Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 60

Chapter 60 Always

WILLOW

I stared at him.

For a moment, the memory of that night blurred together with the man sitting in front of me now- except that man was not quiet anymore,

“I’ve met you plenty of times after that.” Tristan continued.

I looked at him fully this time.

“You were always there to clean up my brother’s mess,” he added.

“To clean up my brother’s mess.”

I had not expected that answer.

“At first.” he said, “I was annoyed.”

His lips curved faintly.

“Because who would stay during those moments?”

I frowned at him.

“That sounds rude.”

“It is,” he admitted easily.

“But I also did not understand it. I didn’t understand why you would stay even after those moments.”

“Most people leave when things get messy,” he continued, looking me in the eyes.

My lips parted slightly.

“I mean that literally and figuratively.”

“Marcus had a habit of creating scenes.” Tristan said calmly. “He got drunk. He fought people. He made promises he could not keep.”

“And every time.” he added, “you were there.”

I stared at him.

“You stayed after everyone else left.”

His eyes settled on me again.

“You were always the one picking up the pieces.”

preamed

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Chapter 60 Always

“I was just helping.” I murmured.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “You were,”

He looked down at his hands briefly before continuing.

“At first, I thought you were foolish.”

I narrowed my eyes but allowed him to continue.

“I thought you were wasting your time on someone who did not deserve it,” he said.

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I stopped. I couldn’t deny that part.

Tristan continued before I could speak. “But then,” he said slowly, “I realized something.”

“Some people are just genuinely kind.”

His gaze met mine again.

“And you are amazingly so.”

“Before I knew it,” he continued, “I started wanting to take the burden off your shoulders.”

“You didn’t deserve to be treated like that,” he said simply.

Hashed

I felt my throat tighten. He spoke about those years with such clarity that it felt like he had been watching my life unfold from the sidelines.

“Do you remember,” he asked, “sometimes finding food on your table when you were still studying?”

My eyes widened.

“Yes.”

Back then, I had been constantly exhausted. Balancing college, part–time work, and Marcus’s unpredictable moods had not been easy.

There were nights when I arrived at my table and found a paper bag sitting neatly on my desk.

Inside, it would be my favorite food.

There would never be a note–just a quiet gift,

“I thought Marcus sent it,” I said slowly, “I texted him about my cravings all of the time, and the next day. I would find it on the table.”

“That was you, after all?” I asked.

Tristan nodded. My mouth tell open.

“You’re kidding”

1:03 pm PMM

Chapter 60 Always

“You should know,” he said dryly, “that my brother does not remember such things.

I pursed my lips.

That was… unfortunately accurate. Marcus had never been the type to remember small details.

I rubbed my forehead.

“So all those times…”

“Yes.”

I exhaled slowly.

“You could have at least left a note,” I muttered.

“That would have defeated the purpose.”

“What purpose?”

“Helping you without making you feel like you owed me something.”

I fell silent.

Tristan continued.

“Then,” he said, “Marcus finally introduced you to the family.”

My shoulders tensed slightly.

Ah.

That dinner.

That awful dinner.

“To tell everyone he was marrying you.”

I remembered the looks and the not–so–subtle disapproval from his father and the twins.

“Everyone was livid,” Tristan said.

“I noticed,” I muttered.

“Including me.”

1looked up sharply,

“You too?”

My chest tightened

Finished

1:03 pm PMM.

Chapter 60 Always

Shushed

“But for a different reason.”

I frowned.

“Because,” he said quietly. “I did not think you deserved to be in that family,”

He looked at me carefully.

“I thought you deserved better.“

“But you were so cold during the dinners we shared,” I pointed out weakly.

“I was unhappy with the situation.

“You served him during those dinners,” he said. “You refilled his glass. You cut his steak. You laughed at his jokes even when they were not funny.”

I felt heat creep up my neck.

I

“And every time,” Tristan continued quietly, “you made yourself smaller.”

I looked down at my hands. Back then, I had believed that loving someone meant accommodating them.

“I hated watching it,” he said.

The honesty in his voice made my chest ache.

“So when I heard you were getting a divorce,” he continued, “I thought it was my chance.”

My head snapped up.

“It was my chance to finally start caring about you.”

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