The lights burned down on the ring, the kind of spotlight that made the air feel thick. I stood just off Cody’s shoulder, the crowd buzzing around us, and I could feel the tension rolling off him. He had that look—jaw set, eyes locked ahead—but there was weight behind it tonight, heavier than usual. He lifted the mic slowly, his voice steady but layered with something I couldn’t quite name.
“I’ve been wrestling for most of my life. I’ve been cheered, I’ve been booed, I’ve been told I’m the future… and I’ve been told I’m a mistake.” His gaze swept across the crowd, but I knew he was really talking to the man he saw in the mirror. “But last week… I almost made a choice that would’ve proven my worst critics right.”
He turned to me, and for just a heartbeat, I saw the flicker of guilt in his eyes. “I almost crossed a line I couldn’t come back from. And then she… took the hit meant for me.”
The crowd reacted—cheers, a few whistles—but I didn’t give them time to settle. I stepped forward, my own mic in hand, my bandaged shoulder throbbing under the lights. “Don’t make it sound like it was just instinct,” I said, keeping my tone firm. “I knew what I was doing. And I’d do it again.” My eyes stayed locked on his, making sure he understood. “You’re my best friend, Code. I’m not gonna stand by and watch you throw away everything your dad built for you, and what you’ve built yourself by fighting heart and soul for that title.”
The crowd roared, and I could feel the adrenaline start to stir in my chest. Cody’s eyes softened, but his voice stayed steady. “When that belt was in my hands… I wanted to swing it. I wanted to shut Drew McIntyre down in the most brutal way possible. And for one second… I didn’t care about rules, honor, legacy—any of it.” He looked down for a moment before continuing, “Then I remembered who was in my corner… who has always been since she got to WWE.”
His head lifted, eyes locking with the hard camera. “Drew, Logan… you almost made me forget who I am. But thanks to my best friend, you didn’t.”
The moment was broken by the obnoxious blast of Logan Paul’s music. The crowd’s cheers shifted instantly to boos as he and Drew McIntyre strolled down the ramp like they owned the place. Logan swanned a Prime bottle in one hand like it was a trophy; Drew gripped a mic with the kind of smirk that made my fingers itch for a fight. Drew was the first to speak. “Touching speech, Cody. Real heartwarming. But let’s be honest—without Angel, you’d be eatin’ soup through a straw right now.”
Logan grinned like a cat with cream. “And without us, nobody’s even talking about you this week. You needed me to make you go viral.”
I stepped forward before Cody could answer, my bandaged shoulder screaming in protest. “Logan, the only thing you’ve made viral is the way you run from a real fight.” The crowd popped hard for that, but I didn’t stop there. I turned my glare on Drew. “And Drew… next time you come at Cody, you better pray I’m not in the building—because I won’t just take the hit; I’ll put you down myself.”
The reaction from the crowd was like a tidal wave—cheers that rattled the barricades. Cody’s smirk returned, but this time there was steel in it. “You two want to run your mouths?” he said, stepping right up to the ropes. “Fine. Next week, I’ll stand in that ring with Angel in my corner, and we’ll take you both on. Let’s see if you can handle us face-to-face without cheap shots.”
Drew and Logan exchanged a look, then started backing up the ramp with matching smirks. “You’re on!” Drew yelled, pointing at us like it was a promise. Cody dropped his mic, and before I could step back, his arm came around my shoulders. The crowd’s noise swelled again, flashes from cameras going off like strobe lights. My shoulder throbbed, my jaw still ached from last week’s belt shot, but standing there with Cody, both of us bruised but unbroken, I knew exactly where I belonged—right in his corner, no matter how dark the path might get.
The next Friday-
The music hit, and Cody walked out ahead of me—faster, sharper, not even glancing at the crowd. The fans reached for him, but he didn’t slow down, didn’t give the usual nod or smile. I forced myself to slow just enough to slap a few hands at ringside, flashing them a grin I didn’t entirely feel. Somebody had to keep that connection alive, even if he couldn’t bring himself to right now. As we climbed into the ring, I caught the way he adjusted his wrist tape—fast, almost impatient—like he couldn’t wait to get his hands on Drew and Logan. Commentary was already in overdrive.
“Cody’s been different since SummerSlam,” Michael Cole said.
“And Angel’s here to keep him grounded,” Graves added, “but will she be able to?”
The bell rang, and Cody went at Logan like he owed him rent—shoving the ref aside when he tried to break them up, his forearm pressing into Logan’s throat in the corner.
“Cody, focus!” I yelled from the apron. “Fight smart!”
He didn’t even look at me. His eyes were locked on Logan, his shoulders tight, his movements just a little too sharp. Then it happened—Logan distracted the ref, mouthing off with that smug grin, while Drew acted like he was about to circle in on Cody. I was watching both of them like a hawk, so I saw it coming—Drew’s sudden swipe at my bad arm. The pain shot up to my shoulder like white-hot lightning, and I stumbled back a step, clutching it.
The crowd erupted in boos, but Cody… Cody snapped. He lunged at Drew, fists flying, wild and uncontrolled. I shook it off as best I could, but my arm throbbed, and my pulse was spiking—not from fear, but from knowing exactly where this could lead. A few minutes later, my worst thought came true. Cody went under the ring, came up with a steel chair, and stalked toward Drew like he was going to take his head clean off. My gut clenched. I jumped down from the apron, stepping right between them. “Don’t!” I barked, planting myself in front of him. “This isn’t you!”
His eyes burned into mine, fists tightening on the chair. For a second, I thought he might actually push past me—but then he let it drop with a heavy clang and shoved Drew instead. Drew’s smirk widened. “You’re slipping, mate,” he taunted.
The match kept going, tension crawling under my skin with every exchange. Then I saw Drew’s plan—he had Cody lined up for a Claymore right by the announce table, his smirk practically begging for a fight. It was deja vu, and my body moved before I could think. I launched forward, spearing him mid-charge. The crowd roared, but the landing knocked the air right out of me, and I tasted copper as blood slipped from the corner of my mouth again. I forced my voice out, hoarse but firm. “Cody—get in there! Finish this!”
He hesitated for half a heartbeat, staring down at me like he wasn’t sure whether to help me or keep fighting. Finally, he nodded, pushed himself up, and slid back into the ring. He caught Logan with a Cross Rhodes clean, the crowd exploding—but instead of covering, he started raining down punches, each one harder than the last. The ref warned him once, twice. I saw where this was going. I climbed in, grabbed his shoulders, and physically pulled him off.
“Stay out of my way!” he snapped, shoving my hands off him. The crowd’s gasp was almost louder than his voice. That second of distraction was all Drew needed—he yanked Cody out of the ring, slammed him into the steel steps, and blasted him with a Claymore. The ref’s count hit ten while I was kneeling beside Cody, trying to get him up. He was the legal man. The match was over. Drew and Logan celebrated on the ramp, Logan holding his Prime bottle up like it was a championship while Drew pointed at us and laughed. I knelt in front of Cody, trying to check his face. He turned away at first, jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitch.
Finally, he let out a long breath and leaned into me, just enough for me to wrap my arms around him. His hug was stiff at first, then tighter—desperate, almost—but when the camera caught his face, I saw it. Guilt. Frustration. And just under the surface… the same dangerous heat that scared me more than Drew or Logan ever could. Cole’s voice cut through the noise.
“Angel’s the only thing holding Cody from completely snapping… but for how much longer?”
I didn’t have the answer. But I knew I wasn’t letting go of him—not tonight, not ever.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡot4xxk9GRK
and then Add to home screen.