That's why we need to act fast. Jenna's evidence is the key. It can expose them all."
Shayne clenched his fists. "Then we find her. We protect her. And we bring the truth to light."
Marcus's eyes flickered with something unreadable—respect, perhaps, or a grudging acceptance. "Fine. But know this: the price of truth is steep. And not everyone survives to pay it."
A Moment of Fragile HopeAs Marcus left, the room felt emptier, yet somehow lighter. Shayne and Hagar sat together, the storm outside finally giving way to a fragile dawn.
"I'm sorry for everything," Hagar whispered. "For the lies, the pain. For breaking you first."
Shayne shook his head, a sad smile touching his lips. "You didn't break me. Life did. But maybe, together, we can mend the pieces."
She leaned into him, finding comfort in his warmth. "I want to believe that. I want to believe in us."
Cliffhanger:But as they prepared to face the battles ahead, a new message flashed on Shayne's phone: "They know where you are. Run, or lose everything."
The fight for love, truth, and survival was far from over.
Don't miss Volume 2 — Chapter 3: Shadows Closing In, where every secret will be tested, every heart pushed to the edge, and the true cost of love revealed.