All Chapters of Fake Dating My Best Friend's Younger Brother : Chapter 31 - Chapter 37

Catherine's PovDad’s face twisted in a full three sixty. I shifted my gaze from the unholy mess in the pot to him, and, weirdly, his expression was satisfying.I love my parents, but sometimes I feel like they think the world revolves around them.Mom jabbed Dad’s shoulder. “Babe, what’s wrong?” she asked, like the pasta she usually eats looked like this.I joined in. “What’s wrong, Dad?”He started sweating. “Nothing. I… uh…”“Babe, you said it tasted good,” Mom pressed.He swallowed nervously. “I did… I did eat it already.”“Dad… eat it up.”He shot me a pleading look. I shrugged and dumped the… monstrosity—not even worthy of the name pasta—back into the pot.The kitchen lightened a little, but the heat was still brutal.I fanned my face and glared at Mom. “Do you know how to cook, Mom?” I arched my brow.She finally seemed to realize the disaster she’d unleashed and shifted uncomfortably.“But you said it was okay,” she protested, hitting Dad’s chest. “How bad is it?”She marched

Catherine's PovTwo weeks Ago“You’ve made significant progress in just one week, Miss Catherine,” my therapist, Sarah, said during our seventh session.I kept count.Mom had promised therapy would only last a month. Four weeks. That was the deal.I nodded anyway.Sarah tilted her head slightly, studying my face like the answers to my problems were written somewhere between my eyebrows. Like if she stared long enough, she’d decode me.I looked away.The clock ticked softly on the wall.A week had passed. Somehow.Most of my time was spent in this room now—on the soft couch, under her calm voice, surrounded by tissues and neutral-colored pillows. The rest of my time was spent doing the things she assigned me.Clean your room.Write your thoughts.Try cooking.Do something with your hands.So I cleaned.I burned rice twice.I filled three notebooks with half-finished sentences and crossed-out feelings.I tried to follow every instruction like it was homework that decided my future.Beca

Dominic's Pov When things got so heavy that even breathing felt like work, the only thing I could think to do was go home.Patrick kept shading Catherine, saying things he had no right to say. I tried to ignore it. I really did. But something inside me snapped.I hit him.By the time I got back to the house, my hands were still shaking. I packed my bag, left a short note for Alice, and caught the next train to Grandma’s.After my parents’ divorce, she was the only place that still felt… safe. Stable. Like things hadn’t completely fallen apart yet. When my best friend started acting like shit and the girl I loved felt so far out of reach, her house was the only place I knew to run to.She welcomed me like always—then immediately put me to work in the kitchen.“Are you sure you coming here has nothing to do with your father?” she asked, handing me the salt.I put it back. “He’s not even in town.”“Business trip?”“I guess,” I said. Honestly, I had no idea. These days, he barely came h

EpilogueMy name is Catherine Young, and in the last few months, I've made a discovery. Many people might not agree with me, but I've realized that love shouldn't be something you have to calculate. It shouldn't be exhausting.It should feel natural. Beautiful. You should want that person by your side and find yourself putting them first without having to force it.As crazy as it might sound, my best friend's younger brother was the one who made me feel this way.When I almost lost him, I lost my mind. I couldn't imagine living without him, without that genuine smile that always seemed to reach somewhere deep inside me.The soft evening breeze moved through the curtains, making them sway gently. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my heart pounding as if I'd just finished running a marathon.The bed stood beside the window, and despite how nervous I was, I saw him lying there.Dominic.My heart clenched at the sight of him. He looked smaller than usual, and I couldn't explain w