I Hate You, I Love You | Challengers

Twenty Nine | Art and Sabrina

• PRESENT TIME

Art loved tennis. Art adored tennis. Did he live for tennis? No. Well, yes, he did- but he didn't do it for him. Art's main priority was always going to be his family.

he pushed himself so hard. He felt as though he owed it to Tashi - Tennis was her dream, and he was going to make it real, for her - However, even Art Donaldson- even though did things for Tashi - He needed to think of himself as well, and right now the only person that could make him happy was Sabrina.

Art stood hesitantly outside Sabrina's apartment door. He had knocked softly, but the sound seemed to reverberate through his entire being.

When Sabrina pulled open the door, her eyes widened in surprise. Art was dressed casually in a gray t-shirt and flannel pyjama trousers, a stark contrast to the crisp, white tennis uniform he usually wore.

'Art?' she gasped, 'What are you doing here?'

Without a word, Sabrina stepped aside, self-consciously tightening the cord that held her silk robe around her body. 'Come in,' she invited hesitantly.

Art entered the apartment, 'I just wanted to check on you,' he said finally, his voice soft and sincere, 'After the match...'

Sabrina shrugged dismissively. 'I'm fine. I faked the injury so I don't have to play the next game.'

Art frowned. 'Why?'

Sabrina poured herself a glass of wine and offered one to Art, who nodded. 'Because I don't want to play tennis anymore. I haven't for a while. I only came to this stupid thing because my mother forced me to,' she said bitterly. 'And now after I found out she was fucking...' She stopped abruptly, her eyes blazing with anger. 'I'm going to live my life, not my mother's life.'

Art sat down on the sofa,
'I want to retire at the end of this year,' he said quietly. 'she can feel the exhaustion in his voice.

Sabrina looked at him in surprise. 'So retire.'

Art sighed. 'It's not that simple. Tashi... she said she'll leave me if I lose the game or retire.'

Sabrina's eyes softened. 'And a part of you kind of wants her to,' she said gently.

Art nodded. 'It's fucked up, right? That I'm actually considering doing just that, so she could end it.'

Sabrina passed him a drink. He took it and drained it in one gulp. 'I'm tired, Bri,' he said wearily. 'I don't want this life anymore. I just want to sit back.'

Sabrina considered him thoughtfully. 'You have enough money now to do just that,' she said.

Art looked at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and doubt. 'Would you leave me, if I was to retire?' he asked.

Sabrina shook her head. 'No. But then, I don't care about tennis much anymore, so...'

Art smiled faintly. 'I don't either,' he said.

Art leaned back in his chair, the soft leather creaking under his weight. . Sabrina, perched on the edge of the sofa, was staring at him, her gaze intense, almost predatory.

'Tashi is tennis, that's all she is,' she said, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. 'That's all she'll ever be. If you're not tennis, why would she want to be with you? If you're not that?'

Art remained silent, his eyes fixed on a point just beyond Sabrina's shoulder. He knew she was right. He, had built her entire life around tennis. He was just a means to an end, a stepping stone to her ambition, a tool to further her career.

'You think Tashi is with you because she loves you, no,' Sabrina continued, her voice gaining a sharper edge. 'She's with you because you give her what she wants: control. She wants to win, to be the best, and she sees herself reflecting that success back onto you. It's a twisted mirror image.'