If We Fall Again

Chapter 25

The room was thick with tension, silence pressing down on everyone as the shock of Andrew’s proposal settled like a weight in the air. Elise’s heart pounded as she looked at Andrew, then at Nate, whose face was contorted in fury, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles went white.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Nate’s voice was a rough, furious roar as he stormed forward, grabbing Andrew by the collar, his anger erupting in a way Elise hadn’t seen before.

“Nate!” She quickly moved, prying his hands from Andrew, pulling him back with a soft but firm touch. She could feel the anger radiating off him, the frustration and betrayal burning in his eyes as he glared at his brother. The cancer had worn Andrew down physically, making him look smaller, more fragile than she remembered. This wasn’t the strong, easygoing Andrew she used to know.

But as she held Nate back, Andrew showed no regret, his face calm—almost resigned. Instead, he looked at Nate with an unsettling indifference, not even flinching as his brother’s wrath poured over him.

“You bastard!” Nate’s voice was hoarse with rage. “How dare you say that in front of me?”

No one else moved. Lily looked torn, her lips trembling as she held her breath, while Fred’s face was pale with a mixture of shock and dismay. Their eyes darted between Nate and Andrew, sharing in the horror that filled the room.

With a soft, weary smile, Andrew finally broke the silence. “I’m not taking it back, Nate. Elise is… she’s the only happiness I have left. If she’s with me, then maybe I’ll keep going.” His words, laced with a haunting sincerity, sent a chill through Elise.

She saw the anger flash in Lily’s eyes, and even Fred’s face tightened with hurt and frustration. They could all feel the wrongness of his plea, the desperation that had warped his feelings into something impossible, something painful.

“Are you listening to yourself?” Nate hissed, his voice sharp with scorn. “Elise isn’t some… thing you can claim just because you’re sick! She’s a person with a life, and if you think being ill gives you the right to demand her—”

Andrew interrupted him with a dry, hollow chuckle, devoid of warmth. “I know, Nate. I know how it sounds. But it doesn’t matter, does it? None of this does. I expected this… all of it. Death, whatever else.” His tone was laced with resignation, a finality that stung everyone in the room.

Before Nate could respond, Elise finally found her voice, her words barely above a whisper. “Why are you doing this, Andrew? Why are you saying these things?”

Andrew’s gaze met hers, full of unspoken feelings and an aching longing that twisted painfully inside her. “Because, Elise,” he said, his voice soft but steady, “my life… it only has meaning if you’re in it.”

The depth of his words struck Elise hard, and she saw how it hurt Nate even more. His eyes darkened, his face hardening as he fought to hold himself back from reaching out and grabbing his brother again. It took every ounce of self-control for him to step back.

In a voice so calm it was almost frightening, Nate murmured, “You can have anything you want, Andrew. The business, my money, this house, anything. But not Elise.” He took a slow, steady breath, his gaze unwavering as he looked his brother dead in the eye. “If she’s your happiness, then she’s my life. And nothing—not your sickness, not your damn desperation—will ever change that.”

The tension in the air seemed to lift slightly, and Elise felt a warmth blossom in her chest, a fierce gratitude and love for Nate that softened the ache Andrew’s words had left behind. She squeezed Nate’s hand gently, feeling his fingers tighten around hers as they stood together, resolute and unbreakable.