Page 37 of The Sexy Ex's Brother
Silence falls again.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Because it’s not my secret alone. The mother didn’t want anything. No attention. No headlines. My father’s team handled support. Secretly. But I never signed that birth certificate. And lately, I’ve been wondering if I was just the convenient choice.”
I lean forward, trying to catch her gaze. “I didn’t marry her because I didn’t love her. That’s the difference between me and Derek. I’ve never faked it. Not once. Not with you.”
Ivy exhales, slow and shaky.
I reach across the table, palm up. “I’ll tell you everything. No more delays. But I need to know you’re still in this.”
She doesn’t take my hand. Not yet. But she doesn’t walk away either.
Across the table, her eyes finally soften. “Was it your idea to keep it secret?”
“No. I wanted to be part of it, but the arrangement was handled by my father. I... didn’t push hard enough to change that. I regret it. Every day.”
The envelope lies between us like a wound. I can see her trying to decide if she’s ready to touch it again.
“I don’t care about your past, Jack,” Ivy says quietly. “I care about what you do now.”
She finally places her fingers lightly over mine. A thread of contact. Fragile but real. But even as her fingers rest on mine, I can see the questions in her eyes. Not just about the past, but about what else might be coming. What else I haven’t said. Because the truth isn’t always a single confession. Sometimes it’s a chain. One broken link at a time.
“I want to know everything,” she repeats, softer now. “I want to believe I can trust you.”
“You can,” I say. “But I know that’s not something I get to claim anymore. I have to earn it.”
Outside, the sky has deepened to navy. The café lights reflect in the glass, turning the world around us into a blur of movement and shadow. Ivy stares out at it for a moment, her profile lit by amber light. Then she turns back to me.
“Then let’s start with this,” she says, tapping the envelope. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
And this time, I don’t hesitate.
“Yes,” I say. “There is.”
She tenses, but doesn’t flinch. Her eyes don’t leave mine.
“Then tell me,” she says. “No more delays. No more lies.”
I take a breath. “If she’s mine, my father uses her to keep me in line. Every deal, every vote, he warns me that one wrong move and everyone will know. About her. About the kid. About me.”
Ivy’s brows draw together. “That’s why you’ve stayed so tied to the company.”
I nod. “It’s why I didn’t leave when I wanted to. Why I didn’t fight harder when Derek got promoted over me. I’ve been trying to keep everyone safe. And I thought if I stayed quiet long enough, maybe it would all fade.”
“But it didn’t,” she says. “And now it’s here.”
“Yes,” I whisper. “And if you stay, I can’t promise it won’t get worse before it gets better.”
Ivy doesn’t blink. Her gaze is unwavering.
“That’s not what I asked,” she says. “I asked if there’s anything else.”
I hesitate.
“There’s one more thing,” I admit. “And this one... it might change everything.”
Her hand tightens over mine again. Not as reassurance. As warning.
