My fists clenched, the tightness in my chest growing unbearable. Just as I turned to leave, a waiter approached and, with a kind smile, opened the door for me.
"Miss, are you going in?"
The door swung wide, and the voices inside the private room fell into an abrupt silence.
Brynn, Elijah, and Alphonso all looked unsettled.
Brynn moved first, standing hastily and rushing toward me with a look of concern. His hands worked quickly, draping his suit jacket over my shoulders.
"Allison, when did you get here? It’s freezing outside, don’t catch a cold," he murmured. "By the way, did you overhear anything at the door?"
He looked at me with such intensity, his hands lingering on my shoulders as if the touch might ease his growing unease.
Once, I would have believed his concern was genuine, that he truly cared for me; after all, he had shielded me from acid, risking his safety, and attended to me with a tenderness I thought was love.
I was once willing to give him everything, to devote my life to a future filled with warmth and love.
But now...
I looked quietly at the three men before me, each wearing a different expression. The realization struck me: I had been nothing but a cruel joke.
Brynn, his tension visible, parted his lips as if about to ask whether I had overheard their conversation.
Lowering my gaze, I quickly concealed the tears welling in my eyes. My fingers tightened around the medicine in my hand as I forced a smile and lifted my head.
With practiced ease, I feigned calmness. "I just got here. I heard you’d be busy with business negotiations for a while, so I asked the housekeeper where you were and brought you some medicine."
"Oh, by the way, what were you discussing just now?"
"And Brynn, if this is a business meeting… why are my younger brother and Elijah here with you?"
The moment my words fell, the three men visibly relaxed, relief flashing across their faces.
Elijah was the first to react, springing to his feet with an exaggerated display of composure, slipping seamlessly into his usual performance.
His teeth clenched as he stormed toward Brynn, seething with rage. Grabbing him by the collar, his bloodshot eyes burned with menace.
"Brynn! Don’t let me hear about you and that wretched woman, Allison, living happily together!"
"You two adulterers, just wait. One day, you’ll rot in hell!"
Elijah’s fury seemed all too real, his fists tightening as if he were seconds away from striking.
Brynn, however, didn’t flinch. Instead, he met Elijah’s glare head-on and snapped, "Allison is my true love! You never deserved her; stay out of her life for good!"
Before the tension could explode, Alphonso conveniently stepped in, shoving himself between them and shielding Brynn. "Brother-in-law, Elijah, that’s enough! Stop fighting!"
"If the deal is off, then let’s end it here. It’s late, go home and get some rest."
Just then, Elijah’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen before scoffing, putting on a show of leaving in anger.
With the performance complete, Brynn turned back to me with a carefully crafted look of regret.
"Allison, I didn’t know Elijah was today’s business partner. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come at all…"
"It must’ve been exhausting for you to come all this way so late. Let’s go home."
He smiled gently, reaching out to pinch my cheek as he always did, his arms already moving to pull me into his embrace.
A sharp, unbearable sting pierced my chest.
It was terrifying how deeply a person could love another, only to be shattered beyond repair.
The three of them, who once despised each other, had so effortlessly joined forces… all for one reason.
To deceive me.
To make sure I wouldn’t be a nuisance to Kennedy.
Disgust coiled in my stomach. When Brynn reached out, I dodged his touch, the movement instinctive.
For a split second, shock flickered in his eyes.
But I clenched my fists, steadying myself, forcing the moment to pass before suspicion could take root.
"No, you should go home first."
"I went shopping today and left something at the store. The owner just called; I need to go pick it up."
"I’ll see you later tonight."
I mustered a smile, waved, and turned away, each step measured and controlled.
The moment I stepped outside, the dam broke.
I threw myself into the first taxi I saw, and as the door shut behind me, the tears finally spilled, silent and unrelenting.
