Page 89 of My Brother's Billionaire Best Friends

---

I keep going. “I didn’t plan on any of it. Not the job. Not the gala. Not…them.”

Her brows lift slightly. “Them?”

I nod, blinking back tears. “It’s not just one guy this time.”

“I know.” She says it without judgment. Not even surprise. Just that soft sadness I hate—because it means she’s hurting for me.

I try to explain. “It wasn’t a game. It wasn’t like I walked in there planning to fall for my bosses. It just…happened. Slowly. Then all at once.”

She tilts her head, and her eyebrow jumps a little. “All at once? Together?”

“Yes.”

Her mouth twitches, like she’s trying not to smile. “Okay.”

I laugh. It’s small and watery, but seeing her try not to judge me is kinda funny.

“You want to tell me what happened?”

So I do.

I tell her about the first day, about seeing Jack again after all those years. About the elevator. About the way things spiraled. About the retreat. About the gala. About Vanessa. Vivian. Quitting.

She doesn’t interrupt. Just listens, occasionally nodding, occasionally humming in that way she does when she’s filing information in her brain.

When I finish, I feel wrung out. Empty and full all at once.

Her fingers are still laced with mine. “Okay,” she says finally. “That’s…a lot.”

“Yeah.”

She leans back, sighs through her nose.

“You’re not mad?” I ask.

“Oh, honey. I’ve been mad. Mostly at the idea of you being hurt again. But no, I’m not mad now.”

“But you warned me.”

“I did.”

“And I didn’t listen.”

“No, you didn’t.” She just shrugs it off, like she’s not disappointed in me.

“It’s not like last time. They know about the pregnancy. They said they want to handle it together?—”

She nods. “You mentioned that.”

“It’s just…everything else that got in the way.”

“Vivian.”

I nod.

“And fear,” she adds gently.

I blink. “What?”

---