A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 98: CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT

KYLE

“You really think you’ve got the moral high ground here? You think you can tell me what I can and can’t do? You’ve got no right, Kyle. You’re the one who fucked up—she left you, remember?” His voice turned venomous as he pushed back, his eyes flashing with fury. “Why don’t you just admit it? You’re jealous. Jealous that she’s moved on. Jealous that I’m not the one who hurt her anymore. But you’re so damn wrapped up in your own shit that you can’t see it. So why don’t you take your ego and get the hell out of here before things get even uglier for you?”

The words stung, but they only fueled the fire inside me. I leaned in closer, my breath hot against his face. My voice dropped to a low, menacing whisper.

“You should’ve thought about that before you tried to crawl your way back into her life.” I pushed him harder against the rack, the metal clanging as I did. “She’s not yours, Liam. You lost her. And the next time you think about getting in my way… it won’t be a fist that’s coming for you.”

Liam’s fist slammed into my side before I could react, sending a sharp pain racing through my ribs. I gritted my teeth, stumbling back but only for a second. My body was already moving, my fist connecting with his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

He grunted, his face twisted in pain, but his fists came flying again, one connecting with my jaw, the force making my head snap back. Blood dripped from my lip, but I didn’t care. The sting only sharpened my focus.

We were moving in a blur, throwing punches, each one fueled by a mix of anger and frustration. His knuckles grazed my cheek, but I didn’t flinch.

I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and pushed him hard onto the floor. He growled, trying to break free, but I was too far gone, the rage drowning out everything else. I straddled him, pinning him down with my weight, and threw my fist into his face, the satisfying crunch of bone under my knuckles enough to drown out the rest of the world.

“You don’t fucking get it, do you?” I snarled, the words slipping from my mouth as I struck again. “You don’t get to hurt her and then act like you’re the victim. You don’t get to waltz back into her life like it’s fucking nothing. You lost that privilege a long time ago.”

He let out a dark chuckle, the kind that made my fists itch again. “Wow. Look at you. Acting like the noble knight.” He leaned in just enough for the words to sting. “But let’s not pretend you're any different than me.”

I frowned, the shift in his tone tugging at something cold and familiar.

“Oh yeah,” he continued, his eyes narrowing with venom. “You really think we’re not cut from the same cloth? You cheated on her, remember? You broke her too. So don’t stand there pretending you’re some righteous savior. You and me? We’re both fuck-ups who let her down. You just got there first.”

The words hit like a slap to the chest, and for a heartbeat, my fists trembled at my sides. But then the anger roared back, scorching and absolute.

“You think we’re the same?” I seethed. “You think because I made the worst mistake of my life, that I’m anything like you? I spent every goddamn day after she left trying to make it right. Trying to change. You? You vanished. You abandoned her. You don’t get to stand here and pretend we share the same guilt. You don’t get that luxury.”

He rolled his shoulders like he was ready for a fight. “You lost her, Kyle. So did I. But maybe I still have a shot. Maybe she forgives me before she forgives you. You ever think of that?”

That was it.

I grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the weight rack, the sharp clang of metal echoing through the gym. His breath hitched, eyes flashing with something between fury and fear.

“You should’ve stayed away,” I snarled, each word like acid. “I’m not doing this for me. I’m not fighting to get her back. I’m fighting to keep you the hell away from her. Because whatever you think this is—some reunion fantasy—you’re dead wrong.”

He gritted his teeth and shoved back, landing a solid punch to my ribs. Pain exploded through my side, but I barely flinched. My response was immediate: a hard jab to his gut that sent him staggering backward, gasping.

Then he swung again, this time catching my jaw. My head snapped to the side, blood warm on my tongue. The taste only sharpened my focus.

I surged forward, tackling him into the rack. We collapsed in a blur of fists and rage, gym equipment shaking around us. He landed a hit on my cheek, but I didn’t even blink. I twisted his arm behind him, slamming him to the mat. He grunted, struggling beneath me, but I mounted him, fist cocked back.

“You don’t get to pretend anymore,” I said through gritted teeth, my fist driving into his face. “You don’t get to rewrite history just because you showed up.”

Punch.

“You don’t deserve her, Liam. And you never did.”

Punch.

He tried to block the next one, but I broke through his defense, my knuckles connecting again with bone. Blood splattered across the mat. He groaned, dazed, barely conscious—but I wasn’t done.

I grabbed him by the throat and hauled him up off the floor, then slammed him down again. Hard.

“She is beyond your reach,” I said, my voice low and dangerous.

Punch.

“If you see her again, you walk the other way. You vanish like you should have in the first place.”

Punch.

“You don’t even deserve to breathe in her direction.”

I stood over him, breathing hard, my chest heaving. Liam lay there, coughing, his face wrecked and bleeding, trying to understand the shift in power. He blinked up at me, eyes glassy.

Then I crouched beside him, voice dropping to a cold whisper. “Check your phone. You should be getting an email.”

His brows furrowed, confusion giving way to slow, creeping dread.

“What... what did you do?” he rasped.

I smirked, the satisfaction curling in my chest. “Made a few calls. Spoke to some people in your chain of command. Your career? It’s over. You’re not just out of her life, Liam—you’re out of everything.”

The blood drained from his face. I saw the panic rise in his eyes—the realization that his crutch, his leverage, was gone.

“You messed with the wrong person,” I said, standing tall. “And the next time you think of crawling back into her life, remember this moment. Because I promise you, it won’t be a warning next time.”

He gasped for air, his eyes wide with fear, but I wasn’t done. I looked down at him one last time, making sure he understood the weight of my warning.

Then I straightened up, walking away without another glance. As I reached the door, I could hear Liam’s ragged breathing behind me, a broken man with nothing left. His career, his pride—gone. I’d made sure of it. I didn’t need to do anything else.

I stepped outside , my fists still aching, blood cooling on my knuckles. The gym door shut behind me with a metallic thud, cutting off the sound of Liam’s wheezing breaths. But the storm inside me hadn’t passed—not yet.

I stared down at my hands. Shaking. Bloodied. They didn’t feel like mine. Not anymore.

I’ve never been a violent man.

Not even in high school, when Ryan and Jack were the ones always getting into fights over stupid shit—locker room scuffles, parking lot brawls. They’d throw punches first and ask questions later. I used to pull them off people. I used to be the one telling them to calm the hell down, to walk away.

And I did. I always walked away.

But not tonight.

Something inside me snaps when it comes to her—something raw and unhinged, something I’ve buried for years and can’t quite keep down anymore. For Ashley, I’d break every rule I ever made for myself. For her, I’d bleed. For her, I’d burn.

I pressed my hand to my side, wincing at the bruise Liam left behind, but the pain was distant, dulled by the fire still raging under my skin. I should feel guilt. Remorse. But all I felt was a twisted sense of relief.

Because he won’t get near her again.

Because she doesn’t know it yet, but I just cleared the path for her. Again.

And maybe that makes me just as bad as him.

“You think we’re any different?” His voice echoed in my head, even now. “You cheated on her too, Kyle. We’re the same.”

I gritted my teeth, jaw locking hard.

No. We’re not the same.

I made a mistake—one I’ll never stop paying for. But Liam? He’s a goddamn choice in human form. A repeat offense. A wolf in secondhand charm. 

He never loved her. Not like I did. Not like I do.