After divorce, He regretted

Emily was so furious at her brother's constant backtalk that she felt like she was going to pass out. A sharp pain twisted in her stomach-a warning. There was still a baby inside her. She couldn't let anger take over.

"I told you to find a real, stable job-not to mess around PLAYING entrepreneur with your friends."

"Mess around?" Francie shot back. "I've got a whole plan, okay? And Aaron's already said yes! He's a business genius. If he thinks it's a good idea, what makes you think you know better?"

His smug tone made Emily's blood boil. A mix of betrayal, disappointment, and rage surged through her. Aaron had never once mentioned helping Francie open a bar. What-was her opinion just completely irrelevant now?

And Francie's reaction when she hinted at her and Aaron splitting up? It wasn't concern for her. He didn't care if she was being mistreated. He only panicked because it might mean his funding would get cut off.

Her own brother-closer to Aaron than to her. She was beyond disappointed. And now he was yelling back at her like she was the problem?

"You need to remember who your actual family is!"

Francie snapped, "All I know is real family supports you no matter what!"

"That's blind support, not love!"

"You keep saying it's for my own good-but it's always 'no' to this and 'don't do' that. How is that good for me?"

Their voices kept rising. The bodyguard who had been keeping his distance now started walking back toward them, sensing trouble. Emily caught the movement from the corner of her eye-she didn't want this entire conversation ending up in Aaron's ears.

She locked eyes with her always-reckless brother. "I'm going to talk to Aaron. That bar? Forget it. It's not happening."

"What?! No-Emily, I already told my friends! You're seriously screwing me over!"

Francie shouted, visibly pissed but desperate too. He stepped toward her.

The bodyguard quickly extended an arm, blocking his path. "Please don't get too close."

Francie glared at him. "Do you even know who I am? I'm her brother-why the hell can't I get near her?"

The bodyguard replied calmly, "Mr. Lopez instructed us to keep Mrs. Lopez safe. Your emotions are running a little high, sir. Please calm down."

The moment Aaron's name came up, Francie deflated just a bit. His tone turned sarcastic, bitter. "Wow. Must be nice, sis. Having a husband who's always there to protect you."

No matter how mad he got, Francie wouldn't actually lay a finger on her. Still, having to sit through her lectures always rubbed him the wrong way.

Emily gently pushed the bodyguard's hand aside. "It's fine," she muttered.

Was this protection... or surveillance?

She looked at Francie's sulking face. "If you've got that much time on your hands, go visit Grandma."

"For what?" Francie rolled his eyes. "All she does is praise you anyway. What's the point? Might as well not go."

"When did you become like this?" Emily's voice was heavy. "She worked herself to the bone raising us. And now that she's sick, you can't even bother to check in? You've visited once in six months."

"She's living in luxury. VIP suite, best meals, best care-thanks to Aaron. What exactly do you need me there for?"

Emily could barely recognize the boy standing in front of her. Every other word out of his mouth was Aaron, Aaron, Aaron.

"Forget it," she said coldly. "I'm done arguing. Go think about what kind of person you're turning into."

She turned and signaled for the bodyguard to follow. Francie still wasn't finished-he kept yelling at her until she climbed into the car. But she didn't look back. The car pulled away, and she let the distance swallow his voice.

At around eleven, Emily finally heard the sound of Aaron coming home. She closed the book she'd been pretending to read-she'd been forcing herself to stay up just to wait for him.

"You're still up?" Aaron asked as he walked in.

After the tense conversation they'd had earlier that afternoon, he wasn't showing any lingering emotion. His tone was casual, like everything was normal.

Emily pulled her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. "Do you have a minute? I want to talk about Francie."

Aaron paused. Usually, when she waited up for him, she'd help hang up his coat, ask about work, check if he was tired. Not tonight.

She didn't do any of that.

She was pulling away.

Reining in his thoughts, Aaron tossed his coat aside and loosened his tie. "You mean the speeding ticket?"

"It wasn't just speeding," Emily said, her voice firm. "He illegally modified his Motorcycle. And I also heard he said you agreed to help him open a bar."

Her eyes were locked on him-accusing, searching.

Aaron sighed and sat down on the couch. "He came to me last month. And yeah, I agreed."

"You didn't think to talk to me first?" Emily sat beside him, angling her body toward his. "He just got in trouble at a bar. Did that slip your mind?"

"Francie asked me not to tell you," Aaron said. "He wanted to make something of himself first. Thought he could surprise you once it started working."

Emily frowned. "So what-you thought the money was pocket change, so it didn't matter?"

Aaron's brows pulled together, but his tone stayed even. "I'm not just handing it to him. It's a loan. He said he'll pay me back once they start turning a profit."

"YOU believe him?" she muttered, pressing her fingers to her temple. She couldn't understand why Aaron was being so lenient with her brother.

Aaron blinked, his eyes dry. He reached over and gently patted her hand where it rested on her thigh. "He's not the same kid he was three years ago. He's grown. Maybe give him this one chance, yeah? He's your family. I just want to help take care of you both."

Emily's thoughts were spinning. How was she supposed to trust someone who was still getting into trouble this afternoon?

"I know you see him like a little brother too..."

Before she could finish, Aaron's phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted instantly-serious, sharp.

"Hold on," he said quickly, and picked up.

Emily stared at him, stunned. Who would call at this hour?

She watched as his face tightened. He spoke low, in fragments: "Don't cry... Tell me where you are... I'm coming."

The call ended in under a minute.

Before she could say a word, Aaron stood up abruptly, grabbing his coat.

"Sorry-I have to deal with something. We'll talk when I get back."

Emily rushed over and grabbed the hem of his coat. "It's almost midnight. What kind of 'something' is this?"

She didn't want to care.

She shouldn't care.

But in that moment, she couldn't help herself.