Chapter 37: NEVER LETTING MYSELF LEAN ON HER LITTLE BROTHER AGAIN
Chapter 38
Lumi
My eyes dropped to my plate and my heart did a painful twitch.
I didn’t dare look at Ren, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw his jaw clench hard.
"She’s fine, Neve," Ren said, his deep voice dropping into a flat, icy rumble. "She’s home. Now drop it."
Neve didn’t drop it. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, a slight, mocking tilt to her head. "Oh, come on, Ren. Don’t be like that. You used to be so obsessed with her, even when the rest of us didn’t accept her."
Ren’s dark eyes flashed with something sharp and dangerous, his gaze locking onto his sister. "She’s my mate," he responded, his voice dangerously low. "Shouldn’t I be obsessed with her?"
"A mate you chose, and not the moon goddess," Neve tackled him right back, her tone sharp with a hidden frustration.
I sat there completely frozen, my fingers locking so tightly around the stem of my glass that my knuckles turned white. My mind raced, trying to process what Neve had just said.
Everything I had ever been taught, everything passed down through generations, dictated that you do not choose your own mate.
The Moon Goddess chooses for you. It’s a sacred, destined bond that isn’t up for negotiation.
It was the same excuse Callum used to justify himself for cheating on me.
To hear Neve openly say that Ren had bypassed destiny and chosen Victoria himself made no sense to me.
It went against everything I understood about how our world worked, leaving me completely bewildered by his actions.
But one thing was glaringly obvious...Neve did not like Victoria one bit. It suddenly made perfect sense why she had never mentioned her to me the entire time.
"Let’s drop this conversation," Ren said, his teeth gritted so tightly the words practically cut through the air.
Neve raised her hands in immediate surrender, but her expression softened, her eyelids lowering as she looked at him with pure, sisterly affection.
"I love you, you know. I just want you to be okay. I just want to see my baby bro fine."
I watched as a wave of guilt washed over Ren’s face. The harsh, defensive mask melted away as he realized he had taken offense and snapped at the sister who loved him so deeply. His broad shoulders dropped.
"I’m sorry," he muttered softly. He reached across the table, his large hand capturing Neve’s, squeezing it with a quiet, genuine smile.
The heavy tension finally broke, and they moved on to lighter topics, but the words they said kept echoing in the back of my mind.
The moment we finished eating and walked out into the cool night air, Ren made a brief excuse about having to handle some late work matters, got into his car, and drove away.
By the time Neve and I got back to the apartment, the lingering exhaustion of the long day had fully caught up to us.
We kicked off our shoes in the hallway. Neve grabbed two mugs of hot tea, and we walked into my bedroom, both of us collapsing onto the edge of the mattress.
It felt so good to finally sit down, but as I looked over at my best friend, I noticed the quiet, heavy expression on her face. She was staring down into her mug, her usual bright energy completely gone.
"Hey," I said softly, nudging her shoulder with mine. "What’s going on with you? You’ve been quiet since we left the restaurant."
Neve let out a long, slow sigh, her fingers tracing the rim of her ceramic mug. She hesitated for a few seconds before she finally looked up at me.
"Lumi... my boss has been showing a lot of interest in me lately. Outside of strictly work stuff."
A small, genuine smile broke across my face. This was the first piece of normal, happy news I had heard in weeks. "Really? The head of the international firm?"
She nodded quickly, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Do you like him?" I asked, leaning in a little closer.
"I do," she admitted, her voice small. "I really do, Lumi. He’s incredible, and we’ve been talking for weeks while I was away."
"Neve, that’s amazing!" I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulder to give her a joyful squeeze. "Congratulations! You deserve this so much."
But instead of smiling, her shoulders slumped, and a deep, sad frown settled over her face. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her chest.
I let go of her, my smile fading into a look of concern.
"Hey, talk to me. Why do you look so heartbroken? This is supposed to be a good thing." She swallowed hard, her eyes suddenly shining with unshed tears.
"Because, Lumi... he’s proposing something serious. Something that can lead to marriage." I blinked, completely caught off guard, but the happiness rushed right back into my chest.
"Marriage? Neve, that’s beautiful! Why on earth are you sad about a marriage proposal from a man you actually love?"
"Because if I take it forward... if I say yes, it means I’ll be living there," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.
I looked at her, completely confused. "Living there? Like... in his part of the city? How is that a problem, Neve? It’s few hours of plane ride. It’s not that bad." She closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek as she shook her head.
"No, Lumi. Seems like you didn’t understand me. I mean I’ll be based there. Permanently. If I marry him, I have to relocate across the country."
The words hung heavily in the quiet bedroom. I froze, the reality of what she was saying finally sinking in.
"Oh," I breathed, the word sounding small in the empty space.
"I can’t do it," she said immediately, wiping her cheek fiercely with the back of her hand.
She turned on the bed to face me fully, grabbing my hands in hers. Her grip was tight and desperate.
"I told him I need time to think, but my mind is already made up. I’m going to tell him no. I can’t leave you, Lumi."
I stared at her, my heart swelling with a massive wave of love and surprise, but right behind it came a sharp, painful stab of guilt.
She was ready to throw away her own chance at a happy marriage just to stay here and protect me.
"Neve, no," I said softly, my voice firm as I squeezed her hands back. "You can’t do that. It’s fine. You have to take it."
"It’s not fine!" She insisted, fresh tears spilling over her lashes. She looked so deeply guilty, like she was committing a crime just by falling in love.
"How can I pack up and move to New York right now? Your life is in complete pieces, Callum is trying to take your son, and you’re trying to rebuild a massive company completely from scratch. You need me here. I’m your best friend. I’m supposed to be your anchor."
"Neve, look at me," I commanded gently, forcing her to lock her tearful eyes with mine.
I took a deep breath, pushing down my own fears because my friend’s future was so much more important than my own comfort.
"Don’t you dare stop your own happiness because of me. Don’t you dare pause your life for my mess."
"Lumi..."
"No, listen to me," I interrupted, a small, watery smile touching my lips as memories from our past rushed back.
"Do you remember seven years ago, when I decided to relocate to the UK? You didn’t complain once. You packed my boxes, you followed me to the airport, and you cheered for me the entire time.
And when I decided to get married to Callum, even though you secretly hated him from day one, you stood right beside me as my maid of honor with a smile on your face.
You never stopped me from chasing what I thought was my happiness. Now it’s your turn, Neve. It’s your turn to be happy."
"But this is completely different," Neve cried softly, her shoulders trembling. "You’re not just alone, you actually need me."
"I am fine," I lied smoothly, keeping my voice completely steady and certain so she would believe me.
I reached up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.
"I have a car now. I have the Reed Building. I have a plan for my son, and I am stronger than you think. I will not let you look back ten years from now and resent me because you turned down the man you love just to hold my hand while I clean floors. You are going to New York, Neve. And I am going to be the one packing your boxes this time."
Neve stared at me for a long, silent moment, her breathing slowly catching as she saw the absolute certainty in my eyes.
She let out a watery, breathless laugh, leaning forward to bury her face into my shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.
I held her back just as tightly, closing my eyes in the dark room. As I rubbed her back, comforting her, a heavy, quiet realization settled into my chest.
Neve was going to leave permanently. Soon, she would be thousands of miles away in New York, starting her own family.
I was truly going to be completely alone in this city with no one by my side.
And as the image of Ren’s dark, protective eyes flashed through my mind, the promise I had made earlier echoed even louder in my head.
I had to be stronger than ever...and that meant keeping my walls completely up, and never letting myself lean on her little brother again.
