Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98 What If

WILLOW

It was strange how quickly everything could change.

I swallowed, forcing my gaze away from the screen and back to my

drink.

When I looked up again, his eyes were already on me.

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“You can answer it,” I added.

He frowned slightly.

“I won’t answer it when I’m on a date with you,” he said.

There was no hesitation in his voice. It was a firm decision.

I bit my lip, my fingers curling slightly around the edge of the table.

I watched as his hands hovered above the “don’t answer” button, but I held onto his wrist at the very last second, halting his action.

“What if it’s an emergency?” I asked, biting my lip. There was a nagging voice in the back of my mind. What if she was on the verge of dying, and Tristan’s not answering was the reason for it? I didn’t think I would be able to live with that.

“It doesn’t matter,” he sighed. “I’m with you.”

He was choosing me in this moment.

However, that was the thing. There was always a what–if–always something waiting in the background, threatening to pull him away. First, it was his status, and now, it was Kate.

Tristan sighed, dragging a hand through his hair.

After a while, he nodded.

“I’ll leave the speaker on,” he said. “Okay?”

I nodded, my chest relaxing a little.

He answered the call.

The moment the line connected, I felt my heart start pounding again.

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Chapter 98 What If

“Tan?”

The nickname hit harder than I expected.

I looked down instinctively, my fingers tightening around my lap.

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Tan–she had a nickname for him. Along with that, it felt like it was something she was used to calling a hundred times before.

Tristan did not react the way I expected him to. He still appeared calm.

“Kate,” he said. “Do you need anything?”

Her voice came through the speaker in a softer but more disappointed tone.

“I’m sorry for asking you this,” she said, “but I need to be discharged, and no one is here to sign the papers.”

I glanced at Tristan. His jaw tightened slightly.

“Isn’t your brother there?” he asked. “He was discharged first, wasn’t he?”

There was a pause from the other line.

“He isn’t,” she said. “He’s busy with work.”

I pursed my lips.

“Please, Tristan?” she continued. “I don’t have anyone else to call. You know that.”

The words lingered in the air. The last three words twisted something inside my chest.

I looked at Tristan again–searching for anything, even a trace of hesitation. However, he looked more stressed than anything.

He looked at me. And for a moment, everything went quiet.

It felt like the entire decision rested in that single glance.

I sighed before I nodded.

What else could I do?

He was not wrong for helping her.

And I-

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Chapter 98 What if

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I did not want to be the reason he turned away from someone who genuinely needed help.

“I’ll be there,” he said. “But I won’t stay.”

Relief flickered across his face.

“Thank you, Tristan,” she said.

The call ended.

***

The car ride was quiet, making me aware of every little thing.

“Is this really okay?” he asked after a while.

I looked out the window.

“You don’t have to come with me,” he added.

I shook my head.

“I’ll come,” I said.

The truth was–I didn’t want to be left behind again.

He sighed softly.

“I’m sorry.”

I turned to him.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” I said.

“Let’s go,” I added. “She must be waiting.”

He nodded.

After a while, we finally made it to the hospital. I walked beside him, my steps slower than usual.

Aside from wanting to help someone who was in need, truth be told, I was curious about her, The woman people had called his match.

We reached the room. For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then Tristan pushed the door open.

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Chapter 98 What if

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We stepped inside together, and I instantly froze at the doorway.

She was there.

Kate Petrov.

Even in a hospital gown, she was… beautiful.

Her hair fell softly around her shoulders, slightly messy but still somehow perfect. Her skin looked pale, but it did not take away from her features. If anything, it made her look even more delicate and fragile–like something you had to protect.

The moment she saw Tristan, her face lit up.

“Tan,” she said again. The way she called his name in person was different from when she called his name on the phone. Somehow, this felt even punchier, like it was sweeter.

And before I could even process what was happening-

She ran to him and hugged him.

I stood there–a few steps behind them, watching.

My chest tightened slightly, but I forced myself to stay still. Tristan sighed and stepped back, pushing her away in a second.

I saw a slight frown on her face as she looked up at him, questioning his actions.

Then, like she finally felt my presence, her eyes landed on me.

Everything seemed to slow down.

She looked at me.

It hit me all at once at that moment. When I looked at her features, I always thought there was some kind of resemblance.

However, in that moment, I realized just how similar we truly were.

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