The bar was a cave of throbbing shadows and flickering neon.

Bass-heavy music vibrated through the floor.

The air hung thick with the acrid mix of cheap liquor and stale smoke.

At the counter, Daniel Brooks sat alone, a glass of amber liquid cradled in his hand.

His posture was deceptively calm, an island of stillness in the chaotic sea.

Ethan Blackwood exploded into the space, his presence a violent shockwave.

Daniel’s eyes registered a flicker of surprise, quickly smothered by a mask of cool indifference.

“You’re here,” he stated flatly, his voice devoid of any warmth, as if he’d been waiting.

“Where is she?” Ethan demanded, bypassing all pretense.

Daniel let out a low, humorless chuckle, swirling the drink in his glass.

“Isabella? How should I know?”

“Stop playing games with me, Daniel!” Ethan snarled, lunging forward to seize the other man’s collar.

His eyes burned with unchecked fury.

“You and she were plotting something together!”

Daniel didn’t even blink.

He met Ethan’s furious glare with unnerving calm.

“Games?” he scoffed, shaking his head slowly.

“You overestimate my role in this drama, Ethan.”

With a sharp, practiced twist, Daniel broke free from Ethan’s grip.

A mocking glint shone in his eyes.

“And why would Isabella conspire with me? Hasn’t she always been utterly devoted to you?”

“Damn you!” Ethan spat, his chest heaving with raw frustration.

He had no real rebuttal.

“Ethan,” Daniel’s voice cut through the noise, quiet yet sharp.

“You only understand what you had after it’s gone. But then… it’s always too late, isn’t it?”

Ethan’s fists clenched, nails biting deep into his palms.

He felt no physical pain, only the crushing weight of the truth in those words.

Ethan’s fist flew, a blur of motion.

It connected with Daniel’s jaw with a sickening crack that echoed over the music.

Daniel staggered backward, catching himself on the bar’s edge.

A thin trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

“Are you in love with my wife?” Ethan roared, his voice ragged.

His eyes were wild, bloodshot, like a beast pushed to the absolute brink.

“In love with her?” Daniel let out a derisive laugh, dabbing his lip.

“Your ego is astounding, Ethan. I’ve had more women than you can imagine. Why would I ever want yours?”

“Then why protect her?” Ethan barked, grabbing Daniel’s collar again, his knuckles white with the force of his grip.

His jaw was clenched so tight it seemed it might shatter.

“Because I’m sick of watching you destroy a good woman,” Daniel shot back, his words a sharp, precise blade.

“She gave you everything. And you… you’re too blind, too consumed by your own selfishness to see it!”

Daniel shoved Ethan back with surprising strength, his gaze filled with pure contempt.

“You changed, Ethan. For Sophia, you became a selfish, hypocritical bastard. And you threw away the one person who loved you unconditionally, as if she were nothing.”

Ethan’s breath came in ragged, painful gasps.

His fist trembled in the air, poised to strike again.

Daniel didn’t flinch. He merely shrugged, a knowing, bitter smirk touching his bruised lips.

It was as if he knew the punch would never fall.

“We’re done.” Ethan’s voice was a low, hoarse rasp, heavy with a pain he could no longer hide.

He turned on his heel and strode out, never looking back.

Daniel stood motionless, watching the empty doorway long after Ethan had vanished into the night.

The echo of those final words lingered, heavy in the smoky air.

Isabella drifted in a fog of disorientation.

A persistent, high-pitched ringing filled her ears.

Her vision swam, blurred and unfocused.

She forced her eyes to blink, struggling for clarity.

Slowly, the stark, sterile white of a hospital ceiling resolved above her.