I think my brother should write his own heartfelt statement, rather than the sterile one my lawyers insist on writingforhim.
I think Bree deserves better than being kept out of the narrative like she’s something shameful.
“I think I’m done hiding,” I say instead.
Her eyes search my face. Looking for the lie. The manipulation pattern Gabriella painted.
She won’t find it.
Not anymore.
“What does that mean?” she asks quietly.
“It means I’m going to tell the truth. All of it. No spin. No legal threats. No pretending the past didn’t happen or that I wasn’t a complete fucking monster to my own brother.”
Her eyes widen. “Nico. That’s PR suicide.”
I smile sadly. “I know.”
“The board will use it against you. Martin will push for removal.”
I keep smiling, my eyes feeling wet. “Probably.”
She stares at me. Those amber eyes that see everything. Every scar. Every wall. Every broken piece I’ve spent ten years trying to disguise.
“Why?” she whispers.
Because you were right.
Because I’m tired of hiding who I was.
Because the only way forward is through, and I’ve been taking detours my entire goddamn life.
“Because I want to be the man you think I canbe,” I tell her honestly. “Not the man I once was.”
Her eyes fill with tears. She blinks them back. Sets her jaw.
“Then write the statement yourself,” she says. “Don’t let Paloma craft it. Your words. Your voice. And have Dom craft his own.”
I nod. “I will.”
“And Nico?” She steps closer. Her hand reaches up, touches the scar at my cheek. “Let me read it before you send it.”
I cover her hand with mine. “Okay.”
She leaves.
I go back to my office and send the crisis team home. Paloma protests. Larissa looks like she wants to strangle me. The outside consultants exchange glances that say we’re not getting paid enough for this shit.
I don’t care.
I text Dom, tell him there’s been a change of plans. Ask if he can draft an official statement about our reconciliation himself, rather than to expect one from our lawyers.
He doesn’t text me back. Either it’s too late at night, or...
Fuck it.
If it’s too much trouble for him to draft his own statement, then I don’t want one from him at all.
