Reborn To Conquer

002

Serena didn’t move. She sat there, her bare skin pressed against his sheets, her body tangled with the man beneath her. She didn’t even bother to cover herself. Her lips curled into something cold, something cruel.

Nate’s heart pounded so hard it hurt. His breaths were short, sharp. His fingers twitched at his sides, his body screaming for him to do something, but he couldn’t move.

Serena sighed, tilting her head. “You’re early.”

Early?

His stomach twisted.

The man beside her stretched lazily before sitting up, completely unbothered by Nate’s presence. He ran a hand through his hair, the same dark hair that Nate had seen since childhood.

It hit him like a punch.

“Lucas?” His voice barely came out. His cousin.

Lucas chuckled. “Took you long enough.” He leaned against the headboard, watching Nate with amusement. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t show up at all.”

Nate’s nails dug into his palms. His skin burned. His throat ached. “You… you’re my family.”

Lucas snorted. “And? What does that mean to me?”

Nate felt sick. His own blood. His own flesh. Sleeping with his wife like it was nothing.

His chest tightened. He coughed violently, doubling over as blood splattered onto the floor.

Serena sighed again. “Ugh. That’s disgusting.”

His legs almost gave out. He gripped the doorframe, struggling to breathe. He looked at her, desperate for something…anything. Guilt. Remorse. A sign that this was some sick mistake.

There was none.

She just stared at him, bored.

“You don’t look so good,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “But I guess that’s not surprising.”

Nate swallowed. His throat felt raw. His mind raced. “Why?” His voice cracked. “Why would you do this?”

Serena rolled her eyes. “You really want me to spell it out?”

His hands clenched. He thought about everything…every late night, every time she held him, every promise she made.

“You said you loved me.”

She laughed. Actually laughed.

Lucas smirked. “Come on, Nate. You were never that stupid, were you?”

His heart pounded. His vision blurred.

Serena swung her legs over the bed, standing up without an ounce of shame. She walked toward him, completely unbothered. She grabbed the silk robe from the chair, slipping it on like this was just another evening.

“You were never supposed to be here this early,” she murmured. She looked him up and down, her lips twitching into something almost amused. “Guess it worked faster than I thought.”

Nate’s body stiffened.

His fingers curled against the doorway. “What?”

Serena smirked. “The poison.”

The air left his lungs.

His stomach turned violently.

Serena leaned in, her breath warm against his ear. “You were supposed to die in your sleep tonight.”

His heart stopped.

No. No, that couldn’t…

She pulled back, crossing her arms. “You really thought you were sick, didn’t you?” She let out a slow breath, shaking her head. “It was so easy. A little something in your tea every night, a little talk with your doctor to confirm a fatal diagnosis…” She shrugged. “And just like that, poor Nate was doomed.”

Nate staggered back, his whole body shaking. His chest heaved. His head spun.

“You—” His voice caught. His throat burned.

Lucas leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “It was fun watching you fall apart,” he admitted. “The business, the money, the friends…” He whistled. “You lost everything. And you didn’t even fight back.”

Serena scoffed. “You made it too easy.”

Nate’s breaths turned ragged. His skin was cold. His fingers felt numb.

Everything…everything…had been a lie.

His sickness. His failure.

She had planned it all.

He thought she was his Serena. His anchor. The one person he had left.

But she had never been his.

His stomach twisted.

His body swayed.

Serena smiled. “I put the last dose in your tea this evening.” Her head tilted. “You’re dying, Nate.”

His chest caved in.

His pulse pounded in his ears.

Lucas grinned. “Guess you won’t be around much longer.”

Serena sighed. “What a shame.”

Nate’s knees nearly buckled. He pressed a hand against the wall, his body barely holding on. His vision blurred. The pain was unbearable.

And yet, through it all, one thing remained.

The rage.

It burned beneath his skin. It clawed at his chest.

They thought this was over.

They thought he was over.

Serena smirked, stepping closer. “You actually believed you had pulmonary fibrosis?” She laughed. “God, you were so easy to fool. You coughed up blood because I made you. Every night, for months, I fed you poison. Every morning, you woke up weaker, sicker, and I watched you struggle. And you just…took it.”

Lucas leaned back, shaking his head. “Pathetic.”

Serena smiled wider. “You should’ve seen your face when the doctor confirmed it. Poor, dying Nate, thinking his body was giving up on him.” She let out a small, satisfied sigh. “I paid him well for that diagnosis. And you never even questioned it.”

Nate’s blood turned to ice.

It hadn’t been fate. It hadn’t been his body betraying him.

It was her.

His vision blurred with rage.

Serena tilted her head. “You should sit down. You don’t have much time left.”

His lips parted. His throat burned.

But the only sound that tore through the room was his own voice.

“SERENA!”

Nate's body lurched as a violent cough tore through him. Blood splattered onto the floor, warm and thick, staining his shirt, his hands. His legs wobbled, and before he could steady himself, he collapsed onto his knees.

Serena’s laughter filled the room. Cold. Amused. Heartless.

Lucas grinned, standing beside the bed, his arms crossed as he watched. “Looks like it’s time.”

Nate gasped for air, his chest squeezing with unbearable pain. His vision blurred, red and dark spots dancing before his eyes. His body convulsed as another round of coughing wracked through him, sending more blood spilling from his lips.

Serena crouched in front of him, her face mere inches from his, a smirk playing on her lips. “It hurts, doesn’t it?” she whispered mockingly. “Months of slow, painful decay, and you never even saw it coming.”

His hands clawed at the ground, desperate for something…anything…to hold onto. His whole body trembled. His breaths turned shallow. He was dying.

And they were laughing.

Lucas chuckled. “I thought you’d last longer, but I guess even your will to live wasn’t strong enough.”

Serena sighed, feigning disappointment. “Such a shame.” She reached forward, running her fingers through his damp hair. “You really thought you were so strong, didn’t you?”

His lips trembled. His eyes burned.

Not from the poison.

But from the betrayal.

The woman he had loved. The woman he had trusted more than anything.

She had done this.

Tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He wouldn’t give them that satisfaction. But his body was betraying him, shaking uncontrollably as the poison took its final hold.

Serena stood, dusting off her robe like he was nothing more than a mess on the floor. “You should let go now, Nate. No one’s coming for you.”

His heart clenched.

His eyes grew heavy.

The room was spinning.

His fingers twitched as he tried to hold on…hold on to something, anything. But there was nothing left.

He had lost everything.

His vision darkened.

The last thing he saw was Serena’s cold smile.

The last thing he heard was their laughter.

Then, nothing.

His eyes closed.

And Nathaniel Aldric took his final breath.