Trading My Ex for His Uncle

Valarie pushed him away, her expression impassive. "Say that again when the month is over."

"You can trust me. I'll keep my promise," Brandon assured her.

A flicker of sarcasm crossed Valarie's face, but she remained silent.

She walked into the villa, and only once the door clicked shut behind her did Brandon turn and leave.

Back in her bedroom, Valarie collapsed onto the couch, pressing her fingers to her throbbing temples.

...

The following days passed in a blur of work.

Valarie was so consumed that she barely had time to eat.

Every now and then, her youthful admirer would text her, asking what she was up to. If she had a free moment, she'd send a brief reply. Otherwise, she ignored him.

Thankfully, he was tactful enough not to press when she didn't respond.

By Friday evening, the preliminary phase of the project was complete, and Valarie finally had the chance to enjoy a proper weekend.noveldrama

She called Nyla, hoping to meet for drinks.

There was a brief pause before Nyla's voice came through. "Valarie, I can't drink right now. I'm pregnant."

"Why can't you drink when you're pregnant? Wait, hold on, what?! You're pregnant?! Since when?" Valarie asked.

"I just found out recently. I was going to tell you the last time we met, but I completely forgot," Nyla explained.

After the initial shock wore off, Valarie grinned. "Congrats! I'm officially claiming godmother rights."

"Of course," Nyla replied.

"But seriously—this is your second kid, and I don't even have a fiancé yet. The universe is really messing with me," Valarie whined.

Nyla chuckled. "Your time will come. Weren't you just having dinner with your young man the other day? How's that going?"

Valarie scoffed. "Don't even bring it up. Brandon showed up and ruined

everything. Just thinking about it pisses me off."

"Is there really no chance for you and Brandon?" Nyla asked.

Valarie lowered her gaze.

After a long pause, she murmured, " don't know... I'm confused. I told him if he stayed away from Michelle for a month, I'd forgive him. I guess we'll see in a month."

She had been with Brandon for so long that it was impossible to move on overnight. She still had feelings for him, but every time she faced him, she couldn't help but wonder how much of what he said was real-and how much was a lie. Cóntent belongs to

If she had to live her whole life second-guessing him, she'd go insane.

"Take your time," Nyla said gently.

"Love should make you happy. If et

you're good together, stay together. If not, let it go. Marriage isn't the goal. hHappiness is."

That was exactly why she had married Damon. She knew she'd never love anyone else but him.

Valarie hummed. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I'll let you go. I need to grab some dinner."

After hanging up, she opened a chat with a contact named Stefan Foley. The conversation was mostly filled with his messages.

Stefan: [Veevee, are you still busy? It started snowing in the middle of class today, and for some reason, I thought of you.]

Below was a photo of the snowy view outside a university classroom window.

The message was from yesterday. At the time, Valarie had been scrambling to finish a report. She glanced at it but didn't reply.

This morning, he had sent a simple good morning sticker with a sleepy emoji.

Stefan: [Winter mornings are the worst. I just wanna stay glued to my blanket forever.]

Valarie chuckled. Just as she was about to reply, a new message popped up.

Stefan: [Veevee, are you still working? I'm free tomorrow. If you're busy, I can bring you lunch. What do you think?]