The Mistakes We Made Together

Chapter 13: Break Off

The place where they discussed things was Ethan's venue.

His bar was nearby, so Benjamin didn't ask his assistant to arrange anything. Instead, he called Ethan directly and asked him to reserve a private room at his club.

Emma was led out by Benjamin the whole way. Just as they reached a corner, she couldn't hold back anymore and pulled her hand free.

The lighting at the corner was dim. Benjamin was much taller than her. They stood less than half a meter apart. His right hand was in his pocket, and he looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

Emma stared at him for a few seconds, blinked, looked away, took a deep breath, and stepped back half a step.

But before her foot could fully touch the ground, Benjamin grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

The dim light cast a cold glow, and Benjamin's face was cold too. His voice was flat: “What are you being petty about?”

Emma exerted a little force to push his hand away. She explained weakly: “I'm not.”

She looked up at him, her tone tired: “I'm not being petty, and I don't want to marry him anymore. But can you stop acting like this…”

Before she could finish, Benjamin's hand, which was holding her arm, slid down again and took hers.

Her right hand was trapped, their fingers intertwined, wrapped in his palm.

“Stop acting like what?” Benjamin's fingertips brushed the back of her hand. “Like this?”

Emma didn't know how to argue with him. She looked at him, most of his face was hidden in the shadow because he was backlit, and she couldn't see the emotion in his eyes.

He had always been good-looking, even back in school. She was four grades below him; when she was in the second year of junior high, he was already in his third year of senior high.

Back then, girls often chased him to his home. She had seen it happen, and she had also seen how he rejected people.

Later, when she entered senior high and he went to university, families in their circle who were on good terms with the Browns occasionally held dinners. Girls around his age from those families also expressed their affection for him.

She had seen it all, countless times. In terms of looks and family background, he was truly top-tier in their circle.

So… back then, she must have been out of her mind. But why was he so insistent on being tangled up with her?

The stuffy air in the corridor filled her lungs. The overwhelming emotions she couldn't suppress spilled from her heart, making her throat tight.

She gave up, leaning forward slightly, her forehead barely brushing his chest.

Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible: “Brother…”

Benjamin's hand, which was holding her wrist, suddenly tightened. The fingertips brushing the back of her hand froze. After a long pause, his left hand lifted, as if wanting to hold her shoulder.

But at that moment, he heard Emma say again: “Brother, we can't be like this.”

Her tone was very low, no crying, no sobbing, just a powerless bitterness, as if reminding him, and also reminding herself.

Benjamin's hand, which was about to touch her shoulder, stopped in mid-air, a little distance away from her shoulder, and didn't fall.

She rarely cried. In all the years they had grown up together, Benjamin had almost never seen her shed tears.

She had come to the Brown family at a very young age, following Sophia. She was a stubborn yet sensible little girl, not cute or lively, but quiet, not talkative, and very mindful of boundaries.

She was different from him; she wasn't a member of the Brown family. Even Sophia was just a friend of her late mother, and she called Sophia “Aunt” only out of courtesy. She had no family and lived cautiously.

After a long silence, Benjamin seemed to be stung by her words. His voice was flat: “Why can't we?”

Emma controlled her strength, her forehead only touched his clothes, not pressing against his body, just like the distance between them that they could never cross.

She didn't speak anymore, only feeling the tips of Benjamin's fingers on the back of her hand.

In fact, it had been a long time since they had such an intimate touch.

“Emma?” Ethan's voice came from not far away.

Emma's heart skipped a beat. She quickly pulled her hand out of Benjamin's and, before she could see his expression, turned around first to face the direction Ethan was coming from.

Fortunately, the lighting in the club's corridor was really dim, and Ethan was far away. He didn't even realize who was standing next to Emma until he walked closer.

Seeing Benjamin, he was obviously stunned. From a distance, he had thought Emma was hugging someone, but he would never have guessed it was Benjamin.

He raised his hand from a distance: “I just knew you were here, but I didn't expect Emma to be here too…”

Benjamin had called to ask for a private room, so Ethan had thought Benjamin was here to discuss business. Now that he saw Emma, he wondered if the entire Brown family had come to his place for a gathering.

Benjamin nodded at the person beside him, no attempt to hide anything: “We're here to call off her engagement.”

Emma's right hand hung by her side. She gently pinched her fingertips and turned to look at him.

Ethan was stunned again. He knew who Emma was engaged to. Logically, calling off an engagement was a private matter for the Brown family. Even if he was explaining, Benjamin shouldn't have told him so directly.

His tone sounded like he was deliberately letting everyone know that his sister wasn't marrying into the White family anymore.

Ethan suddenly found it interesting. He had never thought Benjamin would be so protective of Emma.

But this feeling grew stronger the next second when Benjamin grabbed Emma's wrist and pulled her to his side.

Ethan glanced down at Benjamin's hand holding Emma, then looked up again, but saw no other expressions on their faces.

He ignored this oddity, turned his gaze to Emma, and brought up Charlotte again: “Can you help me…”

As soon as he opened his mouth, Emma knew what he was going to say.

For some reason, she subconsciously didn't want Benjamin to know about this.

She cut Ethan off: “I know.”

But Ethan didn't understand what she meant. Probably thinking that asking for help required being clear, he still finished his sentence: “It's no use just knowing, you have to help me.”

Ethan added: “Help me ask Charlotte out. I won't do anything else, just want to treat her to a meal. Also, tell her to add me on social media.”

“I've said it so many times, adding a contact isn't too much to ask, right?”

Benjamin caught on, frowning at him: “You want to pursue her senior?”

Ethan thought the word “pursue” was demeaning, so he talked vaguely: “Not really, just want to meet her.”

Emma gave him a look. The idea of helping him contact Charlotte became even less appealing because of his words.

Ethan wouldn't take Charlotte seriously. The only reason he was interested in Charlotte now was because Charlotte ignored him.

She had been around people in this circle since she was a child and had heard too many secrets of wealthy families. So she wasn't too surprised when she found out about David and Lisa.

Lost in thought, she zoned out for a moment. When she came back to her senses, she realized Benjamin had been sitting there for a long time.

The car was parked in the easternmost row of the parking lot, with a green belt diagonally behind it.

The window on Benjamin's side was open. His left hand rested outside the window, and his right hand was on the steering wheel, but the car clearly wasn't going to start anytime soon.

Her eyes fell on him, and she heard Benjamin ask.

“Do you think I'll treat you like Ethan does?”