Page 25 of Claiming Pretty

“I made her stronger,” he said, his voice edged with accusation. “Something you didn’t have the guts to do.”

“You asshole,” I roared, pinning him beneath me, my hands fisting the collar of his shirt. “You hurt her.”

My elbow dug into his ribs, and he hissed in pain, but his knee came up sharply, narrowly missing my stomach.

“Isavedher,” he spat out as he tried to shove me off him. “And Iwilltake her back.”

“She lovesme!” I shouted, desperation mingling with my anger.

He shifted his weight suddenly, twisting his hips, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back, the breath knocked out of me.

Ty pinned me, his forearm pressing against my throat just enough to keep me down.

“Only because you broke your promise,” Ty hissed, his words cutting deeper than any punch.

Guilt surged through me, relentless and brutal. He was right. I’d sworn to him that I wouldn’t touch her.

And I’d broken that promise in every way imaginable. The weight of my betrayal twisted inside me, throwing off my focus.

Ty’s next hit connected with my jaw, sharp and brutal.

“You don’t deserve her,” he spat, his eyes blazing as he hit me again. And again.

I lifted my arms over my face to defend myself, absorbing the blows. But my guilt slowed my defenses, weakening my arms as I felt the weight of everything I’d done.

“She was always mine,” Ty said, his voice like a final verdict, each word dripping with conviction.

Rage flared hot inside me, chasing away the guilt. I snarled, twisting beneath him, using the momentum to roll us again. I clawed for leverage, finally managing to get on top.

“That’s not your choice,” I snarled. “That’shers.”

With one final shove, we tumbled apart, collapsing onto the wet grass, bruised and bloodied, both too exhausted to move.

The silence stretched between us, broken only by our ragged breaths.

I glanced over at him, my twin, the brother I barely recognized anymore with motives I couldn’t read, couldn’t trust. His face was smeared with dirt, a thin trickle of blood running from his split lip.

The calculated calm in his expression unnerved me, setting my nerves on edge.

What was his endgame? Ava? Revenge? Or something I couldn’t see coming?

“She’s chosen,” I said, my voice low, bitter. “She choseme.”

Ty chuckled, a hollow sound that made my stomach twist. “Are you sure about that, brother?”

His words lingered, filling the quiet with doubt I couldn’t shake.

My mind flashed to Ava—to the way she had looked at him, the guilt in her eyes, the shift in her that I couldn’t ignore. My chest tightened, the fear like a blade twisting deep.

Did she love me enough? Would I end up being the one she wanted?

Ty pushed himself to his feet with a deliberate, almost casual ease, then extended a hand to me.

I grasped his hand, letting him haul me up.

“This isn’t over,” he said, his voice calm, yet laced with a quiet menace that made my jaw clench. “I’ll keep fighting for her.”

“And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her,” I shot back, my voice hard as steel, every word a challenge.

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