Betrayed I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 162

162 /220

**TITLE: Pushing the Edge 162**
**Chapter 162**

My thoughts raced to the most apparent conclusion, a familiar dread settling in.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the weight of the moment. “Can it wait until next time?”

A flicker of uncertainty nagged at me; I wasn’t entirely convinced my period had fully wrapped up.

With each rejection echoing in the air, the deep sapphire blue of his eyes darkened, clouding over with a palpable sorrow.

He stepped back, his handsome features tightening into a mask of disappointment. His jaw clenched into a hard line, and he jerked his chin sharply toward the door, a silent command.

“Just go.”

His voice had turned flat, devoid of any warmth or emotion, as if he had built a wall around himself.

For reasons I couldn’t fully comprehend, my eyes suddenly felt heavy, burning with unshed tears. I slid off the table, my heart pounding, and walked out without casting a glance back.

After I had waved Chloe off on her Christmas trip home, I crawled back into bed, seeking solace in a quick nap.

In that hazy limbo between sleep and wakefulness, a thought floated into my mind—today marked the day when Charles and the others would arrive for Gavin’s housewarming party.

I had promised I would attend.

But then again, Zane and I had become “divorced” on paper.

And honestly, would Gavin even want his… lover… showing up in front of all his friends?

I rolled over, sinking deeper into the pillows, and decided that a proper sleep-in was far more appealing than facing a room full of people.

“Ding-dong!”

The doorbell chimed right around noon, just as I finished washing up and was about to settle back in. I set my things aside and hurried to answer it, my mind racing with thoughts of one person—Gavin. “Gav—”

But the word faltered and died on my lips the moment I opened the door. My smile remained plastered on my face, yet something inside me felt as if it had deflated.

“Eleanor! Happy holidays! What a delightful surprise, please, come in!”

Eleanor, her face radiating kindness and warmth, stepped inside, her movements graceful as she began to change her shoes. “Merry Christmas, dear. I brought you some food.”

A wave of warmth washed over me, filling the void of loneliness. “I thought you’d be busy spending Christmas with your grandson.”

“Oh, don’t even get me started,” she huffed, feigning annoyance as she neatly stored the containers in my fridge. “He’s impossibly busy. I don’t even know if he’ll make it home for dinner tomorrow night.”