Vrie pushed him away, her expression impassive. "Say that again when the month is over."


    "You can trust me. I''ll keep my promise," Brandon assured her.


    A flicker of sarcasm crossed Vrie''s face, but she remained silent.


    She walked into the vi, and only once the door clicked shut behind her did Brandon turn and leave.


    Back in her bedroom, Vrie copsed onto the couch, pressing her fingers to her throbbing temples.


    ...


    The following days passed in a blur of work.


    Vrie was so consumed that she barely had time to eat.


    Every now and then, her youthful admirer would text her, asking what she was up to.


    If she had a free moment, she''d send a brief reply. Otherwise, she ignored him.


    Thankfully, he was tactful enough not to press when she didn''t respond.


    By Friday evening, the preliminary phase of the project wasplete, and Vrie finally had the chance to enjoy a proper weekend.


    She called N, hoping to meet for drinks.


    There was a brief pause before N''s voice came through. "Vrie, I can''t drink right now. I''m pregnant."


    "Why can''t you drink when you''re pregnant? Wait, hold on, what?! You''re pregnant?! Since when?" Vrie asked.


    "I just found out recently. I was going to tell you thest time we met, but Ipletely forgot," N exined.


    After the initial shock wore off, Vrie grinned. "Congrats! I''m officially iming godmother rights."


    "Of course," N replied.


    "But seriously—this is your second kid, and I don''t even have a fiancé yet. The universe is really messing with me," Vrie whined.


    N chuckled. "Your time wille. Weren''t you just having dinner with your young man the other day? How''s that going?"


    Vrie scoffed. "Don''t even bring it up. Brandon showed up and ruined everything. Just thinking about it pisses me off."


    "Is there really no chance for you and Brandon?" N asked.


    Vrie lowered her gaze.


    After a long pause, she murmured, " don''t know... I''m confused. I told him if he stayed away from Michelle for a month, I''d forgive him. I guess we''ll see in a month."


    She had been with Brandon for so long that it was impossible to move on overnight. She still had feelings for him, but every time she faced him, she couldn''t help but wonder how much of what he said was


    atie.


    reat and how much was a tie.


    If she had to live her whole life second-guessing him, she''d go insane.


    "Take your time," N said gently.


    "Love should make you happy. If et


    you''re good together, stay together. If not, let it go. Marriage isnt the goal. hHappiness is."


    That was exactly why she had married Damon. She knew she''d never love anyone else but him.


    Vrie hummed. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I''ll let you go. I need to grab some dinner."


    After hanging up, she opened a chat with a contact named Stefan Foley. The conversation was mostly filled with his messages.


    Stefan: [Veevee, are you still busy? It started snowing in the middle of ss today, and for some reason, I thought of you.]


    Below was a photo of the snowy view outside a university ssroom window.


    The message was from yesterday. At the time, Vrie had been scrambling to finish a report. She nced at it but didn''t reply.


    This morning, he had sent a simple good morning sticker with a sleepy emoji.


    Stefan: [Winter mornings are the worst. I just wanna stay glued to my nket forever.]


    Vrie chuckled. Just as she was about to reply, a new message popped up.


    Stefan: [Veevee, are you still working? I''m free tomorrow. If you''re busy, I can bring you lunch. What do you think?]