Page 54 of One Baddie for Three Daddies

Alex heads to the door and opens it to reveal Bianca, her long box braids cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes flick between the three of us, taking in our tense postures.

"What's going on?" she asks, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

Alex, Liam, and I share a loaded look. It's time.

"We need to talk," I say, the words heavy with the weight of what’s coming next.

Bianca's eyes widen, her posture stiffening. She looks like she’s been hit by a truck—again. This morning with her mom clearly took a toll. She glances at each of us, searching for some clue that this isn’t what she thinks it is.

Alex gestures to the couch. "Sit down, Bia."

She hesitates but complies, sinking into the cushions like they might swallow her whole. We all take our seats across from her, creating a sort of tribunal.

"What's this about?" Her voice wavers just enough to betray her nerves.

Liam takes a deep breath. "We’re concerned about your mom and how she reacted this morning."

Bianca’s eyes flicker with confusion. "My mom? What does she have to do with us?"

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "A lot, actually. It’s obvious how much her opinion affects you. We can’t ignore that."

Alex picks up where I leave off. "And we’ve been talking... We think it might be best if we end this now."

Her face goes blank, eyes wide as if she’s trying to process what Alex just said. "End this? You’re breaking up with me?"

The silence in the room is deafening. Finally, Liam nods. "Yeah, Bia. We are."

She stares at us like we’ve grown two heads each. "But why? Just because my mom disapproves?"

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "It's not just that. We don’t trust that you aren’t going to ghost us again like you did in college."

Her gaze sharpens, hurt flashing in her eyes. "I told you why I did that?—"

"And we believe you," Alex interrupts gently but firmly. "But it doesn’t change the fact that we’re still concerned it could happen again."

Bianca's fingers twist in her lap as she struggles to find the right words. The weight of our decision seems to press down on all of us, making it hard to breathe.

"You don’t trust me," she finally whispers.

"It’s not about trust," Liam says, his tone softening just a fraction. "It’s about self-preservation. We don’t want to go through getting closer just to lose you in the end…again."

Her jaw tightens as she processes our words, then suddenly she stands up, pacing the room like a caged animal.

"This is fucking ridiculous," she mutters more to herself than us.

"It’s not ridiculous," I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. "It’s necessary."

"I wouldn't ghost you again," Bianca insists, her eyes darting between the three of us. Her voice carries a desperate edge, as if she's trying to cling to something slipping through her fingers. "You have to believe me."

Liam shakes his head, a resigned look settling over his features. "We don’t want to take that chance."

"Come on, Liam," she pleads, her voice breaking slightly. "You know me. I’ve changed."

Alex sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "It’s not about you changing, Bia. We have to protect ourse;ves this time."

I nod in agreement, though every fiber of my being wants to take her hand and tell her it’ll be okay. But it won’t be. "We can’t go through that again."

Her eyes flicker with desperation as she looks around the room. "This isn’t fair. We were good together—great even."

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