Falling for my Enemy's Brother-Chapter 21: No coming back

A laugh escaped her. Cold, disbelieving. "You really think I’d date someone because of you?"

Craig didn’t answer right away. He just stared, his gaze intense, but a flicker of something uncertain passed through his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, an instinctive gesture that showed his growing frustration and confusion.

Merlina’s gaze softened for a brief second before she steeled herself again, her shoulders slumping slightly in a mix of weariness and exasperation. She gave a quick shake of her head, the corners of her mouth tightening as if to hold back words she didn’t want to say.

"You’re not that important, Craig." Her words cut clean, but the disbelief still burned behind them.

She didn’t even know how deep the thing between him and Louis ran. But to think she’d revolve her choices around Craig Lesnar? The idea was ridiculous.

And insulting.

"I’m not?" Craig scoffed, looking away. "It only made sense that you were using him as the perfect ally for your little ’Justice for my mother’ scheme."

The second the words slipped out, he felt it, the sting of his own cruelty.

Merlina froze.

Like the air had been knocked out of her. Her body went rigid, and her eyes, once sharp and steady, lost their fire. She didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. Just stood there, like she was trying to figure out if she’d actually heard him say it.

It only took one look at her face before Craig regretted everything.

The raw vulnerability in her eyes hit him harder than any punch. It wasn’t anger that he saw. It was sadness. Hurt.

The weight of his words slammed into him, heavy and ugly, twisting in his chest.

But it was too late.

Her jaw tightened, and she looked up at him, not angry, not loud. Just... shattered.

"Really?" she said quietly. "Is that what you think of me?"

Her voice cracked, just slightly. Enough to make him flinch. Enough for him to question what point he was even trying to prove, and whether it had been worth it. He hadn’t meant to break her, not like this.

In that moment, Merlina resented him. Not because of the fight, not even because of his brother, but because he’d taken something sacred, something hers, and turned it into a game. A strategy. A petty little scheme.

He’d downplayed her grief. Her pain. Her mother’s death.

Her hands curled into fists at her sides, trembling, not with fear, but with restraint. She swallowed hard, blinking back the heat behind her eyes, refusing to let him see just how deep he’d cut.

"You really are your brother’s shadow. Sick and twisted," she said, voice low and bitter. "Maybe Louis was right about the Lesnars after all." Merlina’s throat tightened, and she swallowed hard, trying to force the lump of emotion down. freewebnσvel.cѳm

The words cut deep. Like a physical blow, razor-edged and unforgiving. They tore through the walls he’d spent years building to separate himself from his brother, the ones that hid the truth of who he really was.

For years, Craig had fought to be seen as more than just Conor’s shadow, but in that moment, Merlina’s words shattered everything, leaving him raw and exposed in a way that was almost unbearable.

Craig’s face stiffened, but he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. He couldn’t. Not when the memory of her voice, cracked and fragile just a few seconds ago, still reverberated inside him, gnawing at him in a way he couldn’t ignore.

Merlina didn’t wait for a reaction. She gripped the handle, yanked the door open, and walked out without looking back, letting in the muffled bass of the party, and just like that, she was gone.

Leaving Craig alone in the dim restroom, staring at the space she’d left behind.

And for once, no amount of bravado could cover the ache crawling up his throat.

He’d crossed a line.

And there was no coming back from this.

The music thudded back into Craig’s chest the second he stepped out of the restroom, but the music felt distant now, duller, like it was underwater. Like he was underwater.

The air was thick with the mix of sweat, alcohol, and body heat. The smell of spilled drinks lingered in the humid atmosphere. The bright party lights flickered overhead, casting harsh, artificial glows on the faces of the laughing seniors clustered around tables. Their conversations were a blur of high-pitched laughter, a sharp contrast to the hollow feeling crawling under his skin.

He pushed past a crowd and spotted Adriana by the bar, camera-ready with a drink in hand and her phone out like she was waiting for the next perfect story-post.

With a cool, dismissive glance over his shoulder, Craig adjusted his collar, already feeling the weight of the party’s insignificance.

His gaze locked onto the exit, the decision already made. He wasn’t about to waste another minute in this place.

"I’m leaving," Craig said, his tone detached, jaw tight. "You coming?"

Adriana blinked, caught off guard. "Um... there’s still the after-party? We haven’t even taken a dip yet."

Craig nodded once, more to himself than her. Frustrated. Breathless. Like his whole night had already imploded and he was just now letting the pieces fall.

"Take a ride with Keith."

"What?" Adriana’s voice cracked, full of confusion. Her arms reached out, desperate, as if she could pull him back. "Craig!" She moved after him, eyes wide, arms outstretched. "We came in together!"

But her voice trailed off as he kept walking, through the patio doors, past the twinkling lights and fake smiles, disappearing into the dark like he couldn’t stand to be seen.

Across the lawn, Keith spotted it, the unmistakable tension, Craig’s face twisted in anger. He pushed through the crowd toward Adriana, brows drawn in confusion. "What’s going on?"

She didn’t answer. She shook her head, her lips moving but no words coming out. She grabbed her purse off the bar, heels clicking in frustration as she hurried after him, but Craig didn’t even look back. And the world felt like it held its breath.

Merlina pushed through the crowd, her heart still pounding from her conversation with Craig in the restroom. She tried to steady her breath, but every step felt heavier than the last, the weight of their words lingering like a storm cloud over her head.

She could still hear the sting in his voice, the way he’d thrown her mother’s death into the ring like some kind of sick, twisted game. She felt the anger building in her chest again, but this time, it wasn’t the anger she had toward him. It was the anger she had toward herself for letting him affect her this much.

She was spiraling, her thoughts tumbling over each other like a bad TikTok trend. She needed to shake it off, but nothing was working.

"Merlina," a voice called from behind her.

She stopped short, startled. Louis was standing there, looking at her with those soft, hazel eyes that always seemed to know when something was off. He’d been waiting for her, she realized, and the quiet concern in his gaze made her want to explode.

"Are you okay?" he asked, voice low but steady. He was trying to read her, trying to piece together whatever was breaking inside her.

Merlina took a deep breath, her shoulders sagging as she turned to face him. She wanted to say something, to explain the mess that had just gone down with Craig, but the words felt like they’d get stuck in her throat.

"Yeah," she said, the word coming out too flat to be convincing. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to look more put together than she felt. "I just... I ran into Craig Lesnar in the restroom. That’s all."

Louis didn’t buy it. She could tell by the way he tilted his head, the way he was waiting for her to keep talking. But Merlina wasn’t ready. Not yet. Not when her mind felt like it was about to combust.

"I don’t want to talk about it," she said quickly, her voice tight. "If I talk about it, I feel like I’m gonna break something."

Louis’ lips pressed together, understanding flashing in his eyes, but he didn’t push her. He just nodded slowly, as if acknowledging the fact that whatever had gone down between her and Craig, it was more complicated than he could fix with a few words.

Before either of them could say anything else, the door swung open and Megan waltzed in like she owned the place. She was holding her purse like it was a prop, and a drink in her other hand.

"Hey, guys!" Megan’s voice rang out, a little too cheery considering the heavy mood that had settled in the air. "So, looks like I’ll be riding with you two after all."

Merlina blinked, confusion flickering in her eyes. "What? What happened?"

Megan dropped her purse onto the counter, nonchalantly shrugging. "The limo left without me. Guess who ditched us?"

Merlina’s stomach dropped. She didn’t need to ask, but she did anyway. "Who?"

"Craig Lesnar," Megan said with a half-laugh, like it was some kind of joke. "Like, he literally just dipped. No explanation, no nothing. I guess he got tired of the party? Or... who knows."

Merlina’s pulse spiked, the realization of Megan’s words hitting her like a splash of cold water. Craig left? No goodbye? No explanation?

Maybe it was petty, but the thought of Craig Lesnar, the golden boy who had everything together, suddenly deciding to bail on a party, without even telling anyone, felt like a small, unexpected victory.

At least I’m not the only one having a bad night, she thought. Maybe for once, it wasn’t just her world that was falling apart. Maybe Craig wasn’t this untouchable figure. Maybe he wasn’t always in control.

She didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse...