Chapter 173
My chest still hurts from how hard I cried.
Another loud knock.
“Zane p>
This one is followed by a sharp kick against the lower part of the door, the sound vibrating through the floor.
Aaron glances toward the entrance but says nothing.
Claire’s voice grows more frustrated.
“You can’t ignore me forever p>
Another bang… then another and jt goes on for a while.
A few minutes at least, then shouting slowly turns into angry muttering.
The pounding gets weaker, quiter then the house falls silent. No more banging or shouting.
Just the distant sound of footsteps on the stone walkway outside. Moving away from the house, the front yard gate creaks faintly a moment later. Then even that sound fades, the silence left behind feels heavy as for a few seconds no one speaks.
Aaron shifts slightly where he stands, then glances toward Zane.
Zane finally steps away from the door and turns slowly, his eyes falling on me.
For a moment neither of us says anything,
I can see the tension in his face now, the tightness around his mouth, like he’s choosing his next words carefully.
He turns to Aaron “Remind me to take care of Claire later p>
Aaron nods dutifully and there’s too much on my mind for me to analyze what he means by “take care of” when he says takes a step toward me.
“Elaine p>
I raise my hand to shut him up.
“Don’t even p>
He stops walking.
My chest rises and falls slowly as I try to steady myself again.
The anger is still there but now it’s mixed with something heavier.
Exhaustion… Emotional exhaustion.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I say quietly.
Zane’s brows draw together slightly.
“I was going to p>
“I said don’t p>
My voice is firmer now and for once, he listens.
The room stays quiet again, and I run my arms from around myself and take a slow breath.
My legs feel shaky, like everything that just happened drained every bit of strength out of me.
Without another word, I turn toward the staircase. Rhe house suddenly feels too small.
I start walking toward the stairs, my footsteps slow and heavy.
I can feel Zane watching me from behind.
Halfway up the staircase, I stop. Tjen I turn around, to see he’s still standing in the same spot near the doorway. His eyes meet mine immediately and for a second neither of us speaks.
Then I say quietly,
“I’m going back to my old room p>
Zane’s expression tightens slightly
“What p>
“I’m staying there for a while p>
My voice stays calm.
He takes a step forward.
“That’s not necessary p>
A tired laugh escapes me, not really amused just tired.
“Not necessary p>
I shake my head slowly, then I look directly at him.
“I don’t want to sleep in your bed again p>
The words hang in the air between us, his mouth opening slightly but nothing comes out.
I don’t wait for him to find something to say, I turn again and continue up the stairs.
By the time I reach the top, my chest aches again. Not just from crying but frlm everything else, from the truth Claire dumped in the middle of my life, from the memories she dragged out of places I buried them, frm realizing that the person I trusted for years was never actually my friend amd from the man downstairs who started it all.
When I reach the hallway, I don’t look back. I just walk toward the door of the room I used to sleep in when I got into this house initially.
Before everything became this complicated.
For tonight It feels like the only place in this house that might still belong to me. The room smells exactly the way I remember it, clean sheets and a faint trace of the lavender oil Margaret used to spray on the curtains. And for a second,standing in the doorway, I almost feel like nothing has changed. But the moment I step inside, that illusion disappears as the door closes quietly behind me, nd the silence presses in.
I walk slowly to the bed and sit down on the edge of it, the mattress dipping slightly under my weight.
My hands fall limply into my lap and everyrhing inside my chest feels heavy as my mind goes back to why just happened… each memory twists something deeper inside me, every moment I thought I was talking to a friend.
All of it… planned, all of it fake. Mt chest tightens painfully as I fall backward onto the bed without even bothering to take off my shoes.
The ceiling above me blurs and for a few seconds I just lie there staring at it, trying to make sense of anything… but every direction my thoughts turn leads back to the same thing the same person.
Zane.
Zane controlling something so personal in my life without me ever knowing. It makes me feel nauseous, because that means he’s been watching me far longer than I realized. Just planning and strategizing while using the people around me.
My throat tightens.
I press the heel of my hand against my eyes but the tears come anyway.
Quietlyy at first… then heavier.
My shoulders start shaking as the crying breaks loose again. I acurl slightly on the bed, pressing my face into the pillow. The fabric muffles the sound but it doesn’t stop the tears.
Everything feels too messy, i don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t know what parts of my life were actually mine and which ones were arranged by someone else behind the scenes.
Minutes pass… or maybe longer. Ive lost track of time.
Eventually there’s a knock on the door.
I don’t move, I already know who it probably is.
My voice comes out rough when I answer.
“Go away p>
Silence follows… then another knock a little louder this time.
My eyes squeeze shut as I groan.
“I said go away!” I scream mt voice cracking slightly.