บททั้งหมดของ DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG : บทที่ 111 - บทที่ 120

~~Brandon~~I woke up to silence.For a few seconds, I didn't remember where I was or why my neck hurt like hell, but then my gaze landed on the couch across from me, and everything from last night came rushing back at once.Joan was still asleep.Morning light spilled softly through the large windows, painting pale gold across the blanket draped over her. At some point during the night, she'd curled tighter into herself, one arm tucked beneath her cheek while the other rested loosely against the blanket near her stomach. Her hair was slightly messy from sleep, and even from where I sat, I could still see the faint traces of dried tears beneath her eyes.Something tightened painfully in my chest.I'd never seen her like that before.Not truly.Sure, I'd seen her upset. Seen her stressed. Seen her angry, embarrassed, overwhelmed, awkward, even flustered. But last night had been something entirely different. It hadn't just been fear. It had looked like years of exhaustion finally collap

The house felt different after Joan got upset with me.I noticed it immediately.Not because she yelled or slammed doors or made some dramatic scene out of it. Honestly, I thought I would've preferred that. At least then I'd know where I stood with her. Instead, she became quiet in a way that unsettled me deeply. She moved around my house politely, spoke when necessary, answered questions when asked, but every interaction felt measured, like she was carefully deciding how much of herself she was willing to give me now.And the answer seemed to be: not much.Kai had fallen asleep almost an hour ago after forcing me to listen to an extremely serious explanation about which dinosaurs would survive a volcano eruption and which wouldn't. I'd tucked him into bed while Joan stayed downstairs claiming she wanted tea, though I had a feeling she mostly just wanted distance from me.Now I stood by the kitchen entrance watching her quietly.She sat at the island wearing one of the oversized sweat

~~Brandon's POV~~The silence in the house felt wrong.I realized it the second I opened my eyes.For a few disoriented moments, I lay there staring at the ceiling, waiting for the familiar sounds that had somehow become part of my routine without me noticing. Kai’s small feet pounding through the hallway. Joan downstairs making coffee before work because apparently functioning without caffeine was impossible for her. The soft hum of the television because Kai somehow always woke up before everyone else and immediately wanted cartoons. Even the occasional sound of Joan muttering under her breath when she realized he’d made a mess somewhere.Nothing came.The house stayed quiet.Too quiet.And that was when it hit me again.They were gone.I scrubbed a hand over my face and sat up slowly, exhaling hard through my nose as the emptiness settled heavier in my chest than it had the night before. I’d spent so long getting used to sharing my space with them that the sudden absence of them fe

I hadn't slept properly in days.At first, I thought it was because of the hearing. Then I thought maybe it was because Kai and I were still trying to settle into the new apartment, because the unfamiliar silence at night felt wrong after spending so long in Brandon's house, where there was always movement somewhere. Victor coughing in the study. Brandon walking downstairs for water at midnight. Kai sneaking into my bed after a nightmare. Even Caleb dropping by unannounced and arguing with Brandon over something stupid. The silence here felt too complete. Too careful. Like the apartment itself was afraid to breathe too loudly.But by the seventh day, I realized sleep wasn't avoiding me because of the hearing.It was because I was scared.Scared of court.Scared of Dean.Scared of losing Kai.And maybe, if I was being honest with myself, scared that I'd ruined the only good thing that had happened to me in years when I'd pushed Brandon away.The thought alone made my chest tighten, so

~~Joan~~The courthouse looks exactly the way I imagined it would.Cold.Intimidating.Unforgiving.The kind of place where lives are dismantled behind closed doors while everyone pretends it's simply procedure.I stand at the bottom of the wide stone steps with one hand wrapped tightly around Kai's. He's unusually quiet beside me, his dinosaur backpack hanging from his shoulders, his gaze moving curiously between people entering and exiting the building. He doesn't understand the gravity of today. He knows we're here to talk to important people. He knows Dean wants to spend time with him. He knows I don't like Dean very much.But he doesn't understand that one wrong decision inside that building could change our lives forever.I squeeze his hand tighter.Kai immediately squeezes back.The simple gesture nearly breaks me.For the past week I've done everything possible not to fall apart.I've cried when Kai wasn't looking.I've slept terribly.I've eaten because I had to, not because