Chapter 40
Chapter
Forty
ZACK
T he door to the car slams shut behind me as I step onto the sidewalk outside Brett’s Manhattan apartment.
It’s an absurd hour of the morning, and the city is draped in that quiet lull just before the chaos begins. My coat is thrown hastily over my shoulders, the dress shirt I grabbed…the one Jenny wore around my suite…still unbuttoned at the collar. The fabric smells faintly of her, and the scent feels like a taunt, a ghost I’ll never exercise.
I grip the ticket in my hand as if it’s a lifeline. It was meant to be mine. I’d bought it myself for the first time rather than having my assistant do it, excited despite my doubts, and in the end, I hurt both her and myself irrevocably.
I’d planned everything. I would have gone with her to Paris. We’d build our own life there for a little while. But when I woke up this morning, that familiar weight crushed me. The reality that I might ruin her all over again. I couldn’t bear to take the leap, and now it’s too late. She’s gone.
And yet, it’s not her absence that breaks me. It’s her final look, the devastation in her eyes, the way she held herself as if bracing for impact. She didn’t crumble. She didn’t cry. She just walked away with all the dignity I didn’t deserve. Her words echo in my mind, cutting deeper than I thought possible.
You didn’t even try.
I should have. God, I should have. I truly do not deserve to have her.
My knuckles rap against Brett’s door before I can second-guess myself. The moments stretch, and I hear muffled movement on the other side. When the door creaks open, Brett stands there, disheveled and half-asleep, his shirt tugged over his head at an awkward angle. His face contorts with confusion when he sees me.
“Zack?” He rubs his eyes, his usual smug grin nowhere in sight. “What the hell are you doing here? It’s—” he glances at the clock on the wall. “—seven in the goddamn morning.”
“I need to talk to you,” I say, my voice quieter than I intended. The words feel foreign, as if someone else is speaking for me. “Now.”
He blinks at me, his brow furrowing. “Uh, sure. Come in, I guess.”
I step inside, the plush carpet muffling my movements as I pace the living room. My thoughts race, colliding into each other like freight trains, and I feel his gaze on me, curious and concerned.
“You’re scaring me a little, man,” Brett says, scratching the back of his neck. “Is someone sick? Was there an accident or something?”
I cut straight to the point. “No,” I reply, “it’s about the merger, and it’s about Jenny.”
At her name, I stop pacing. My chest tightens, and for a moment, I can’t bring myself to look at him. Then I force the words out, raw and unvarnished. “She loves you, Brett. She always has.
She’s loved you for as long as I can remember. If that’s what makes her happy, then I’m willing to let everything else fall apart.”
Brett stares at me, his confusion deepening. “What the hell are you talking about? Let what fall apart?”
“The merger,” I say simply. “If you want her, Brett…if she’s what you need to be happy…I’ll pull out of the deal with Elizabeth’s family.”
He looks at me like I’ve just sprouted another head. “You’re serious? You’d kill a billion-dollar merger for her?”
I nod, the motion slow but deliberate. “I’m serious.”
His disbelief morphs into something more somber as he watches me. “Zack, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but this doesn’t sound like you. I know you’ve been lenient with me in still pursuing her, but I know you’ve been furious and that you never actually expected me to go through with it.”
“This isn’t about me, Brett. It’s about her.”
“Did she say something to you?” he asks.
“No,” I reply. “I just... I know her. I’ve watched her grow up, I’ve cared for her... like family from the beginning, even if no one has noticed. And you... I care deeply for you as well. You both should be happy, and I won’t trade that for anything.”
Brett studies me carefully, his eyes narrowing as he pieces things together. “This is too strange,” he says. “Do you by chance have feelings for her or something? What is happening?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say, no longer willing to give him the chance to dig any deeper.
“Okay, okay,” he say this hands up in surrender even though suspicion remains in his eyes,
“So … what exactly do you want me to do?” he asks.
I hold out the plane ticket, my hand trembling despite my effort to appear composed. “Go to her in Paris. Far away from here and everyone else’s eyes. Be honest and spend time getting to know her. Try to make things work between you two and make her as happy as possible.”
Brett hesitates, staring at the ticket as if it’s some foreign object. “You’re really giving me this?”
“It’s yours,” I say, forcing myself to let go. “She leaves tomorrow.”
He takes the ticket, nodding slowly. “Okay, I’ll go.”
I turn away, my chest heavy as I move toward the door. Before I leave, I glance over my shoulder, my voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t hurt her, Brett. Please.”
He doesn’t reply, but his expression tells me everything I need to know. He won’t.
As I step out into the cold morning air, I feel the weight of what I’ve done settle over me. There’s no going back now. All I can do is hope that this will somehow lead her to the happiness I couldn’t give her. Even if it means losing her forever.