Chapter 306

Summer's POV

*Has Brandon been good to you?*

Sean's question kept repeating in my head. Objectively. I knew the answer was yes. Brandon had been more than good to me-he'd been extraordinary. He'd protected me, supported me, chosen me over and over again.

And yet, here I was, feeling like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

"Fuck," I whispered, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes.

Rationally, I understood what Sean was trying to tell me. I should trust Brandon,give him the benefit of the doubt. But emotionally? That was a different story. The image of Lyanna standing there with Timothy, calling Brandon "Daddy," was burned into my brain.

I rolled onto my side, hugging a pillow to my chest. The bed felt too big.too empty without Brandon beside me. But I couldn't face him right now.Not when my emotions were this raw.

It was a miracle I'd held it together this long. After everything with Alexander and Victoria, after my parents' betrayal-I thought I was done with surprises.

Sleep eluded me completely. Every time I closed my eyes,I saw Timothy's innocent face looking up at Brandon with complete adoration.

Morning came with painful brightness. I dragged myself out of bed, feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. One glance in the mirror confirmed I looked as bad as I felt-dark circles under my eyes, hair a mess, face pale.

When I stepped into the hallway. Brandon was emergingfrom the guest room at the same time. He looked as exhausted as I felt, his usually impeccable appearance showing signs of a restless night. For a moment,we just stared at each other across the corridor.

He looked away first. his shoulders tense. "Summer-"

"You want to explain?" I cut him off, my voice surprisingly steady.

Brandon's eyes met mine again. "Do you want to hear it?"

"I don't know." I admitted, crossing my arms protectively over my chest."

I don't know what I want right now."

I turned away, heading for the stairs.

"Summer!" Brandon called after me, his voice strained.

I paused at the top of the stairs, not turning around."What?"

"I can explain everything," he said quietly. "If you want to hear it."

I finally looked back at him. "Do you want to tell me?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Buit only if you're feady to listen."

I shook my head, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "I need some time,"I said, my voice cracking slightly. "I just... I need time,Brandon."

He nodded slowly. "Okay."

The next few days were excruciating. Brandon and I moved around each other like ghosts, careful not to get too close. I slept alone in our bedroom while he took the guest room without complaint.

At work, everyone could feel the tension. The atmosphere at Stark Group

became so strained that people scattered when they saw either of us coming.

Lyanna, meanwhile, was clearly delighted by the rift between us. I caught her smirking at me more than once during meetings, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

By the fifth day, even I had to admit this couldn't go on. We were both miserable, both exhausted, both hurting. But I still couldn't bring myself to make the first move.

Then came the day I had to meet with representatives from Sotheby's. Leo Schmidt and I spent hours negotiating terms, and by the time we finished,I was mentally drained.

I was walking out of Christie's when I spotted Brandon's Bentley parked across the street. Leo excused himself almost immediately, and I knew without asking that Brandon had arranged it.

James held the car door open for me with a sympathetic smile. I slid into the back seat, not surprised to find Brandon already there.

"Mr. Schmidt seemed in a hurry," I commented dryly as James closed the door.

"He had another appointment," Brandon replied, not even attempting to hide the lie.

James started the car, and we pulled away from the curb. The silence between us was deafening.

"There's a new restaurant in Tribeca I thought we might try," Brandon said after a few minutes.

I didn't respond.

"Or there's that new movie everyone's talking about."

Still nothing.

"We could drive up to see your grandfather this weekend."

"Can you please be quiet?" I finally snapped, turning to glare at him.

Brandon's jaw tightened, and he pressed a button. The privacy screen between us and James silently rose.

The moment we were isolated, Brandon shifted closer. "Summer,I've respected your need for space, but this has gone on long enough. This cold treatment... I won't accept it anymore."

I turned to face him fully. "Does it feel bad, Brandon? Being shut out?Being left in the dark?" My voice was low but intense. "Because that's how I felt when I found out you've been hiding things from me."

Brandon's expression softened slightly. "It feels terrible," he admitted.

"That's how I felt too," I whispered. "That day, when Lyanna showed up with Timothy... I've never felt pain like that before. Not even when I caught Alexander with Victoria."

"Summer," Brandon said softly, "I'm with you. I've never wanted to be with anyone else.Have you?"

I met his eyes. "No. Never. Not since the moment we got together."

"Then tell me what I need to do to fix this."

I took a deep breath. "Tell me about Lyanna. Tell me the truth about your relationship with her. Tell me about Timothy."

Brandon's expression darkened."It's a relationship built on manipulation and exploitation-from both sides," he said bluntly. "Inever loved her.I

was never engaged to her."

"Then why-"

"Lyanna saved my life once," he interrupted. "Three years ago, she saved my life. I promised I'd repay her."

I gasped softly.

"After that, she disappeared. She'd been kidnapped fromStark property and was missing for a month. When we found her, she'd been raped.I helped keep it quiet."

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"My father wanted me to marry her. I agreed to an engagement, but before it could be announced, she ran away with someone. She was already pregnant when she left.'

"And Timothy?"

"Timothy is her son from that pregnancy," Brandon confirmed. "He's not mine, Summer. Timothy and my grandfather had DNA tests done. He's a Stark, but he's not my child."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. "Then whose...?"

Brandon's expression was grim. "That's the question. There are only a few possibilities, and none of them are good."

I sat back, absorbing all this. "So Lyanna came back because...?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with love. It's about Timothy's father and my grandfather's wishes. William Stark has always had a soft spot for Lyanna."

"And she's trying to break us up because your grandfather wants her for

you instead of me," I concluded.

Brandon nodded. "T've been tolerating her partly because of what she did for me, but mostly because I need to find out who Timothy's father really is."

I slowly reached out, placing my palm over his. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain."

Brandon immediately turned his hhand to grasp mine. "I should have told you everything from the beginning. I was afraid it might drive you away."

"Nothing could drive me away," I said softly. "Not unless you wanted me gone."

"Never," he whispered. "I'Il never want you gone."

"Let's go home," Brandon said suddenly.

*Home*. The word struck me with unexpected force. Despite everything.

The Hamptons had become home-because Brandon was there.

I squeezed his hand and nodded."Yes," I said softly. "Let's go home."