Chapter 218: Look At Me (1)
Reagan finally convinced Sarah to leave the bar after one last bottle of beer.
She staggered into her penthouse, only to bolt straight for the bathroom.
The sound of retching echoed against the marble tiles. Reagan followed without hesitation, crouching behind her, one hand holding her hair back, the other rubbing soothing circles on her spine.
When her body finally gave in and the sick feeling passed, she slumped against the bathroom floor, pale and trembling.
"Come on," Reagan murmured. He lifted her gently, guiding her to the tub he’d already filled with warm water. Without a word of protest from her, he loosened her dress, undressed her with careful, almost clinical movements, and carried her into the steaming bath.
He stayed close, crouched at the side, his sleeves rolled up as if ready to steady her at any moment.
The warmth seemed to revive her faster than expected. Sarah’s eyes, once glassy, now held a fragile clarity as she leaned back. "Reagan... can you stay over tonight? Please. I don’t want to be alone."
Her voice was soft, frayed around the edges, almost desperate. "The water... It’s sobering me too fast. I won’t be able to sleep now that the alcohol’s fading."
"Alright," Reagan said simply, his tone firm, leaving no room for doubt. He helped her out of the tub, wrapped a towel around her trembling body, and then secured her in a thick robe.
Even her damp hair didn’t escape his attention. He carefully dried it with the towel as if he was used to it.
Sarah, drained and unguarded, drifted toward the bed without another word, collapsing on top of the sheets, still wearing only the robe.
Reagan shrugged out of his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and lay down beside her.
Silence wrapped the room, heavy and suffocating. Both of them stared up at the ceiling. Then, almost imperceptibly, a sound broke the quiet, soft, shaky sobs slipping past Sarah’s lips.
Reagan froze, every instinct urging him to comfort her, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he reached out, resting a steadying hand on her leg, the smallest gesture of reassurance.
Sarah buried her face in her hands, her voice raw and breaking between sobs. "I love Nick... so much..."
Reagan exhaled slowly, a sigh that carried both resignation and weight. But still, he said nothing, just stayed there, a silent sentinel beside her, as the truth she could no longer contain spilled into the room.
Sarah sat up abruptly, eyes wild and pleading. "Help me," she begged, voice raw. "I’ll do anything. Let’s get Raymond to work on a plan, he said something earlier."
Reagan pushed himself upright slowly. He stared at her for a long moment before answering, the exhaustion in his voice belying the steel beneath. "Sarah, you can’t do this. The plays that worked before won’t work now—not with what’s been signed."
He told her, blunt and careful, about the prenup: the clauses, the notarization, the irreversible legal walls Nicholas had built around his marriage to Georgia.
"It’s notarized," Reagan said. "It’s airtight. The only thing that will separate them is death." The words landed like a verdict.
Sarah’s face twisted with thought; Reagan saw the dangerous gleam she tried to hide.
He cut her off before she could spiral. "No. Don’t go that far. Don’t ruin your life over him. I’ve helped you before, thinking it would free you, make you happy, but it only made you more miserable. I’m done with being the man who watches you get hurt over and over again."
For a heartbeat, she went still. Then, hands clamping around his, she begged like a woman between life and death, "Please, Reagan. I don’t know how to live without Nick. We were together for years—how will I survive this?"
Reagan closed his eyes and breathed out a long, tired sound. When he opened them, the decision in them was like a struck match. "If you want my help," he said quietly, "I’ll help you, but not to win him back. I’ll help you forget him."
Sarah blinked through the salt of her tears. "What do you mean?"
Without hesitation, Reagan leaned forward and said the thing that slammed the room into stillness. "Marry me," he said. "Let me be the way you start over."
Her mouth fell open. For a second, the only sound was the city beyond the glass and Sarah’s shallow, stunned intake of breath.
Sarah’s lips trembled as she searched his face. "W-Why would you do that? You don’t want me ruining my life over Nick, but now you’re willing to ruin yours over me? If this is a joke, Reagan—it’s not funny."
His gaze didn’t waver. "I’m not joking. And I’m not ruining my life." His tone was steady, resolute, leaving no room for doubt. "This wasn’t just my idea. My parents suggested it, and yours are already aware."
Sarah froze, her breath hitching. Her eyes widened in shock, locked on him as though he had just spoken a foreign language.
Reagan let out a low scoff, half a bitter laugh. "Honestly? When my parents first mentioned it, I kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner."
Her voice cracked, half angry, half pleading. "Reagan, you’re not making any sense. Why would you even do this? You know I love Nick!"
"That’s just it, Sarah." His words cut like steel. "I’ve always known. From the very beginning, I knew you loved him and that there was no space for me in your world. When our parents tied you to him with that engagement, I swallowed it, told myself it was fine. Because all I ever wanted was your happiness."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping low, thick with restrained fury. "But look at you now. Miserable. Broken. And I hate myself for not being selfish enough back then. Maybe if I had fought harder, you wouldn’t be like this."
Reagan’s eyes darkened, jaw tightening as years of silent anger bled into his words. "I kept my eyes shut while Nick used you—used your body, your loyalty for his convenience. And I let it slide, telling myself one day he’d see you for who you are. But he never did. He never will."
He reached for her hand, gripping it tight, almost desperate. "Enough, Sarah. Stop waiting for him to see you. He won’t. Look at me instead, just once, look at me the way you’ve always looked at him."
********
Thank you for the Golden Tickets!
Kake_Tak
HelloFii_Bii000