Chapter 255

Chapter 255:
The words spun on an endless loop, refusing to fade.
He lost track of how long he sat there, drowning in regret, until the door creaked open and Darden strode quietly inside.
Darden hesitated for a moment, taking in the empty bottles scattered across the table before quietly closing the door and dropping into the chair beside Brandon.
“Talk to me, man. What’s going on?” Darden asked, his tone low with concern.
He’d never seen Brandon drink this much before.
Brandon only shook his head, searching for words that refused to come.
“Is Vivian’s condition getting worse?” Darden queried, his brow furrowed. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ (.)net
Brandon froze.
For a split second, he realized he hadn’t thought about Vivian the entire day.
His thoughts were consumed entirely by Millie and that little girl.
“If Vivian’s sick again, shouldn’t you be with her right now?” Darden pressed, thinking he was on the right track after seeing Brandon’s reaction.
But Brandon just shook his head, slow and wordless.
Darden’s worry deepened, his voice trembling. “Is it that bad? Is she… is she running out of time?”
Brandon shook his head, dismissing the thought.
“It’s not about her,” he said quietly, tipping a steady pour into Darden’s glass.
Darden took the drink, offering a relieved half-smile. “Man, you had me worried for a second.”
They clinked glasses in the gloom and let the silence settle in around them. Darden sensed the weight pressing on Brandon but chose not to pry any further.
Brandon turned his glass slowly, the liquor catching faint streaks of amber light.
No matter how much he drank, sobriety clung to him.
If anything, the more he drank, the sharper Millie’s face etched itself in his mind.
After a long, uneasy pause, Brandon finally broke the silence. “So, how are things with Alyssa these days?”
Darden blinked, caught off guard. Why did Brandon always circle back to Alyssa during their recent conversations? The focus he put on that relationship was odd, almost obsessive.
Unable to hold it in, Darden leaned forward and demanded to know why.
Brandon absently rolled the ice in his glass, his expression impossible to read.
“Just curious,” he answered evenly.
In truth, Brandon had no idea why he cared so much.
Maybe watching Darden fumble through his own mess with Alyssa would help Brandon untangle the knots in his own head.
Darden let out a weary sigh, settling deeper into the sofa before downing half his drink.
“Same old story, honestly,” he admitted. “Half the time, I have no idea what’s going on with her anymore. She’s been throwing herself into work lately, which came out of nowhere. I mean, for years, she was all about shopping and living it up, never gave a damn about anything serious. Now, suddenly, she’s all business?”
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