Brooks came in with a brutal punch, catching Charlespletely off guard. His head whipped to the side, and his lip split open, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. Before he could regain his bnce, Brooks swung again. This time, Charles managed to raise his hand just in time, deflecting Brooks'' punch with a hefty shove. The uneven ground beneath him made it hard to stand firm, and he stumbled back, crashing into a tree. Sharp shards of ss from a broken bottle dug into his back, dampening his ck shirt with blood. However, he barely seemed to notice the pain. His eyes were locked onto Brooks with a glint of cold defiance. Brooks closed the gap between them in a few strides, grabbing Charles by the cor.


    His voice was low and seething with contempt. "How dare you force a woman, Charles? How does that make you any better than a beast?"


    Charles'' cheek was throbbing, and he slowly wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb. The taste of blood only stoked the jealousy burning inside him, darkening his gaze. Just as he retracted his hand, he swung back with a retaliatory punch. Brooks dodged quickly, but Charles was relentless. Before Brooks could steady himself, Charles followed up with another swift punch, finallynding a hit.


    As the distance between them widened, Charles shot Brooks a smirk, though the smile never reached his eyes. "Did I force her? She''s my woman-"


    "She was!" Brooks cut him off, his voice steady and assertive. "Now, Evelyn''s my girlfriend! Mr. Jenkins, maybe you should back off and stop pestering her!"


    Charles brushed off Brooks'' sarcasm, but the word "girlfriend" hit him hard. His eyes darkened, and the smirk vanished from his lips. The reality hit him: Evelyn was really with Brooks now. A dull throb began at his temples, fueling the jealousy burning in his chest. As he red at Brooks, he raised his hand again, ready to strike.


    "Charles!" Evelyn''s voice echoed as she got out of the car and quickly straightened her clothes. She caught Charles just as he was about to hit Brooks. Furious, she threw her purse at him. Charles turned around just in time to get hit by the purse right on his jaw, leaving a mark.


    "Get lost!" Evelyn''s voice was filled with hatred. She was emotionally spent, having fought Charles off in the car. Her energy was drained. She wobbled, nearly copsing.


    "Evelyn."


    "Eve."


    Both men rusked toward her, one from the front and the other from the back of the car. Charles was closer and reached her first, attempting to pull her into his arms. But Evelyn stepped back, dodging his grasp, and ended up in Brooks'' embrace instead.


    "Brooks, take me home," she murmured, leaning into him, too exhausted to push him away.


    "Can you walk on your own?" Brooks asked gently, looking down at her.


    "Yeah," she whispered.


    Brooks wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started to lead her away.


    "I can take you home," Charles insisted, his voice icy as he reached out, trying to pull Evelyn away from Brooks. The sight of her leaning against another man made his jealousy re up.


    "Don''t touch me." Evelyn brushed his hand away, her expression cold. "Evelyn, you''re letting Brooks take you home? At this hour? He''s a man."


    "Do you think he''s like you?" Her words


    had


    r truly intended to foret t Charles speechless. Heet


    to have sex.


    her