hapter 28: Betraying a Brother
he honking from behind snapped Julian out of his thoughts, and he hit the gas, speeding forward. He rrived at the bar, heading straight for the second floor. Since everyone he knew was there, he didn’t need irections and walked straight into the private room.
here were a lot of people inside, many of them familiar faces. In the crowd, Julian immediately spotted aniel, who waved him over. Despite hearing that Chloe was also there, he didn’t see her anywhere.
veryone knew that Julian was supposed to spend the night celebrating Layla’s birthday, so his
expected appearance at the bar caught some attention.
Vhy are you here?” Daniel asked.
already dropped her back at school,” Julian replied, tossing his jac. oking unusually relaxed.
side and sinking into a seat,
aniel poured him a drink, placing it in front of him without probing further.
‘ou mentioned Chloe being here earlier. Why haven’t I seen her?”
aniel’s expression shifted subtly at the question. “What’s going on? Did you come here specifically to ee her?”
Why would I? It’s not like this place belongs to her. I was just asking, is that a problem?” Julian replied ith a nonchalant shrug.
If course not,” Daniel said, smiling slyly, not pressing the issue. “I ran into her in the hallway earlier. She ime with someone else. She’s probably gone by now–unlike you, she doesn’t spend her nights hanging
ound bars.”
ilian gave a brief nod but said nothing more. However, it was obvious that his mood had improved ightly. Chloe had never liked these kinds of places, and it seemed unlikely she would now.
nishing his drink, Julian stood up, grabbing his jacket. “I’m heading out. Put tonight’s tab on me.”
> Julian left, Daniel watched him go, clicking his tongue softly. He felt a little guilty for what he was >ing to his friend, but then again, wasn’t that what brothers were for?
ack at the private room, Chloe and Mia hadn’t stayed long–barely an hour. Mia, in her excitement, drank o much and passed out on the couch after half a bottle of liquor. Chloe, feeling tipsy herself, was in no ndition to drive, so she called for a driver to take Mia home before heading back herself.
er apartment was in a somewhat remote area, so the car could only drop her off at the alleyway’s
trance. The driver refused to go any further due to the heavy rain. Chloe sighed, realizing she had no nbrella and would have to make a run for it through the downpour.
ist as she was about to dash into the rain, she heard someone call her name.
Shloe!”
he turned to see Wyatt approaching, holding a large black umbrella.
re you seriously planning to run home in this downpour? Are you crazy?” he asked, sounding half- nused, half–concerned. He looked more casual than usual today, the rain adding a more relaxed vibe to s typically serious demeanor.
loe had been about to nod because, yes, that was exactly her plan.
Chapter 28: Betraying a Brother
2/2
Wyatt sighed, pressing the umbrella into her hand. “Take the umbrella.”
“But what about you? You’ll get soaked,” Chloe protested, glancing at the umbrella. It was big enough for two, but both of them would still get a bit wet if they shared it.
“I’ll borrow one,” he said, walking over to a nearby convenience store and emerging with a borrowed umbrella.
Chloe blinked in surprise. The store owner was notoriously grumpy and rarely did favors for anyone. How had Wyatt managed it so easily?
“I helped him out with something before,” Wyatt explained, as if reading her thoughts. “Come on, let’s go.”
The rain had lightened slightly, but it was still falling steadily as they walked t ! their apartment complex. The dim lighting made everything seem even gloomier after the downpour. If Chloe had been alone, she would’ve been terrified, but with Wyatt by her side, she felt a sense of comfort.
She noticed that Wyatt was walking at her pace, adjusting his stride to match hers. His thoughtfulness didn’t go unnoticed–it was almost… tender.
By the time they reached their building, both of them were soaked, despite the umbrellas. Chloe hurried inside, immediately taking a hot shower and downing some medicine to ward off any potential illness.
As she lay down afterward, she couldn’t help but think of Wyatt. Even in the dim streetlights, his presence had made her feel safe.
Studying for exams was exhausting, but Chloe had found a strange sense of peace in this routine. After another long day of revision, she returned home, rubbing her sore shoulders, and planned to head to bed early. But just as she was settling in, her phone rang. It was Professor Lauren.
Lately, the professor had been calling Chloe more frequently, often to check in on her study progress. The professor seemed more anxious about Chloe’s grad school exams than Chloe herself.
Chloe updated her on how things were going, but Professor Lauren didn’t press too much–she trusted Chloe to handle it.
“By the way, come by my place tomorrow morning,” the professor added before abruptly hanging up, leaving Chloe blinking at her phone in confusion.
The next morning, Chloe woke up early and made breakfast. She even prepared an extra portion for Wyatt, her neighbor. After all, if it weren’t for his umbrella that night, she probably would have gotten drenched and caught a cold.
She noticed that his apartment was unusually quiet, guessing he’d likely spent another all–nighter in the
lab.
As she opened her door, she was startled to see Wyatt at the exact same moment, just returning to his own apartment.
Chapter 29: Smells Delicious
