Page 64 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

For a full minute, my mouth refuses to cooperate. I want to explain the situation, and I want her to know my words were taken out of context. But my damn mouth wouldn’t move.

Her face becomes red from her anger. Her features twist into a scowl, fiercer than I’ve ever seen on her, and she screams, “ANSWER ME!”

The pain in her voice pierces all the way into my heart, causing it to stutter so many times.

I force my lips to move, and the first words that come out are, “I’m sorry.”

I feel like running to the wall and bashing my head against it. What a stupid response in a situation like this. I should be explaining everything that happened between Tim and me, not giving her more reasons to think I meant what she heard me say.

Chloe looks so hurt and sad–a far cry from the smiling woman I left in the hallway a few minutes ago. It’s scary how things can change so suddenly and so drastically.

“So, it’s true then?” She asks, her voice falling to a low whisper, “You want me out of your life.”

“N-no!” I exclaim, stalking over to her and attempting to hold her, but she scoots further out of reach. “Come on, Chloe. Just hear me out.”

She lets out a bitter laugh, “For what? So, you can lie to me again?” The accusation in her eyes is evident, making me uneasy.

Her face starts to crumple, and her voice wavers, “You promised to love me and stand by me. You promised you would be there for Skye!”

The mention of my niece's name feels like a punch to my stomach. I exhale sharply, and the gravity of the situation becomes clear to me.

“You promised,” she repeats, in a defeated tone this time, “You said you weren’t like Tim.”

“And I’m not!” I cry out in desperation and point to Tim, “He’s trying to rip us apart, Chloe. Why can’t you see that?”

Her chest rises and falls steeply as she pants. Her eyes are filled with a flurry of emotions and yet so dead. I try to think of a way to explain everything to her in a manner that she’ll listen.

My brain is too active to think, and I come up short. In my desperation, I turn to Tim, “Tell her everything. Tell her this is all a big misunderstanding.”

Tim stares blankly at me. His eyes are still sad and filled with longing, but he is getting ready to give Chloe a piece of his mind, too.

“You don’t know when to give up, do you?” He says to me before turning to Chloe. I don’t like the way he winces at how broken she looks.

As Tim continues to stare at Chloe, he finally opens his mouth. “We’re both in love with you, Chloe. But as brothers, we’ve realized that the only way to resolve this is by letting you go.”

I shake my head vehemently but can only watch as Tim further destroys everything between us.

“If I can’t have you, then neither can Kane.”

All the while he speaks, Chloe keeps her eyes on me. I know she’s still trying to gauge whether or not I’m telling the truth, but Tim’s explanation only serves to further convince her of the worst.

I repeat, “Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to rip us apart.”

She nods, and I think she’s finally buying into my thinking. But then, she suggests, “Fire Tim, then. And kick him out of the apartment you gave him. Get rid of Tim just like you planned to do with me.”

Her suggestion feels like a second punch to the stomach, and I gape like a fish out of water. Chloe continues, “If he’s really the problem, then get rid of him.”

Blood rushes past my ears, and for a minute, all I hear is static.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

I can’t do it. I just can’t. No matter how much of an asshole Tim is, he’s still my brother, and I can’t turn him away.

“I have a better idea,” Tim voices out, “How about you make a decision, right here, right now. Choose between us,” he gestures first to himself and then to Chloe, “your girlfriend or your brother.”

How is this better in any way? How can he expect me to make that kind of choice, knowing well that I want them both?

Chloe's eyes narrow with my hesitation, and she whispers, "You'll dump me because of him every time. So, you don't have to make a choice. I wouldn't want to come between brothers anyway."

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