Page 169 of Triplet Babies for my Ex's Best Friend

Her eyes widen slightly. “You make that sound weirdly romantic.”

“I assure you, I mean it with hostile professionalism.”

“That’s somehow more concerning.”

But she lets me pull her toward the apartment anyway, her fingers still curled around mine.

By the time we reach the front door again, I’ve already made the decision.

This evening is over.

I open the door and step inside first.

The atmosphere in the penthouse has shifted completely. The warmth from earlier is gone, replaced by the kind of strained silence that settles over rooms moments before something expensive breaks.

Bryce and Celeste are still standing near the living area, exactly where I left them.

Celeste looks deeply uncomfortable.

Bryce looks tense.

Good.

Captain is sitting between them, as an conflicted mediator.

Bryce looks up first. His eyes flick immediately toward Addy behind me, then toward our joined hands.

“Addy,” he says carefully, “I didn’t know?—”

“No,” I interrupt smoothly, shutting that down before it starts. “You didn’t.”

The room stills.

I release Addy’s hand then, mostly because I can feel her becoming hyperaware of it beside me.

She steps slightly closer to the kitchen island, putting physical distance between herself and Bryce without making it obvious.

Celeste clears her throat softly. “Okay. I know this probably isn’t my place, but I genuinely had no idea about any of this.”

Addy gives her a quick nod. “I know.”

And she does seem to know. Whatever else Bryce has done, it’s obvious Celeste walked blindly into this disaster.

Bryce exhales slowly. “Ethan, I can explain.”

I look at him for a long moment.

The strange thing is, a few hours ago I would’ve described him differently in my head. Frustrating, brilliant, reckless, self-destructive.

Now all I can see is Addy standing in a hallway trying not to cry while explaining that he convinced her to move cities for a life that apparently didn’t even exist.

It alters the architecture of a person surprisingly quickly.

“I’m sure you can,” I say evenly. “But this isn’t the time.”

His jaw tightens. “So what, you’re throwing me out?”

“Yes.”