Page 131 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

Hope lights in his face, and he nods. I step out, closing the door behind me.

I don't manage to get a word out before he blurts out: "I’m sorry, Chelsea. So fucking sorry. I just want to say that first and foremost, I never should have taken you for granted and cheated on you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Let me guess, things are not going too well with her."

"No. I broke up with her."

"You did?" Not that I’m surprised. I figured that they wouldn’t last. She's way too smart to put up with his bullshit for as long as I did. But I didn't think it would be him breaking up, though.

"Yeah," he says. "She’s crazy."

"And you’re so sane."

He sighs. "I know I fucked up. But baby, I want–"

"Okay, let's go back. First off, I'm not your baby, and second, we're not getting back together. Ever. So let me just help you take that off the table right now."

His eyes spark. "Why? Because of your boyfriends?"

I raise an eyebrow. "No, not just because of my boyfriends. Also, because you're an asshole and an abusive piece of shit."

"I know. And I know that I wronged you, badly, but baby...I'm in therapy now."

I laugh. I can't help it. He says it like it's a trump card that should erase everything else we've been through.

"I'm happy for you. Now leave."

"Wait, Chels–"

"I'm serious," I say. "I'm not mad or pissed at you anymore, believe it or not. I just want you to leave."

He bites his lip and says, "Shit."

I don't know what else to say, so I just shrug and say, "Yeah."

"Is there anything I can do to–"

"No," I tell him.

To my surprise, he swallows and nods, not putting up much of a fight. Not that I think he's genuinely in love with me or anything, but usually he would fight out of sheer stubbornness.

Something in him seems genuinely broken.

He starts walking away. When he's halfway down the stairs, he glances back at me again. "I'm sorry, Chelsea."

"I know," I tell him.

I watch him get into his car and drive away, close my eyes.

Well, that was heavy. Totally killed my happy vibe.

The cool evening breeze blows across my face, and I decide to take a walk to clear my head. A part of me is kinda worried about him, despite everything. He really did not look good.

I decide to take the trail by the palm trees, expecting this walk to last maybe five minutes at most.

That is until I hear running footsteps, and turn around to find a gun pointed straight at me.

42