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“You’re scaring me a little, man,” Brett says, scratching the back of his neck. “Is someone sick? Was there an accident or something?”
I cut straight to the point. “No,” I reply, “it’s about the merger, and it’s about Jenny.”
At her name, I stop pacing. My chest tightens, and for a moment, I can’t bring myself to look at him. Then I force the words out, raw and unvarnished. “She loves you, Brett. She always has.
She’s loved you for as long as I can remember. If that’s what makes her happy, then I’m willing to let everything else fall apart.”
Brett stares at me, his confusion deepening. “What the hell are you talking about? Let what fall apart?”
“The merger,” I say simply. “If you want her, Brett…if she’s what you need to be happy…I’ll pull out of the deal with Elizabeth’s family.”
He looks at me like I’ve just sprouted another head. “You’re serious? You’d kill a billion-dollar merger for her?”
I nod, the motion slow but deliberate. “I’m serious.”
His disbelief morphs into something more somber as he watches me. “Zack, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but this doesn’t sound like you. I know you’ve been lenient with me in still pursuing her, but I know you’ve been furious and that you never actually expected me to go through with it.”
“This isn’t about me, Brett. It’s about her.”
“Did she say something to you?” he asks.
“No,” I reply. “I just... I know her. I’ve watched her grow up, I’ve cared for her... like family from the beginning, even if no one has noticed. And you... I care deeply for you as well. You both should be happy, and I won’t trade that for anything.”
Brett studies me carefully, his eyes narrowing as he pieces things together. “This is too strange,” he says. “Do you by chance have feelings for her or something? What is happening?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say, no longer willing to give him the chance to dig any deeper.
“Okay, okay,” he say this hands up in surrender even though suspicion remains in his eyes,
“So … what exactly do you want me to do?” he asks.
I hold out the plane ticket, my hand trembling despite my effort to appear composed. “Go to her in Paris. Far away from here and everyone else’s eyes. Be honest and spend time getting to know her. Try to make things work between you two and make her as happy as possible.”
Brett hesitates, staring at the ticket as if it’s some foreign object. “You’re really giving me this?”
“It’s yours,” I say, forcing myself to let go. “She leaves tomorrow.”
He takes the ticket, nodding slowly. “Okay, I’ll go.”
I turn away, my chest heavy as I move toward the door. Before I leave, I glance over my shoulder, my voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t hurt her, Brett. Please.”
He doesn’t reply, but his expression tells me everything I need to know. He won’t.
As I step out into the cold morning air, I feel the weight of what I’ve done settle over me. There’s no going back now. All I can do is hope that this will somehow lead her to the happiness I couldn’t give her. Even if it means losing her forever.
Chapter
Forty-One
JENNY
Isit on the edge of my bed, staring at the suitcase I’ve just finished packing. The room feels hollow, stripped of everything but the essentials I’m leaving behind. It mirrors the emptiness in my chest, the sharp ache I’ve tried and failed to ignore since this morning.
A knock at my door startles me. My heart jumps, irrationally hoping it’s Zack, but when I open it, Brett is standing there. His blond hair is slightly disheveled, his grin a little too crooked to be carefree.
“You’re packed already?” he asks, his eyes landing on the suitcase. “Aren’t you leaving tomorrow?”
“No,” I reply stiffly, my hand tightening on the doorframe. “I moved my flight. I’ll be leaving tonight.”