Because every time Archie looked at me, he’d remember what Vaughn did to me. I’d become the living reminder of every wrong the Mansley brothers have done to each other.
You can’t rebuild a relationship with your brother while you’re sleeping with the man your brother wronged. The loyalties don’t work. Every family dinner, every phone call, every attempt at reconciliation would have me standing in the middleof it like a piece of shrapnel that can’t be removed without causing more damage.
What kind of future can Archie and I ever have?
I’m in love with him, but this morning showed he’s too damaged to be in a loving, committed relationship right now.
And why is he too damaged?
Because of what Vaughn did to him.
And nothing I do will ever repair that damage. I can love Archie with everything I have, but I can’t give him back his brother. I can’t rewire how Archie sees himself.
Only Vaughn can do that.
I look at the phone in my hand. The resolution of eight years of anger, recorded in a two-minute confession.
Then I raise my gaze to meet Vaughn’s.
“Look,” I say softly. “We both want the best for Archie.”
Vaughn snorts.
“I mean it. Whatever you think my motives are, I care about him.”
“You care about him so much that you’ve been lying to him since the day you met.”
Fair point. I don’t have a defense for that.
I rake my hand through my hair. I can’t believe what I’m about to do, but it’s not going to stop me from doing it.
“Here’s the deal.” I take a breath. “I’ll delete the recording.”
Vaughn goes very still.
“And in return, you need to be the brother Archie deserves. Be the brother Archie remembers from when you were little, the one who always looked out for him. Help your parents see that cutting Archie off just because he’s not following the path they mapped out for him isn’t fair, that he deserves to make decisions about his own life and what makes him happy.”
Vaughn opens his mouth. Closes it.
“I’ll be watching you. Archie’s social media better be jammed full of photos showing you being the best big brother on the planet, or I’ll find another way to make sure the world knows what you did at QuantumTech.”
The words come out steady. Professional. Like I’m negotiating a contract and not dismantling my own life, not thinking about everything I’m about to lose.
Morning coffee with commentary. The sound of crutches in the hallway. Glitter in places glitter has no business being. The way Archie says my name when he’s half-asleep—soft and careless, like it’s a word his mouth knows by heart.
The weight of him against my chest in the dark.
I’m giving that up. All of it. Every morning and every evening and every ridiculous, infuriating, brilliant moment in between.
My throat closes. I force it open.
Vaughn is blinking at me.
“You’re bribing me to be a good brother to Archie?”
“I don’t think I need to bribe you.” I give him the most cut-the-bullshit glare I’ve ever conjured. “The fact you flew all the way over here just to warn me away from him means you’re still the brother Archie loves. You’re still his protector. You just need to be that guy all the time. Because Archie needs you more than you realize.”
Vaughn looks disoriented. Like the conversation has taken a turn he didn’t prepare for. He came in here ready for a fight, and instead he’s getting…what? A plea deal? A pep talk?
