35. Worried

After putting Kelly to bed, I walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch, rubbing my forehead and taking a deep breath to steady myself.

“Don’t tell me you’re overthinking again,” Brenda said as she entered the room, taking a seat beside me. She grabbed the remote and switched on the TV.

“I’m not. I just finished putting Kelly to bed,” I replied, trying to sound casual, though my mind was still racing. “So, how was your day? How did the date go?”

Dean, Brenda’s co-worker, had been a new interest in her life, and she’d been excited about their date. The blush on her cheeks was all the confirmation I needed.

She smiled, looking down shyly. “It was pretty amazing. Dean’s so easy to talk to, and he comes from a wealthy family.” She turned to the TV, flipping through channels, but suddenly her eyes widened, nearly popping out of her head. “Oh my gosh!”

Curious, I followed her gaze to the screen. My stomach dropped. There, on the screen, was a video of Ivan Carlos, my Ivan, an