“Oh my,” I say. My anger is replaced with a wave of exhaustion. He does not understand, does he? “This is just...unbelievable.”

“What is unbelievable?”

I don’t know how to explain how bizarre his words are. “This is not how relationships work.”

He narrows his eyes.

“We shouldn’t be weighing the costs and benefits,” I continue. “We should just be hanging out with each other. We should be friends with each other. And not in a social climb-y networking way. But just, you know, genuinely like spending time with each other. It should be easy. We should have fun when we’re together. Trust each other more than any other person in the world.

“Do you feel that with me?” I ask. “Honestly?”

He shakes his head. “Stop being ridiculous, Sara. This isn’t some soap opera. We’re not on Gilmore Girls.

“This is real life,” he continues. “You don’t pick partners because they want to sit around and cuddle or bake cookies. You pick people who will advance your standing in the world. We’re staring down a multimillion-dollar empire. This match isn’t about being...normal, dumb and happy. You have the potential to be much more than that. To be great.”

“I’d rather be happy,” I say, reaching to close the door.

He pushes his arm into its path. “You don’t understand,” he pleads. “I need you, Sara. You make me better.”

I cross my arms, closing my robe tighter. “That is not my job.”

My bedroom door opens behind me, and my stomach drops. I turn to see Robbie stumbling out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

Fire builds in Braden’s eyes. “What the hell is he doing here?”

I am at a loss for words. “Oh, I—”

“You slut, what the hell is he doing here?” Braden yells at me. I flinch as he steps forward, closing the distance between us.

“Hey!” Robbie rushes up to push him back.

Braden regains his balance, and his head bobs back and forth.

“You wanna go?”

I try not to laugh hysterically, because Robbie has broad shoulders and works out every day, and Braden smokes and has the sort of metabolism where he doesn’t have to work out and takes advantage of that. A fight between them won’t be much of a contest.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t hurt each other in the process.

“Hey.” I step forward and place my hands on Braden’s shoulders. “Just go home, okay? Sleep it off.”

“Don’t touch me.” He pushes my hand away.

“Braden, I’m sorry,” I say, and I mean it. Although I know I shouldn’t be with him, I can’t imagine seeing an ex with someone new so soon after a breakup.

“Yeah, you will be,” he says.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Braden