Page 112 of Baby Surprise for my Brother's Best Friend

By a man whose past won’t leave him alone.

And whose future with me suddenly feels like it’s hanging by a thread.

I push myself off the floor, legs unsteady, heart heavier than it’s ever been.

In the living room, Alessio’s phone is still plugged in where he left it, charging on the credenza.

I stare at it. The screen’s black, unreadable. So is everything else.

Should I go through it?

Should I confront him?

Instead, I reach for my own phone, my fingers fumbling over the screen like they’ve forgotten what to do.

I type the only thing that makes sense.

Is it still love if it makes you feel this sick? Because right now I don’t know if I’m in love or just completely losing myself.

I hit send. To Halie.

Then I set the phone down like it might burn me.

26

ALESSIO

A door closing pulls me from sleep.

I blink into the gray morning light, head pounding from a night that wasn't supposed to end in confusion. I rake a hand through my hair and stumble toward the kitchen, shirtless, scratching my chest.

The smell of coffee hits me first. Sharp. Burnt.

Then I see her, messy bun falling loose, face pale, dark circles under her eyes as she paces back and forth across the living room like a storm trapped in a bottle, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides.

My gut knots instantly.

“Soph?” My voice comes out rough, still thick with sleep.

She turns at the sound, with a sharpness that freezes me in place.

Her eyes are wild. Hurt. Furious.

“How many were there?”

The words slice through the quiet like a blade.

I blink, caught off guard. “What?”

Her jaw tightens, straining to hold back everything she wants to say. Like the question is just the tip of something deeper. Something breaking.

Sophie throws her phone onto the counter. It skitters across the surface, the clatter sharp as a slap.

“The women at the café. Your little fan club.”

I stiffen, heart slamming against my ribs.

“What women?”

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