Wild Nights With My Brother’s Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 49

ROMAN

I bring the cigarette up to my lips and take a slow drag, my eyes on the ceiling of my bathroom.

This is the first bath I’ve taken in three days. Honestly. I didn’t expect all this shit to affect me this badly. I’ve been thinking about the whole thing nonstop, and Nikki hasn’t left my mind for a second.

I wish I could call her and ask her to meet me just so I could have a chance to explain everything to her from my point of view.

It’s best if I don’t, though. It’s time for us both to head our separate ways. I played my game and lost, pathetically at that. She’s better off without me in her life.

It’s not like I can get rid of Carmen, anyway, so why should I try to pursue something with Nikki when I already know how this story ends?

I smash the cigarette against the side of the tub, then climb out. Afterward, I stare at my reflection in the mirror for some time. I’m aware that I’m leaving a trail of water everywhere I go, but I couldn’t possibly care less. I’ve got people all around me just waiting to clean up after me, yet the one aspect of my life that I need cleaned up will remain untouched forever.

I mean it when I say I wish I could turn back time.

Fuck, this is all so depressing.

A knock on the bathroom door makes me clench my teeth because I already know who it is. “Roman? Honey, are you in there?”

Even the sound of her voice makes my skin fucking crawl. “Yeah.”

Carmen hesitates a moment, then asks me, “Are you okay?”

She’s got a lot of fucking audacity to ask this of me. “Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting here, alright? We’ve got that lunch to attend with the senator. He mentioned wanting to make an investment in your company.”

I ignore her and reach for my comb. I wish I could cancel this meeting, but there’s no use. I messed up when I dipped my cock into Carmen the first time. After that, she didn’t leave me alone, and when I sent her away, reminding her that I didn’t ‘date’ women, she ran straight to her father, who found out all about the shady shit I’ve been doing behind the scenes. The embezzlement. The offshore accounts. Everything that helped me become who I am.

People don’t just become billionaires by abiding by the laws. This country will suck you dry if you let it.

And Garith Lowett had enough influence to find out all about that. He bribed my fucking accountant to get the information

out of him.

Now, here I am, forced to play along until further notice.

Maybe until the end of my fucking life.

I put the comb down and use the sink to support my weight. Everything went to shit when Carmen found out that I’d been seeing someone. She has someone following me. I spotted the fucker once, and it took everything for me not to walk over to him and kick his ass.

That same night-the night before her birthday party-she confronted me, crying, and said she’d have my lover killed if I didn’t stop seeing her.

So, I asked her for one more day.

That was all a lie. I was just determined to keep things between Nikki and me on the low. I didn’t think things would go to shit the very same evening.

Fuck. This is getting out of hand. How many times should I think about all this?

It’s not doing me any good. If anything, it’s making me feel worse.

Whenever I’m stressed, I think about her, and it only makes everything worse.

I can’t help myself, though. It’s like watching a cargo train speeding right toward me while my feet are glued to the tracks. Deep down, I want it to run me over anyway.

“It’s because of her, isn’t it?” she practically whispers. “This is all because of her. You’re still thinking about her even though we’re getting married soon!”

Panic floods me. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

She rises, teeth clenched and hands balled. “Am I being ridiculous!? How can you have the gall to lie right to my face!? You’re thinking about her! It’s her!”

Carmen’s getting hysterical, so I’m forced to do what I do best.

Lie.

I close the distance between us and kiss her. Her tears make my face wet. “I’m sorry, alright? I have a communication problem. It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I’m not used to this. You know that.”

Her eyes light up like they always do whenever I say this. “I know. You were always so free and never wanted to be tied down with anyone.”

“I’m not taking any of this easily,” I add. “But I’ll try, alright? Right now, it’s just work I’m thinking about. That’s all there is to it.”

And just like that, the matter is resolved, but nothing breaks my spirit more than the realization that I’ll have to do this for a long fucking time.

When am I going to get rid of her? When her father dies? Not even then?

“Let’s get going,” I tell her before we break apart and head toward the door.