Page 110 of Sergeant O'
Finally, I gave up pretending I was going to fall asleep and reached for my phone. I told myself I was just checking messages, but the gossip feed was already open.
The first post hit like a punch—Brian and Sylvia outside the diner, her arm hooked through his. The comments were worse.
“Back together!”
“Told you the nurse thing was fake.”
“That didn’t take long.”
My thumb hovered over the screen. I knew I should stop scrolling, but I didn’t.
Every caption, every comment, every emoji felt like a punch.
Then it hit me—last night, Brian had suggested we date other people. That son of a bitch had already moved on with Sylvia and didn’t even have the balls to be honest about it.
I angrily swiped at the tears streaming down my face, then threw the covers off. Sleep wasn’t happening, and I wasn’t going to lie there wallowing.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Brian
I’d just gotten out of Dad’s truck after he dropped me back at Lainey’s car when I heard a familiar voice call my name.
“Brian!”
I turned to see my ex crossing Main Street like she owned it, in a black pencil skirt, pink silk blouse, and oversized sunglasses perched on her head. Her pink designer heels clicked as she jaywalked toward me.
“Fuuuck,” I muttered with an exasperated sigh.
Hadn’t the Universe screwed with me enough already?
The woman who once decided someone else had more to offer wore a bright smile that showed off her white teeth.
I forced a smile and gave a polite nod. “Sylvia.”
“I thought that was you.” Her tone was way too friendly. Normally Sylvia and I stuck to grunts and awkward smiles when we ran into each other. “You look good, considering what you’ve been through.”
My spidey senses were on high-alert, and I offered a cautious, “Thanks.”
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “So, the rumor about you and Jade Beaumont…”
“There’s nothing going on,” I said flatly. “People see one photo and start writing their own story.”
Her smile widened. “I knew it. I told everyone there’sno way.”
Wait, why would there be ‘no way’?
Before I could ask exactly that, she looped an arm around my neck and pulled me in for a hug.
Across the street, a local reporter lifted her phone, red light blinking. I shifted, but it was too late—she’d already started recording as she walked toward us.
“Sylvia,” I said sharply, trying to peel her off me, but she clung tighter and blinked up at me, still smiling. “Guess they’ll have something new to talk about.”
“Yeah,” I said, jaw tight as I dragged a hand down my face. “They will.”
Perfect. Exactly what I don’t need right now.
The woman stopped about ten feet away. “Are you two back together?”
