Page 34 of Worth the Fall

Hey, any chance I can convince you to let me cook for you again tonight? I promise to actually cook and not distract you with my… legal brief.

Her response comes quickly, but it’s not what I hoped for.

Mia

I wish I could so bad, but I’m meeting with Cameron. I told him we need to go over those contracts. I want him to know about that loophole before he gets himself in a mess.

Her ex. The knot in my stomach tightens. I type back, forcing myself to keep the tone light.

Miguel

Hopefully it will be sage free. Let me know if you need backup.

She replies with a laughing emoji, but it feels hollow. I stare at the screen long after the conversation ends, the thought of her sitting across from him—laughing, reminiscing—gnawing at me like a splinter.

Twelve years isn’t nothing, even if the guy broke her heart and took a hard left into new age spiritualism. I know how hard it is to let someone go, even when they’ve damaged you in ways you never thought they were capable of.

The memory of Celine’s words from this morning come racing back, my stomach turning into a pit of acid. I remember what it was like to see her after I moved out. The way I had to talk myself out of begging her to come back, to promise her that I would forgive her and we could be a family again.

I couldn’t fault Mia if she ever did decide to go back to Cameron. She isn’t the one who ruined it. She thought he was her happily ever after, her future, and she’s probably still mourning the loss of all of it to this day.

That night, the bourbon in my glass is the only thing keeping my hands steady. I sit at my desk, the glow of my laptop casting shadows on the walls. Against my better judgment, I type his name into the search bar.

Cameron Chandler.

His photo pops up immediately—he’s younger than me, by at least a decade. Although that’s not surprising, considering Mia is as well. He has the neck of a quarterback and that look… the one all gym bros have.

I slam the laptop shut, the knot in my stomach turning to a dull ache. The thought of Mia with him—of her smiling at him the way she smiled at me last weekend—makes my chest tighten.

But, of course, my mind doesn’t stop there. Before I can stop it, I’m picturing her arching her back beneath him, her pants and moans growing louder as he’s the one buried between her thighs.

"Stop it," I say through gritted teeth.

I pour another drink, swirling the amber liquid as I try to push the jealousy down. It’s irrational. Unproductive. But it’s there, simmering just beneath the surface.

My phone buzzes on the desk, a text from Tarryn about tomorrow’s client meeting changing times. I ignore it, the bourbon burning my throat as I down the rest of the glass.

For a moment, I consider emailing Cameron myself. Reaching out under the guise of professionalism, convincing him to bring his contracts to Blake Financial so he’ll leave Mia alone. But I know she’d see right through it. She’d tell me it’s unethical, unnecessary, even if she did make a joke about it previously.

I close my eyes, leaning back in my chair as the bourbon works its way through my system. The rational part of me knows I need to let this go. To trust her. But the thought of her sitting across from him, laughing, sharing pieces of herself that I barely understand yet—it’s enough to make me pour another drink.

When I finally drag myself out of my office, down to the waiting Uber I ordered, the temptation lingers, as persistent as the bourbon burning in my veins.

But before I can wallow too much, my brother’s name flashes across my screen.

"Hello?" I muster, my voice thick from the bourbon.

"You sound like you could use a beer."

I groan. "Too bad I’ve already started with bourbon."

"Well, you know what they say, liquor before beer, in the clear. I’ve got a cold one waiting for you—stop by my place for a few. You sound like you could use a brotherly chat. I recorded the game earlier and I’ve been waiting to watch it till I got home from the hospital."

How the fuck does he always seem to know? I guess it does come with the territory of being the older brother.

"Sounds good actually. Be there in a few, just leaving the office."

I hang up and pinch the bridge of my nose as I lean back in the seat, trying my hardest to push any and all thoughts of Cameron and Mia from my mind.

---