Page 124 of Made for Wilde

The silence stretches between us, heavy with twenty years of brotherhood and the weight of what we’ve lost. I watch his face, seeing the war between his love for Charlotte and his anger at me playing out in real time.

Finally, he speaks.

“Just go.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, but I nod. I turn toward the door, each step away from him feeling like walking through quicksand. My hand reaches for the handle, and I pause.

“Jason—”

“I said go.” His voice breaks on the words.

I sigh and shake my head, defeat settling into my bones alongside the physical pain. I tried. That has to count for something, even if it wasn’t enough. Maybe someday it will be.

The hotel room door clicks shut behind me. My footsteps echo in the empty hallway as I make my way back toward theelevator, each step carrying me further from the man who used to be my brother and closer to an uncertain future.

I press the down button and wait, staring at my reflection in the polished steel doors. My face looks like I went ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer and lost every single one. But that’s not what hurts the most.

Jason was more than my best friend. He was the brother I never had, the family I chose when my own father drank himself into an early grave. He stood by me through every failure, every heartbreak, every moment when the world felt too heavy to carry alone. And I repaid that loyalty by falling in love with the one person who was supposed to be off-limits.

The elevator dings, doors parting. I step inside and stare at the floor numbers as they light up one by one.

All I can do is hope that somewhere between now and the birth, Jason will find a way to forgive me. Not because I deserve it, but because Charlotte and the baby do. Because family is supposed to mean something, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

Because love is supposed to be the thing that fills the cracks, not splits them wider.

Even when it doesn’t feel that way.

TWENTY-SIX

CHARLOTTE

I spin around.My heart hammers against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Adrian stands about ten feet away, near the windows that face the parking lot. The sunlight filters through the glass behind him and casts his face in shadow.

“Adrian.” I force my voice to sound light and casual, even though every instinct I have is screaming at me to run. “You scared me. I didn’t expect anyone else to be here.”

He doesn’t move from his position by the windows, but his head tilts slightly, like he’s studying me.

“Sorry about that. I wanted to catch you before you left.”

My eyes dart around the darkened lab and look for my trophy. The fluorescent lights are off, leaving only the pale glow from the parking lot to illuminate the room. Beauty stations sit like sleeping giants in the shadows. Their mirrors reflect distorted fragments of light.

“Where’s my trophy?” I ask him. “I thought you said it would be here.”

“I’ll give you the trophy.” Adrian’s voice carries a strange undertone I’ve never heard before. “But I want to talk to you first.”

The word ‘first’ sends ice through my veins.

I take a small step toward the door.

“Well, I can’t stay long. Koda’s expecting me back.”

Something flickers across Adrian’s face at the mention of Koda’s name.

“Right. Koda.” He says the name like it tastes bitter. “Your boyfriend.”

The way he emphasizes the word makes my skin crawl.