"Love didn't end with silence — it ended in the night that broke them both."
*****
(Author's POV)
Seven years ago...
That night, the city sky wept with him.
Raindrops slid down the windshield, blurring the lights outside — just like Brayden's thoughts, tangled and heavy.
Behind the wheel, his reflection stared back — hollow eyes of a man who no longer recognized himself.
The echo of his father's voice still rang in his head, sharp and unrelenting.
"If you want to marry Brianna, prove you deserve her. Take over the company. Stop wasting your life, Brayden. Be someone I can rely on."
Maybe those words were meant to guide him.
But to Brayden, they felt like chains.
He wasn't ready.
Not for the company.
Not for marriage.
And maybe… not even for love.
So that night, instead of facing his life — he ran from it.
Pedal to the floor, he drove into the heart of the city, toward the one place that demanded nothing from him: the club.
*****
The Club — Midnight
The bass thundered through the floor, rattling the walls.
Flashing neon lights painted chaos in blue and purple.
Bodies swayed, laughter echoed, and in the middle of it all sat Brayden Roderigo — a storm in human form.
His white shirt hung open, tie undone, glass of whiskey clutched tight in his hand.
He swirled the amber liquid, watching the light twist and fade within it — the same way hope had faded from his life.
"Brayden, that's enough. You've had too much," Altaf, his friend — and bartender tonight — spoke, worry threading his voice.
Brayden gave a bitter half-smile.
"I'm not drunk, man. I just… don't want to remember anything tonight."
Altaf leaned forward. "It's about your dad again, isn't it?"
No answer.
Only another gulp. Another empty laugh.
The kind that came from exhaustion, not amusement.
Altaf sighed. He'd seen Brayden angry, cocky, reckless — but never like this.
Tonight, the fire in his eyes had gone out, replaced by something hollow.
"Maybe I should call Brianna," Altaf muttered.
"Don't." Brayden's voice was sharp — too sharp.
Then, quieter. "I've had enough of her."
But Altaf knew if no one came, things could go bad — really bad.
So, despite Brayden's words, he did what he knew was right.
He called Brianna.
*****
When She Arrived
The moment Brianna stepped inside the club, the heavy scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke filled her lungs.
Flashing lights reflected off her anxious eyes as she searched through the crowd.
Then she saw him.
Brayden.
Alone at the bar.
Lost in his own wreckage.
"Brayden…" Her voice was soft, barely audible beneath the pounding music.
He turned — sluggish, unfocused. His gaze met hers, and for a brief second, his lips twisted into a smirk.
"You again… You always show up when I'm falling apart."
Her chest tightened. "Because I can't just watch you destroy yourself."
"I didn't ask for your pity, Brianna." His tone cracked like glass. "I just want to be free. But everyone — even you — keeps trying to cage me."
Tears welled in Brianna's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
She reached out, gently holding his trembling hand.
"I'm not trying to cage you, Ray. I just… want you to be happy."
"Happy?" Brayden laughed, empty and bitter. "Then why does it hurt every time I see you?"
She didn't answer. She knew those words weren't from hate — they were born from pain.
But even so, they cut deep.
*****
The Night That Changed Everything
With Altaf's help, Brianna led Brayden out of the club.
The rain still fell, soft and cold against her skin.
"Take care of him, Bri," Altaf said quietly before closing the car door.
On the drive to his apartment, the silence was heavy — broken only by Brayden's slurred murmurs, fragments of regret slipping past his lips.
He mentioned his mother's name, then fell silent again.
Brianna gripped the wheel, her heart aching for the man beside her — the man who didn't realize how much she loved him, even when he pushed her away.
When they arrived, Brianna entered the code she still remembered — the one they'd made together.
"Let's use the date I told you I loved you," he'd said years ago with that same boyish grin.
Her chest tightened at the memory.
Now, that smile existed only in fragments of her heart.
"Ray…" she whispered as she helped him onto the bed.
Brayden's eyes opened slightly, unfocused but full of something raw.
"Why won't you ever leave me?" he muttered, voice low, almost pleading. "Why don't you just go?"
"Because I love you," she whispered back, voice trembling.
He let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Love, huh? Your love is killing me, Bri…"
Her tears fell. "You don't mean that. You're drunk, Brayden."
"I mean every word," he breathed. "I just… want it all to stop. The pressure. The expectations. The noise. I'm so tired…"
He looked at her — eyes dark, glassy, desperate — before reaching out and pulling her close.
"Brayden, no—"
But before she could finish, his lips crashed against hers.
It wasn't a kiss born of tenderness.
It was pain. Chaos. Two broken souls clinging to the only thing that still felt real.
And that night, love and ruin became one.
*****
The Morning After
Sunlight spilled into the room — bright, merciless, real.
Brayden stirred, groaning softly. His head throbbed, his throat burned.
And when he turned his head, his world stopped.
Brianna lay beside him.
Her bare shoulder visible beneath the sheets, her breathing calm, her face peaceful.
"No…" he whispered, gripping his temples. "What the hell did I do?"
Brianna's eyes fluttered open. "Brayden… I need to explain—"
But he was already on his feet, fury flooding his veins.
"What did you do, Brianna?!" His voice cracked like thunder. "Did you plan this?!"
She froze. "Brayden, please, listen—"
"I was drunk! You knew that! You used me!"
Her tears spilled instantly. "No, that's not—"
"Enough!" he shouted, throwing a pillow at the wall. "You think this'll make me love you? You think trapping me will fix us?! You've just made me hate you even more!"
Every word shattered her.
But she didn't fight back. She only stood there — trembling, broken, silent.
"I never tried to make you love me," she whispered. "I just… wanted to stay by your side."
Brayden turned away, his jaw clenched, his eyes cold.
"I don't want to see you again."
The world fell silent.
Brianna picked up her clothes, her tears falling freely now.
She looked at him one last time — memorizing the man she once knew — and walked out.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the empty apartment.
It was the sound of an ending.
The night had changed everything —
and neither of them realized it was also the beginning…
of a life growing quietly inside her.
And from that night on, neither of them would ever be the same.