Dared to Kiss His Brother, Now I'm Addicted

Chapter 5

The whispers from my coworkers made my cheeks burn with embarrassment, but James's intense gaze was hard to ignore. After wrestling with my emotions, I finally gave in and nodded.

"Okay... let's start over," I said softly.

James beamed and pulled me into his arms, like he'd just won the lottery.

But our rekindled relationship wasn't the fairytale I'd hoped for. No matter how hard James tried, there was always this invisible wall between us, something cold and unspoken that he just couldn't break through.

Meanwhile, Victor seemed to sense the distance. He started texting me more often, always warm, always caring.

[How've you been? Want to grab coffee sometime?]

His messages left me torn. I felt like a pawn in their twisted game, discarded when I wasn't useful and suddenly valuable again when they had something to gain.

I declined his invite outright. I had already made my choice: James.

But Victor wouldn't back off. He began showing up more, always acting like it was a coincidence. Sometimes, he'd bring small gifts or thoughtful surprises. It started to wear on me. Finally, during one of his unexpected appearances, I snapped.

"Victor, please stop this. I've chosen James. We're never going to happen," I said, my voice cold and firm.

His face went pale, then a flash of something darker crossed his eyes.

"Did you know James slept with Isabelle?" he said suddenly, his voice full of venom.

The words hit me like a freight train. I stared at him, stunned, my breath caught in my throat.

"He's been bragging about it to his buddies. You're the only one who doesn't know," Victor added, his tone laced with cruel sarcasm.

"Then why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?" I demanded, my voice rising with fury.

Victor hesitated, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I... I just found out. I didn't know how to tell you..."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. My hand flew before I could think, I slapped him, hard.

"You're all disgusting," I spat, trembling with rage as I stormed off.

He shouted something after me, but I didn't stop. I didn't care.

When I finally made it to James's place, I stood at his door for a long second, took a deep breath, and knocked.

"I need to tell you something," I said as he opened the door.

He looked puzzled. "What is it?"

"I... I used to have feelings for Victor," I admitted, looking him dead in the eye.

The tension in the air thickened instantly. James's face turned ghostly white.

"You two are monsters!" he suddenly roared. "You're nothing but trash!"

His words hit hard, but my anger blazed hotter.

"I only had an emotional connection with Victor. What about you? You had both, emotional and physical. Isn't that worse?"

He stared at me, stunned, as I continued.

"Didn't you say that 'bros are like family, and women are just clothes'? So what, this is just you two switching outfits?"

His expression twisted. Clearly, he didn't expect me to know that.

"I want to break up," I said firmly. "I know you're still seeing her."

James started stammering out excuses, but I didn't wait around. I turned and walked away, leaving him standing in the wreckage of everything we had left.

The next day, I packed my things and moved out of our shared apartment. I told myself this was my fresh start, no more relying on anyone.

But life didn't exactly go easy on me. I kept messing up at work, and my boss wasn't shy about letting me have it. Just when I thought I couldn't sink any lower... Victor showed up again.

"Ashley, please, let me explain," he said, breathless and urgent.

I stared at him coldly. I wasn't in the mood for more lies.

"The second I found out about James and Isabelle, I wanted to tell you," he insisted.

That caught me off guard.

"And the photo you saw... it wasn't what you thought. That was my sister," Victor added quickly. "Ashley, I swear, I've never been with anyone else. I've always only liked you."

His words hit something soft in me. I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity.

"I'm sorry... I misunderstood," I murmured.

Victor smiled gently and moved as if to hug me, but I held up a hand to stop him.

Still, from that day on, he was always there, offering comfort, support, kindness. And slowly, my walls began to crack.

Just when I thought things might finally be okay... the phone rang.

And with it came a storm I never saw coming.