All Chapters of My Husband Brought Another Woman, I Chose His Best Friend : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

LIAMI kept my gaze on the laptop at first, pretending to read, watching nothing in particular, just numbers and lines that refused to register, because looking at her felt like giving something away I didn’t want her to have.“You’re staring,” I said after a while.“I’m not,” she replied immediately, not even turning.“You’ve been looking at the same spot for ten minutes.”“It’s called thinking,” she said, finally glancing at me. “You should try it sometime.”I raised a brow slightly, the corner of my mouth almost moving, but not quite. “I do,” I said. “Just not as dramatically.”She scoffed softly and looked away again. “Everything doesn’t have to be dramatic.”“Then stop making it that way,” I replied calmly.She let out a breath through her nose, choosing not to respond, because anything she said would only keep the conversation going longer than she wanted. Silence settled between us again, but it wasn’t empty. It never was with her. It felt layered, like there were too m

LIAMThe morning started like any other, structured, predictable, and controlled, and I preferred it that way. I walked into the office, nodded once at the receptionist, and stepped into my office without breaking stride. My jacket came off, my phone went on the desk, and I scanned the schedule in front of me, already running through the day in my head.“Is Nina here yet?” I asked without looking up.My receptionist hesitated just slightly. “No, sir.”I frowned faintly, still focused on the document in front of me. “Call her.”“Yes, sir.”I didn’t think much of it at first. People were late sometimes, schedules shifted, things happened. It wasn’t unusual. Still, I checked the time again, more out of habit than concern.It wasn’t early.A few minutes passed before my intercom buzzed.“She’s not answering, sir.”I paused, my fingers stilling against the desk. “Try again.”“I already did twice.”I leaned back slightly, exhaling through my nose. “Alright.”I told myself it wasn’t my probl

“Nina!”Amy’s voice came first, bright and immediate, cutting through everything else like it always did. She was already moving toward me before I could even properly take a step in, her heels clicking fast against the floor as she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around me.“Oh my God, you’re back,” she said, squeezing me tighter than I expected. “You look… okay, you look tired, but you’re alive, so I’ll take it.”I let out a small breath, forcing a smile as I hugged her back. “I’m fine.”“You don’t sound fine,” she replied, pulling back slightly to look at me properly. “But you can lie to me later. Right now, I’m just happy you’re here.”“Same,” I said, even though it came out flatter than I intended.Ralph approached more slowly, his steps measured, his expression observant in that way that always made it feel like he was seeing more than he was saying. He stopped a few feet away, crossing his arms loosely.“Welcome back,” he said.“Thanks,” I replied.“You look… different

NINAAmanda’s bedroom looked like a storm had passed through it, except the storm was fabric, heels, and the faint scent of perfume hanging in the air. Dresses were draped over the bed, some half-falling to the floor, others hanging from the wardrobe doors like they had been rejected mid-decision. I stood in the middle of it, arms folded tightly across my chest, staring at the latest option she had just shoved into my hands.“I’m not wearing that,” I said, already shaking my head before I even fully unfolded it.Amanda sighed dramatically from where she sat cross-legged on the bed, watching me like I was a particularly difficult client. “You haven’t even tried it on.”“I don’t need to try it on,” I replied, holding the dress up briefly before dropping it back onto the pile. “I can already tell it’s too much.”“Too much what?” she asked, raising a brow.“Too much,” I repeated, turning away from her and walking toward the mirror, though I didn’t really look at myself.She slid off the b

I didn’t go back into the party.I couldn’t.The music still pulsed faintly through the walls as I pushed open the stairwell door, the heavy metal slamming shut behind me with a dull echo that felt louder than it should have. The sudden quiet wrapped around me, thick and suffocating, broken only by the distant hum of the building and my own uneven breathing.I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes for a second as I tried to steady myself. My chest felt tight, like something was pressing down on it, refusing to let me breathe properly.“Get it together,” I muttered under my breath.My voice sounded strange in the silence.I pushed myself off the wall and moved down a few steps, my heels clicking sharply against the concrete. The air was cooler here, dry, carrying that faint metallic smell that always clung to stairwells. It should have helped.It didn’t.I stopped halfway down, gripping the railing as my fingers tightened around the cold metal. My hand was shaking.I let out a