บททั้งหมดของ Wanting my best friend’s brother : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

I couldn't stop smiling the entire ride home that night. One moment I didn't want to go to the party, and the next I was so excited that I went. What I thought I had lost had circled back to me again. The moment I stepped into my apartment, I locked the door behind me, leaned my back against it, and smiled. I walked into my living room and dropped my purse on the couch and just stood there in the middle of my living room, replaying everything that had happened tonight. From the introduction to the confession, to the kiss, and the way Ethan looked at me like I was the only person in the world. I couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear. I haven’t been this genuinely happy in a while. I started dancing and spinning around like I was in some romantic movie. I felt like I had just won a lottery. Ethan had finally found the key to my heart that had been locked away for years.My phone buzzed on the couch pulling me out of my little celebration. I grabbed it and saw Ethan's name on the screen

Later that night, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I took my phone and texted Ethan. He had sent me a message earlier that I’m just seeing.[Ethan: I miss you already.]My fingers hovered over the screen. I was having mixed feelings already. How could something feel so right and yet so wrong at the same time? I typed, going straight to what was bothering me:[Me: Anabel came over. She just left my place now.]He replied almost instantly.[Ethan: And?][Me: She told me about your date. She’s excited and can’t wait to meet the woman.][Ethan: I figured she would be excited about meeting you.][Me: Except she doesn’t know that I’m the ‘woman’]Three dots appeared and then disappeared again. There was a long pause before Ethan’s text came in.[Ethan: Lin, are you scared?]He finally asked. I stared at the question while asking myself. Was I? Yes, I’m very scared Anabel will find out before I tell her the truth.[Me: Yes, I am. I don’t want to hurt. I feel bad already that I broke the rule,

"So…For how long?" her voice finally trembled."A few weeks," Ethan answered quietly.She turned to him so fast it almost startled me."You shut up," she snapped. "You don’t get to speak first."She turned back to me, her eyes filling with hot, betrayed tears. "You sat in my apartment while I cried about David. You told me I deserved someone who chooses me without hesitation… and all this time, you were hiding this?""I wanted to tell you, Anabel. I swear," I whispered, the tears finally spilling over."When? After I found out from a stranger? Or after you got married?" She shook her head, a sharp, broken laugh escaping her. "We made a rule, Lin—the Golden Girl Code. Family is off-limits. You were the one who said we could survive anything as long as a man didn't come between us.""I know and I’m sorry," I sobbed. "I didn’t plan for this and I didn't chase it, it just… happened."Anabel shook her head violently. "It just happened…""I love him, Anabel," I said loudly without knowing i

I walked into the studio on Monday morning wearing my sunglasses. Not because it was bright outside, but because the weather wasn’t particularly sunny. I didn't want anyone to see my eyes. They were swollen from a weekend of crying. I told myself I just needed to get back to work and focus. I believed routine would fix this. It had to.Maya was at the reception desk reviewing samples. She paused and looked at me, then slowly stood up. I tried to keep walking, hoping she wouldn’t notice anything but it was too late."Linda." Maya's voice stopped me before I even took another step.I turned slowly. She was standing in front of the desk with her arms folded, looking at me the way she always did when she already knew something was wrong and was waiting for me to confirm it."Good morning," I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could."Take off those glasses," she said quietly.I hesitated. Then I reached up and slid them off.Her expression shifted instantly."Oh no."That was all it to

He reached over and took my hand."It's okay, babe. I'm not here to make you feel worse. I just need you to know that I'm not going anywhere so don’t push me away because you feel guilty. And don’t act like what we have here doesn’t matter, because it does."His eyes held mine. He brushed my hair behind my ear with his hand."I love you a lot, Lin. And I’m not going to stop loving you just because my sister is angry right now."The words settled somewhere deep inside my chest. Warm and steady like something I didn't know I needed to hear until he said it."Anabel will come around," he added."But don’t let us ruin what we have before she does."Something in my chest loosened at those words. I nodded slowly."I’m sorry," I said again. "I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just… I hate what this has done to her. I hate that I'm the reason she's hurting.""I know, Lin," he said softly. "I hate it too.""I just don't want it to look like we're rubbing it in her face," I said carefully. "Like we