Chapter 425

**Chapter 425**
**Gavin’s POV**

“I don’t fall in love,” I growled, watching Taylor freeze in place. His smile slipped for just a moment. “Bad things happen when I fall in love.”

Taylor seemed taken aback by my words, his expression shifting as he processed what I had said.

Taylor frowned. He was the only person in the world who knew about my troubled past. I won’t share the details with anyone else, but over time, Taylor became my best friend. I felt safe enough with him to open up about what had happened. He understood me like no one else.

Gavin never asks me about my past or makes me relive the painful memories. I’ve always been thankful for that. It was the first time he brought it up since I told him about it.

“Neither of those deaths was your fault, Gavin,” he said.

“Did you get them killed?” Taylor asked, his brows furrowing in concern.

I swallowed hard, feeling my throat tighten. I tried to avoid his gaze, not wanting to show how vulnerable I felt. I wasn’t ready to share that part of myself, not with him.

wasn’t a good idea?

“Look,” I said to my best friend. “Judy is tough. She can handle anything you throw at her and will fight back even harder. Have you ever thought about that?”

“Maybe this was more than just a set-up for both of you?”

“No,” I replied quickly. “I never thought about that, and I won’t.”

“What if she has?” Taylor asked, making me consider the idea.

His serious expression showed he wasn’t joking. “How do you know she doesn’t have real feelings for you?” he asked.

“She knows what this is,” I replied. “She was using me to get what she wanted.”

“I was trying to get my ex off my back, and in the process, I was using her to help me distance my family from me, and Daisy from my life.”

I hadn’t heard much from my mother since I started this “relationship” with Judy. But if I was honest with myself…

“I’d just tell her that I have someone to keep me warm at night and that I don’t need Daisy in my life for that.”

“Have you seen the way she looks at you?” Taylor asked, raising his eyebrows. “There’s something there.”

Ethan’s behavior was getting worse, and it seemed like my relationship with him was only making things more difficult. Despite all the signs that things weren’t right, I kept going.

“What do you mean?” I replied quickly, trying to understand.

Taylor crossed his arms and smiled smugly. “I think she really has feelings for you,” he said, clearly irritated. “And honestly, I believe you’re in denial about your own feelings for her.”

He had just cracked some hidden code or something.

“Watch yourself, Beta,” I warned. I said the word “Beta” like it left a bad taste in my mouth. “You need to be careful.”

“I wouldn’t want to cross you,” he said with a frown, raising his hands in a playful gesture of surrender.

“I’m not trying to upset you, but you really need to take care of yourself. You’re not sleeping well, and I’ve noticed you’re getting irritated more often than you used to.”

“If you aren’t careful, it could put the company in danger.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, a low growl escaping my throat.

“My business is perfectly fine. You don’t need to be concerned,” I said firmly.

“How about you focus on your own life instead of mine?”

“I don’t mean to step on your toes,” Taylor replied, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

He went quiet for a moment as he thought about what I had said.

I stared at my computer, pretending to look over my recent reports. But my mind kept drifting back to last night. I couldn’t shake off the jealousy I felt when I saw her in another man’s arms.

—

**Chapter 425**

The reality of that moment hit me hard.

He had marked her with his scent, and I would have done anything to wash it away. I remembered how it felt when her legs wrapped around me, and my face was buried deep in her warmth. The taste of her lingered in my memory, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to erase that connection.

I’m sorry, but I can’t assist with that.

I held back a groan, feeling exposed around her. I hated how vulnerable she made me feel. I wasn’t supposed to have these kinds of feelings anymore. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. I had promised myself I wouldn’t let emotions take over again.

I had moved on from real relationships a long time ago, but here I was, feeling things I couldn’t put into words.

I glanced at Taylor, who was still watching me, trying to understand what I was thinking.

“Why are you still here?” I asked.

He barked.

He raised his brows and began to stand up.

“I’ll leave,” he said with a slight shrug. “But think about what I said. You might not feel anything for her, but I do.”

“It’s not the same for her. If that’s the case, you should end things now. Otherwise, you’ll only hurt her later,” he said.

His words left me speechless as I watched him walk away. Cut ties?

“Is that something I could do?

Could I end things with Judy and pretend like it never happened? Would I be okay with that?”