Chapter 3

3

In the end, I still examined Gemma.

"She's fine," I said numbly. "The baby is fine too."

Callahan kept his brows deeply furrowed. "Are you sure? She fell down a flight of stairs. How can she be fine?"

"If you don't trust my medical opinion, then take her to the ER and have another doctor look at her."

With that, I turned around and walked upstairs.

When I got back to my room and locked the door behind me, a crushing wave of exhaustion washed over me.

I really didn't know how Callahan and I had ended up like this.

For the past twenty-plus years, he had treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

He was the one who said I wasn't allowed to call him "brother."

He was even the one who gave me my name.

When I first arrived at the Kensington house, my name was just a generic orphan name.

Callahan had gently taken my little hand and said, "From now on, you're Brielle. You are the one and only girl in my life."

And like a fool, I believed him.

But now? The person who heard those promises still remembered them, but the one who made them had clearly forgotten.

From outside my window, I heard the roar of an engine.

I walked over and saw his familiar black Porsche Cayenne speeding out of the driveway into the night.

The glaring red taillights burned my eyes and pierced straight through my heart.

Callahan really didn't trust me. He was driving Gemma to the hospital to get a second opinion.

The next morning, I was on the early shift.

I changed into my white coat and was prepping for my rounds when Dr. Evans stopped me. "Brielle, what happened to your future sister-in-law last night? Was she feeling sick? Your brother looked like he was losing his mind when he rushed her into the ER."

I forced a tight smile. "I'm not really involved in their private matters."

"But don't you all live in the same house? And you're an OB/GYN! If she wasn't feeling well, he should have just had you check her. It makes no sense to drive all the way here in a panic."

I stayed quiet.

It was because Callahan didn't trust me with her.

"Dr. Evans... is she okay?"

Dr. Evans chuckled reassuringly. "Oh, don't worry! She and the baby are doing wonderfully. In about five months, you'll be an aunt!"

I froze in my tracks. "Five months? But Gemma is only three months pregnant."

Dr. Evans burst out laughing. "Three months? Honey, she's over four months along! Didn't your brother tell you?"

No. Callahan hadn't told me.

I pulled up Gemma's intake chart on the computer, and the numbers stared back at me in stark black and white: *18 weeks pregnant.*

Four and a half months.

Four and a half months ago... was my twenty-fifth birthday.

That night, I had waited up for him with a heart full of hope, wanting to celebrate with him. But he didn't come home until the next morning.

He told me he had been stuck in endless conference calls and ended up sleeping at the office.

I believed him. I even felt guilty and made him breakfast because I thought he was overworking himself.

But the truth was...

There was no conference call. He was sleeping with my best friend.

He was busy getting Gemma pregnant.

"Brielle? Are you okay? You look incredibly pale."

I snapped out of my daze and shook my head. "I'm fine, Dr. Evans. I'll go start my rounds now."

"If you're feeling sick, just go home and rest. We have enough coverage today."

"I'm fine. Really."

After my shift ended, I walked out of the hospital, having absolutely no idea where to go.

If I went home, I'd have to watch them being sickeningly domestic. I couldn't stomach that right now.

Without realizing it, my feet dragged me to a boutique flower shop I frequently visited.

The owner recognized me and waved happily. "Brielle! What a surprise. Why are you here in person? The flowers are all ready. Look, they're right over here!"

I stared blankly at a room completely filled with expensive red roses. "These are...?"

"Your boyfriend came in personally to order them! He said he said some terrible things to you yesterday and broke your heart, so he ordered all these to beg for your forgiveness."

A sudden, pathetic ache bloomed in my chest.

So... he still cared about my feelings, right?

He still loved me. He was just blinded by panic last night, which was why he yelled at me.

The shop owner smiled warmly. "Brielle, I've seen how Mr. Kensington treats you over the years. Men can be hot-headed and say stupid things, but he looked so genuinely remorseful. He came in right at dawn to place the order and even wrote the apology card himself."

I looked at the card. The elegant handwriting was undeniably his.

*【I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.】*

The owner nudged me. "Forgive him! Good men like Mr. Kensington are hard to find these days."

Just as she said that, the shop door chimed and someone walked in. "Excuse me, are my flowers ready?"

"They're all set! Haha, Mr. Kensington, Brielle actually came by in person. You two really have a telepathic connection!"

When Callahan saw me standing there, his brow instantly furrowed into a harsh scowl. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I was just taking a walk after work and ended up here."

"Then keep walking," Callahan said coldly. He turned to the owner. "Load the flowers into my trunk. Make it fast, I'm in a hurry."