Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 302

Chapter 302

My apartment had never felt so small or so quiet when I walked through the door. I tossed my keys onto the kitchen counter harder than necessary, the sharp clatter echoing through the empty space in a way that only emphasized how alone I was. The Uber ride home had been torture. Every red light and every turn gave me more time to think, to relive the discovery,

I walked over to the living room window and stared out at London stretching endlessly in front of me. The city lights blinked as they always did, completely indifferent to the emotional wreckage inside me. People were going about their lives as if nothing had changed, while mine had been flipped upside down in a matter of minutes.

I needed to talk to someone. But I knew Zoey well enough to know that if I called her in this state, my sister would be on the first transatlantic flight to check on me in person. The only other person I could call wouldn’t be a friendly conversation, but it was better than keeping everything bottled up.

The anger was building like a storm, and I knew exactly who I needed to confront. There was one person who knew everything about Nate, about Wanderer, about all of it… and had left me completely in the dark.

I grabbed my phone and called Gwen, my irritation growing with every unanswered ring.

The video call connected after a few seconds, revealing Gwen’s smiling face framed by a breathtaking Valentian landscape. She looked relaxed, hair loose in the breeze, wearing an elegant sweater that screamed vacation in

Castoria.

“Annie! What a great surprise!” she said brightly, adjusting the phone. “How was Christmas? Are you still with Nate? The view here is absolutely-”

“You knew,” I cut in sharply, my voice slicing through her cheer. “You knew and you lied to me.”

Gwen’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by genuine confusion. I watched her brows knit together as she tried to process what I’d just said.

“Annie, what are you talking about?” she asked carefully, her tone shifting to concern.

“Wanderer!” I practically shouted. “You knew it was Nate the whole time!”

I saw the realization slowly dawn on her face. Her expression tightened, and I caught the exact moment she understood. Guilt spread across her features like ink in water.

“Nate told you?” she asked softly, apprehension heavy in her voice.

“He told me? He told me?” I repeated, my voice jumping an octave. “No one told me anything! I had to figure it out on my own, like an idiot finally putting together a puzzle that everyone else already knew!”

Gwen closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, like she was bracing herself for what was coming.

“Annie, I—”

“I should’ve realized something was off when you stopped talking about Wanderer like he was a potential serial killer,” I went on, not letting her explain. “I remember perfectly how you warned me about the dangers of talking to strangers online. About how I had no idea who he really was. And then suddenly, you just stopped warning me. I thought it was strange, but I figured maybe you’d accepted that I was grown enough to make my

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own decisions. And when you didn’t even question how he knew my middle name…”

“Annie, please, let me explain-”

“I thought we were friends!” I cut in again. “Real friends. The kind who don’t keep massive secrets that directly affect the other person’s life!”

Gwen let out a deep sigh, running a hand over her face in a clear display of exhaustion and regret.

“I’m so sorry, Annie. Truly,” she said, her sincerity unmistakable. “But you need to understand that I’m Nate’s friend too. I have been for years.’

“So you chose his side?” I asked.

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“It wasn’t about choosing sides,” she replied quickly. “It was about giving him the chance to tell you the truth himself. When I realized what was going on, I wanted to give him the opportunity to do the right thing.”

“How convenient that now everyone says they were going to tell me,” I shot back, bitterness dripping from every word. “Everyone had the best intentions. Everyone was planning to do the right thing. And yet somehow, no one actually did.”

Gwen winced at my words.

“I gave him a deadline, Annie,” she said defensively. “I told him that if he didn’t tell you by the end of the holidays, I would. I wasn’t going to let this drag on forever.”

“How generous of you,” I replied, knowing I was being unfair but unable to stop the sharp edge in my voice. “A deadline. As if my feelings were a project with a due date.”

“That’s not how it was,” Gwen protested. “I was trying to balance my loyalty to both of you. You’re both my friends. I didn’t want to betray anyone’s trust, but I also didn’t want you to get hurt.”

I dropped heavily onto the couch, suddenly exhausted.

“And I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I kept the secret. I’m sorry you’re going through this. I’m sorry everything is so complicated.”

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, watching her genuinely remorseful expression on the screen. I couldn’t put all the blame on Gwen as she hadn’t created this situation. She’d just tried to navigate it the best way she knew

how.

“It’s okay,” I sighed, feeling some of the tension ease from my shoulders. “You’re not the one who created this mess with Nate, after all.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Gwen said, clear relief in her voice. “I was really in an impossible position.”

We fell into silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Finally, Gwen asked the question I knew was coming.

“Did you break up?” she asked carefully.

“No,” I answered automatically. Then I paused, reconsidering. “Not yet, at least.”

“And are you going to forgive him?”

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The question hung between us. It was the heart of everything, the one I’d been avoiding.

“I don’t know,” I admitted at last. “I’m confused. I need time to think.”

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