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I nod. “I am a little tired. I just need some rest. Can you ask one of the drivers to take me home?”
He frowns. “I thought you would stay over. You could sleep in one of the guest rooms tonight,” he suggests, but I shake my head.
I need to get home now. My head is swimming and I need somewhere to sift through my thoughts in peace.
“I’ll be fine. I already said goodbye to Noah. You’ll drop him off tomorrow, right?”
Maybe by then, I’ll know exactly how to approach the conversation we need to have.
Michael gives me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Chrissy, but I’m leaving for New York tomorrow. It’s just a two-day trip. I’ll be back by Monday,” he informs me.
“Oh,” I say, trying not to let the disappointment show on my face. “Of course, you have to work.”
“I’ll get someone to bring Noah over,” he assures me.
“Thank you. I’ll see you on Monday,” I tell him before walking away.
I feel his eyes following me the entire way.
CHAPTER17
MICHAEL
“Hey, Christine. I’ve been trying to reach you all day but your phone has been switched off. I just got back from New York. I’ll head over to your place as soon as I settle down. Hope Noah’s okay.”
I finish leaving the voicemail before I walk into my house, where I head for my room immediately. It’s funny how the home of my childhood feels more like a home than the house I have in New York. The entire time I spent there, the place felt empty, cold. It always feels like that, but even more so than before.
There was something missing, and I knew exactly what it was—my son, his mother, my family. I’ve gotten used to being surrounded by people that care about me.
Back then, it was easier to pretend to enjoy being alone. Now, I want and actively crave more.
I’m changing out of my suit and into something casual when someone knocks on my already-open door. I turn to look at my brother.
“What’s up?” I ask. This is the first time he has sought me out since everything went down, and I’m hoping this means he’s ready to talk.
Matt says nothing. He walks into the room and stands in front of my bookcase. He studies it for a moment before whirling around.
“You’re such a fucking mystery, you know that?”
I raise an eyebrow.
He rolls his eyes. “I’ve known you all my life. Twenty-nine fucking years, and I still don’t understand you. You never gave me the chance to understand you. It’s like you’ve been a robot all this time. You perform all your duties, you say all the right things, but when it all comes down to it, you never show the real you.”
I sigh, buttoning up my shirt. “And your point is?”
He chuckles. “You know, I used to hate you. I hated everything you stood for when I was a teenager. You were this perfect son that could do no wrong and I was the younger brother forever struggling to catch up to you.”
That’s honestly news to me. He always seemed so happy all the time, I didn’t think he harbored such resentment. “I guess we’re both good at hiding how we feel,” I state.
“Well, trust me, Michael, you’re a fucking master at it.” He pauses. “Do you know what I did when I found out Christine had a crush on you?”
I stare at him. “What?”
Matthew laughs. “You’re kidding. You still don’t know how much she liked you?” he asks.
My jaw clenches.
“Wow, talk about blind. Well, she did, and when I found out, the first thing I did was laugh. And then I thought to myself, ‘This is it. My one and only chance to finally beat you at something.’ I distracted her from you and I asked her out. We started dating, and I can honestly say that’s the only time I ever won against you.”
