Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87 Doubting

WILLOW

“Kate Petrov.”

I whispered the name under my breath as my fingers hovered over the keyboard.

Finished

The cafe was quieter than usual at this hour, but I knew it was bound to get busy soon. I was seated at one of the corner tables in Kath’s cafe, my laptop open in front of me, a cup of water by my side.

I was already dressed and prepared.

I was already supposed to be focused on today.

It was my birthday.

And in less than an hour, I was going to meet Tristan.

We were supposed to go to the aquarium first. He had planned it because he knew I was interested in the sea and its creatures. He mentioned something about it briefly in his message this morning. After that, we were going to grab dinner.

I was actually really excited. Spending time with him has always been good.

However, here I was, typing another woman’s name into a search bar.

I pressed enter.

The screen refreshed, and my jaw slightly dropped.

“Whoa,” I muttered quietly.

Kate Petrov. Even through a screen, she looked really pretty.

That word did not even begin to cover it.

She was gorgeous.

She had the kind of beauty that did not need effort. One that would turn heads without trying.

She looked tall, her posture naturally elegant in every photo I scrolled through. Her proportions were perfect, too.

My eyes moved slowly over the images.

I would say we had similar features. We weren’t identical, of course–not enough to confuse anyone.

There was just a resemblance in features.

I stared at the screen a little longer.

Chapter 87 Doubting

How should I even put it?

She looked beautiful.

Meanwhile, I looked…

Cute?

I frowned slightly. Was that it? Was that the difference?

I honestly didn’t know. Maybe I was just losing my mind.

I scrolled further until I reached the articles and headlines.

Most of them were from years ago.

I clicked on one.

It talked about an event she had attended, and as I scrolled further, my breath stilled.

This must be the photo that started the rumors.

Finished

She and Tristan were photographed going out of the venue together. He was standing beside her, but they were not touching.

Even with such short contact, the article described them as a “match made in heaven.”

I scrolled to more photos and more comments about how they looked together.

I bit my lip slightly and closed my eyes for a brief moment.

This was ridiculous.

I warned i

This was exactly what Kath about.

I was doing this to myself.

I opened my eyes again and glanced at the time on the corner of my screen.

2:30 PM.

I inhaled slowly.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen without really seeing it anymore.

Kath had helped me get ready earlier.

She had picked my outfit, done my hair, and also done my light makeup.

“You look scrumptious,” she had said proudly.

I had laughed at the time.

PPP

Chapter 87 Doubting

Finished

But now-

I did not feel scrumptious at all, especially with the beautiful lady on the screen staring back at me. It was ridiculous because even though I got jealous of the girls Marcus was with during our marriage, it never felt like this.

I huffed a deep breath.

Why was I even doing this?

Tristan had never given me a reason to doubt him.

Before I could spiral further, the laptop in front of me suddenly snapped shut.

I looked up and found Kath standing right in front of me, one hand still resting on the top of my laptop.

“Why can’t you take your mind off of that?” she asked gently.

I pursed my lips.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

She sighed softly. Then she placed a small plate in front of me.

It was a slice of cake, one of my favorites from her shop.

I stared at it for a moment.

“You’re doing that thing again,” she said.

“What thing?”

“Overthinking.”

I let out a small breath.

“I’m not-”

“You are,” she cut in, sitting down across from me. “And it’s written all over your face.”

I looked away when I saw how soft her expression looked.

For a moment, it looked like she was about to reach out and hug me.

She knew. Of course, she knew.

She knew what this was.

I had been hurt by a Hale before, so I still have my walls up.

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