my sister's husband

chapter five

Days turned into a blur as I threw myself into solo activities – hitting the gym, exploring the city, and diving into books. I barely saw Alex, answering his occasional questions with brief, neutral responses. Emily noticed something was up but didn't press, thinking maybe I was just adjusting.

I deleted social media, ditched old haunts, and focused on me.

One night, scrolling through Tinder out of curiosity and loneliness?, I matched with this guy , Max. We messaged for hours about everything and nothing. He was funny, normal, and safe.

We met for coffee. It was... fine. Nice. Not earth-shattering, but chill.

As we chatted, I compared him to... him. Stopped that.

Max asked about my week; I laughed it off. "Productive. You?"

He smiled. "Good. Work's crazy, but worth it." we go on and on getting to know each other , after a while ,We parted ways, agreeing to grab dinner soon.

Back home, Emily bounced in, "How was it?"

I shrugged. "Fine. He's nice."

Emily squealed. "Details!"

I rolled my eyes, deflecting. "No drama, Em."

later on I was I was in the kitchen making coffee when Alex stormed in, his face twisted in frustration. "Who's Max?" he growled, his eyes blazing.

I raised an eyebrow, trying to stay calm. "None of your business."

Alex took a step closer, his voice rising. "Don't play dumb. I saw your phone, saw the messages. What are you doing with him?"

I felt a spark of anger. "You lost the right to care when you married Emily."

He frowned ,his jaw clenched. "i just care about you "

"Save it," I snapped. "I can take care of myself."

The air was thick with tension. Alex's chest heaved, his eyes flashing with... jealousy? I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Emily walked in, confused. "Guys? What's going on?"

Alex turned on his heel. "Nothing."

I forced a smile. "Just Alex being dramatic."

The moment hung awkwardly. Emily looked between us, unsure.

As Alex stalked off, I let out a breath. What was that?

I followed Alex lying to Emily that I was going to my room .

I found Alex in his study, pacing by the window. I shut the door behind me, my heart racing.

"What's your problem?" I asked, my voice low but firm.

Alex stopped, his eyes flashing. "You know exactly what's my problem."

I crossed my arms. "You mean the fact that you're jealous over someone you had no right to be jealous about?"

He took a step closer, his voice raw. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

I laughed, bitter. "You don't get to care now."

Alex's face twisted. "I care because you're my... because I care."

I shook my head. "No, Alex. You care because you don't want me moving on. Newsflash: you are Emily's husband."

The air hung heavy. Alex looked like I'd slugged him.

"I still love you," he said,

The words hung there, suffocating. I felt a mix of anger and... something else.

"Stop," I said, my voice shaking. "You need to stop."

Alex's eyes dropped. "I can't."

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. "What do you want from me, Alex?" I asked.

Alex's eyes snapped up to mine, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of desperation. "I want... I don't know what I want," he admitted, raking a hand through his hair. "I know I can't have you. I know I'm married to Emily. But seeing you with someone else... it kills me."

I felt sympathy for him. "Alex, you need to work through this. You can't keep putting this on me." I said

He nodded, his shoulders sloping. "I know. I'm trying. It's just... seeing you, being around you, it's hard."

The room fell silent, the tension between us palpable. I knew I needed to be careful, to protect myself and my sister's trust.

"Alex, I want you to know that I'll always care about you, but I can't be the one to fix this for you," I said, trying to be gentle but firm. "You need to figure out what you want and deal with it."

Alex nodded again, his eyes dropping to the floor. "Yeah. I will."

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me. "Does he make you happy? Max?" he asked

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. "That's not relevant, Alex."

He nodded once, "Right. Sorry."

I opened the door to leave but he stopped me again, telling me to give him a hug at least, I agreed, I went back to hug him and he leane

d in to kiss me but I pulled away .

"Stop" I shouted, " what if Emily walks in on us? " I asked

Alex looked straight into my eyes and said "I don't care I just want to be with you"