Chapter 5 The Arrangement

The room was quiet-too quiet.

Zane and Carter sat across from each other in a private study on the second floor of Zane's house. The air between them was thick, like something unsaid had been growing roots there for years. The walls, lined with books and framed family photos, seemed to close in with every passing second of silence.

Zane leaned back in the leather chair, arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. He stared out the window, jaw tight, refusing to make eye contact. Carter sat opposite him, shoulders tense, fingers fidgeting in his lap.

The silence stretched on.

Carter shifted slightly, the creak of the chair startling in the stillness. "Zane, I-"

But before he could finish, Zane raised a hand sharply, his voice low and cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Don't."

Carter's mouth snapped shut.

Zane finally looked at him, and the intensity in his eyes made Carter's breath catch. There was no softness, no remnants of the boy who had once laughed at his jokes and held his hand beneath cafeteria tables. Only fire.

"Always remember this," Zane said, his voice calm, but his tone laced with venom. "I hate you. For what you did to me back then-for making me feel like nothing. For embarrassing me, for using me like I was a toy in some cruel game."

Carter's throat tightened. He didn't try to defend himself. There was nothing he could say that would erase what he'd done.

Zane went on, his tone colder now. "But despite all that, I'm saying yes. Not because I want to. Not because I believe in some fairy-tale where we magically fix what you broke. I'm doing this because my mom asked me to. Because I know how much your mom means to you, and how much mine means to me."

He paused for a breath, steadying himself before continuing.

"And because I know my brother loves yours. Ethan and Noah... they deserve peace. They deserve to be happy. And I won't be the reason their relationship falls apart. I won't let my past mess up their future."

Carter's lips parted, eyes flickering with a mixture of guilt and disbelief.

"So yes," Zane said flatly, "I'll marry you."

A silence followed, the weight of the words settling between them.

"But it's a six-month arrangement," Zane added sharply. "Six months, and then I'm filing for divorce. No questions. No delays. And this?"-he gestured between them-"This whole agreement stays between you and me. No one else knows. Not our families. Not our friends. No one. They'll believe whatever they want to believe. Let them."

Carter sat there, stunned. He didn't nod. He didn't move. He just stared.

Zane stood up, his chair scraping lightly against the hardwood floor. He didn't offer Carter another glance.

"This isn't forgiveness," he said over his shoulder, his voice low. "This is sacrifice."

And then, without waiting for a response, Zane walked out of the room.

The door closed softly behind him, leaving Carter sitting alone, surrounded by the echoes of a past he could no longer run from-

-and the cold reality of a future that had just been rewritten.

Night had fallen quietly over the city, the sky outside Carter's mansion swallowed by a blanket of clouds, hiding even the moonlight. The grand estate, usually alive with warmth and chatter, now felt hollow-quiet enough to hear the ticking of the antique clock in the hallway.

Carter sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers tangled in his hair. His room was dark save for the dim lamp flickering in the corner. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. The silence in the room wasn't just around him-it was inside him too.

His eyes glazed over, and before he could stop it, his mind pulled him back...

Flashback: One Month After the Breakup

The hallway was empty during lunch period, a rarity in the usually crowded school. Carter stood in front of Zane's locker, glancing nervously around to make sure no one was watching.

In his hand, a folded letter.

He had written it the night before. Not just an apology, but a confession. About the truth behind the dare. About how things had started as a joke but turned into something he never expected. How he had fallen-really fallen-for Zane.

With trembling fingers, Carter slid the letter through the narrow slit of the locker. A small piece of his pride, maybe even his heart, went with it.

Later that day, Carter walked past the same row of lockers, just in time to see Zane open his. For a second, Zane just stared at the letter resting on top of his books.

And then... without reading a single word, Zane tore the paper in half.

Carter's breath caught in his throat as the pieces fluttered to the floor like dead leaves. Zane didn't even flinch-just turned and walked away like nothing had happened.

Carter stood hidden around the corner, his hands balled into fists, his chest aching.

He had messed everything up. And Zane had made it clear-there was no coming back.

Present Night

A soft knock broke Carter from the memory. Before he could answer, the door opened gently, and Noah stepped inside.

Carter didn't look up.

Noah took a hesitant step forward, watching his brother sit hunched in the shadows like he was part of them. "Hey..." he said softly. "You okay?"

Carter didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on the floor, his expression unreadable.

"I wanted to ask what happened," Noah continued. "Between you and Zane... after that talk. Did he say yes?"

Still no answer.

Noah sighed, stepping closer. "Look, about the hospital... I shouldn't have slapped you. That was- I let my emotions take over. I was scared for Mom and angry at everything and... I'm sorry."

Carter blinked slowly but said nothing.

Noah waited, his lips pressing into a line. The silence between them dragged on, heavy and awkward.

"I know you're hurting," Noah said quietly. "And I know I've made it worse."

Still, Carter remained silent-frozen in thought, in guilt, in something he couldn't even name.

After a few more moments, Noah exhaled and turned toward the door. "I'll let you rest," he murmured. "Good night."

The door clicked shut gently behind him, leaving Carter alone once more.

The darkness in the room seemed thicker now. Louder.

Carter sat still, back hunched, shoulders stiff. The pain in his chest throbbed like a second heartbeat.

He had done everything wrong.

Years ago...

And even now.

The past was unforgiving, and the present offered no comfort.

And as he sat in the silence, Carter couldn't help but think...

Maybe his life would always be like this-

cold,

quiet,

and dark.