My Husband Brought Another Woman, I Chose His Best Friend のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 71 - チャプター 80

I leaned back against the mirrored wall, sunglasses still on even though I was indoors, my head faintly throbbing from last night. Elena and I had talked too much, laughed too much, and apparently poured more wine than either of us needed. I exhaled slowly, pressing my lips together as the doors slid open.“Okay,” I muttered under my breath as I stepped out. “Work. No distractions.”I walked through the office floor with purpose, heels clicking in a steady rhythm that usually grounded me. A few people greeted me, and I nodded in response, keeping everything efficient and contained. Amy glanced up from her desk as I passed.“You look…” she started, squinting slightly.“Don’t,” I cut in, not slowing down.She laughed under her breath. “I was going to say, human.”“Try harder next time,” I replied, pushing my office door open and stepping inside.I dropped my bag on the chair, inhaling deeply as I moved behind my desk. Papers were already neatly stacked, my space untouched, controlled. G

The restaurant was far too expensive for a first date.That was the first thing I thought as I stood outside the entrance staring through tall glass windows at people who looked like they belonged in luxury watch advertisements. Soft music drifted through the doors every time they opened. Men in suits. Women in silk dresses. Waiters carrying trays like they were transporting diamonds instead of food.I looked down at myself again.Black dress. Simple heels. Hair down.Amanda had forced me into all of it.“You’re going to dinner with a man who likes you,” she had said while practically shoving me out of my apartment. “Try not to dress like you’re attending a funeral.”I pushed the door open before I could change my mind.Warm air wrapped around me immediately, carrying the smell of wine, butter, and something grilled. Conversations blended softly under the music, silverware clinking against plates.Then I spotted Kevin near the back.He looked up almost instantly like he had b

Amanda was already on my couch by the time I came out of my bedroom in sweatpants and one of Elena’s old college hoodies I had somehow stolen years ago and never returned.She looked up immediately, eyes narrowing suspiciously.“Oh my God,” she said. “You look happy again.”“I look tired.”“You look moisturised emotionally.”I stopped near the kitchen island and pointed at her. “That’s not even a real sentence.”“It is today.” She tucked one leg under herself and grinned. “Sit down and tell me everything.”“There’s nothing to tell.”Amanda stared at me blankly for three full seconds. “Nina.”“What?”“You disappeared all night with mystery diner man and came home looking like somebody in a romance movie. Start talking.”I rolled my eyes and grabbed the wine bottle sitting open on the counter. “You’re dramatic.”“And you’re deflecting.”I poured myself a glass anyway and finally sat across from her.Amanda immediately straightened excitedly. “Okay. Start from the beginning. Did he pick

The office was quiet at that early hour.Not silent. Just softer.The hum of the air conditioning drifted through the room while the city outside my windows slowly woke up in shades of grey and gold. My heels were abandoned beneath my desk, my legs tucked loosely under my chair while emails sat half-answered across my screen.I wasn’t really working.“Okay, but you judged me for using the wrong lane,” Kevin said through my earbuds, his voice warm with amusement. “You gasped like I almost killed somebody.”“You turned without signalling.”“There was no one there.”“That’s not the point.”Kevin laughed softly. “You sound exactly like somebody’s disappointed wife.”I smiled despite myself, typing random nonsense into an unfinished email to look productive in case someone walked by.“That’s dramatic.”“No, what’s dramatic is the way you grabbed the dashboard.”“You were driving like a criminal.”“I was driving normally.”“You accelerated during a yellow light.”“It was still yellow.”“It

The silence after Liam’s question felt sharp enough to cut through skin.“Who the hell are you?”Kevin stood still near the conference table, one hand loosely holding his drink while the other rested casually in his pocket. Compared to Liam’s rigid posture, he looked almost relaxed.Almost.I could already see the tension gathering behind his eyes.Amy slowly lowered a fry back into the carton like sudden movements might get her killed.Ralph looked between the two men with the expression of someone watching a car accident unfold in slow motion.Kevin recovered first.He stepped forward slightly and extended his hand toward Liam. “Kevin. Friend of Nina’s. I live nearby.”Liam looked at the offered hand.Then, they deliberately ignored it.The air in the room shifted immediately.Kevin lowered his hand slowly, amusement flickering briefly across his face before disappearing completely.Liam’s gaze moved to me instead. “Why is a stranger wandering around a private office floor after hou