Kate stood at the window of Brandon’s penthouse, staring at the golden sunset draping over the California skyline. The sky was streaked with hues of pink and orange, casting a soft glow on everything it touched. She wrapped her arms around herself, still trying to calm the flurry of emotions that had been stirred by Naomi’s visit and Brandon’s mother’s unexpected warmth.
She hadn’t cried—not yet—but her heart felt like it had run a marathon. Naomi’s cruel words echoed in her ears, but so did something far more powerful.
“I love you.”
Brandon’s voice, those three words, the way he had said them with conviction and clarity—it clung to her like a second skin. She hadn’t had time to respond. There had been too much noise in her heart, too many emotions banging around inside her.
She didn’t
