All Chapters of Pregnant For My Brother's Best Friend: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

CRYSTAL. I felt like I was running on fumes. Nothing left in my body but nerves and dread and the thin thread of hope holding me together. But the moment I stepped into Jason's private ward and saw him awake, giggling at something Noah was whispering dramatically beside his bed, every ounce of exhaustion evaporated."Honey…" I breathed, rushing to him. "You're out."He beamed and lifted his little arms for me. I leaned down and kissed him all over his face — his cheeks, his forehead, the warm little spot by his ear that always made him laugh.And he did laugh — that small, soft laugh of his that always saved me."You scared me," I whispered against his hair, blinking back the tears burning my eyes. "But you did so well. Mommy's so proud of you."He puffed up his chest a little, trying to look brave. God, he was too precious for this world."It's okay now, sweetheart," I murmured, brushing a strand of hair off his forehead. "Just a little more recovery, and then we'll go back t

JADEN.If there's a hell designed specifically for men like me, it probably looks exactly like this:A perfect restaurant.Perfect lighting.Perfect angles.Perfect cameras.And the woman I love walking toward me on another man's arm.If you wanted the whole country to watch a show without calling it a show, this was where you came. Discreet but impossible to ignore. Half the room was money, the other half was media pretending to be money.Fuck.And, why the fuck wasn't Crystal wearing the dress I bought for her? Don't tell me this bastard made her not wear it...!"They’re late,” Tessa said, checking her phone for the third time, practically annoyed, “So rude. People like that never respect time.”I ignored her, but Valerie didn’t.She smiled, “They’re nervous, Tess,” she said sweetly. “This is a lot for them. The press, the attention…”I almost snorted.Of course, she was already setting the stage.Make Crystal look small, make Noah look grateful, and make herself look

CRYSTAL."Noah... Don't you think everything you did today was too extreme?" I finally broke the silence the moment we entered the house.It was a quiet drive home when we left the restaurant. Noah stared out the window like he was replaying his own version of the evening, and I was stuck replaying mine.Jaden's mouth on mine.The way my body had responded before my brain could catch up.I felt stupid. Weak. Furious at myself. But no matter how hard I tried to shove it away, the memory clung. It dragged me backward to a version of myself I thought I'd buried—the girl who used to sneak around with Jaden, who thought secrecy was romantic and consequences were something other people dealt with.Foolish. God, I'd been so foolish.Noah kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie like the night hadn't rattled him at all."Sunshine," he said lightly, shrugging out of his suit jacket, "everything I did was for you and Jason. You know I can act when I need to. I've always been good at it, rememb

JADEN.I paced restlessly, crossing the room over and over until the space felt too small for my body.Did I drive too fast?Was I too early?Or was she just running late?I refused to even entertain the idea of her not showing up. That thought alone felt lethal. It could kill me. I'd barely survived the hours leading up to this. If she didn't come, it would break something in me I wasn't sure I could put back together.When I sent that text, I hadn't waited for a reply. I'd jumped up, grabbed my keys, and headed straight to this house. Didn't even want anyone driving me. I checked the time again and looked out the window. After what felt like an eternity, I finally saw her alighting from a taxi. Everything inside me fucking stilled. She looked around frantically before knocking on the gate, and it slid open without delay. The second I heard her at the door, I yanked it open, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her inside so fast she collided with my chest."Jaden! What are you

CRYSTAL. Jaden came to see Jason last night, just as he promised.And it had been… unbearable.I couldn’t stay in the same space with him for more than a few minutes without feeling like my chest was closing in. Every time our eyes met, it dragged up things I’d spent years burying. Memories I didn’t ask for. Feelings I didn’t want. Old wounds that hadn’t healed the way I pretended they had.Some of those memories were good.That was the problem.The rest were the kind that made it hard to breathe. The emotions warring inside me each time make it difficult to think straight around him. All I wanted more than anything was the grace to see this surgery through and leave New York immediately after. I didn’t want closure. I didn’t want him in my life in any capacity beyond this hospital room.A man who walked away from me once and destroyed my life without looking back didn’t get to stand at the center of my life again."Mummy... Will Daddy still be able to make it?" Jason asked after so