Chapter 32

Taylor, his features etched with sincerity, reached out and placed a comforting hand on Catalina's shoulder. "We were both young and confused," he offered gently. "But look at us now. D'Andre is our friend, nothing more. We've grown beyond those tangled emotions."

Catalina met her brother's eyes, and a warm smile broke across her face. "You're right," she agreed, her voice holding a note of relief. "We've come a long way since those days."

The weight that had burdened their relationship for so long began to lift, and Taylor and Catalina found themselves exchanging small, understanding smiles. Their shared history, once a source of conflict, was now a bridge that connected them.

As they sat there in the opulent hotel room, bathed in the soft glow of the crystal chandelier overhead, their laughter filled the air. It was the kind of laughter that emerged when old wounds were healing, when reconciliation was in progress.

Their embrace, when it finally came, felt like a mutual surrender to