Chapter 174
“I said go away!” I scream my voice cracking slightly.
The handle rattles and for a second I think the person might actually listen and leave but instead the door slowly opens and as light from the hallway spills across the floor I push myself up on my elbows, irritated and exhausted at the same time.
“What part of go away was unclear p>
The words die in my throat because it isn’t Zane standing in the doorway.
It’s Aaron.
He steps inside slowly, closing the door behind him without making much noise.
His eyes immediately take in my face, seeing the tear stains, tje swollen eyes and the way I’m still half curled on the bed.
Neither of us says anything as I sit up slowly, brushing at my face with the sleeve of my shirt.
“What do you want!?” I ask.
The question comes out harder than I intended bt Aaron doesn’t react to the tone though, he just leans casually against the wall near the door.
Not too close, giving me space.
I let out a tired breath and rub my forehead.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“I didn’t mean to snap at you p>
Aaron stays quiet.
I look down at my hands.
“It’s just p>
The words get stuck halfway out, I swallow and try again.
“The whole thing is… a lot p>
My voice sounds smaller than I’d like.
“Today has been… a lot for me p>
Aaron nods once, like he understands exactly what I mean.
I glance up at him again.
“So,” I say tiredly.
“What did you come up here for p>
Aaron doesn’t answer my question immediately. He just stands there for a moment, leaning his shoulder lightly against the wall beside the door, his arms loosely crossed. His eyes move across the room slowly before settling back on me.
The silence isn’t uncomfortable but it isn’t easy either.
Finally he says, “I just wanted to check in on you p>
I sit there on the bed for a second, staring at the comforter under my hands. The fabric is slightly wrinkled from where I collapsed on it earlier, mt fingers absentmindedly smooth a crease that refuses to go away.
“I’m fine,” I say after a moment
Even to my own ears tht sounds unconvincing but Aaron doesn’t call me out on it though.
I force out a small breath and push some hair back from my face.
“I just I pause, trying to find the right way to say it.
Aaron nods slowly.
“That’s fair,” he says.
His arms uncross and he pushes himself off the wall and I think he might say something else but instead he just walks a few steps toward the door.
When he reaches it, his hand pauses on the handle then he turns slightly so he can look at me again.
“You know where to find me if you need to talk p>
The words are simple but the way he says them it…it feels genuine, like he actually means it.
I nod once.
“I know p>
Aaron studies my face for a second longer, probably making sure I’m not about to fall apart the second he leaves.
Then he gives a small nod of his own.
“Get some rest if you can p>
He opens the door and the hallway light spills into the room again, then he steps out and pulls the door closed behind him. The soft click of the latch echoing in the quiet room.
And just like that, I’m alone again.
Zane’s POV.
The house goes quiet after Elaine disappears upstairs, extremely quiet.
I am still standing in the dining room when the sound of her bedroom door closing finally echoes down the hallway.
For a long moment I don’t move.
The chair Elaine had knocked sideways during the fight is still lying on its side near the table with one of the plates Margaret left out earlier has slid halfway off the tablecloth, hanging dangerously over the edge. The whole room looks like a storm passed through it. And in a way, it did.
I slowly drag a hand down my face, the muscles in my jaw tight. I exhale through my nose and finally walk toward the table, nudging the fallen chair back into place with my foot.
My mind keeps replaying the last hour, as I lean my hands on the edge of the table and stare down at the wood grain.
I know I fucked up, there’s no pretending otherwise.
Claire showing up here today was a disaster, a problem i should have handled long before it ever reached my house.
My jaw tightens again.
Still I don’t regret the original decision.
Not really. Bvk then, it had been necessary as Elaine’s family wasn’t just any family. Her brothers had enemies, influence and connections that crossed into places I couldn’t easily see from the outside.
Information mattered and Claire had been useful. She knew Elaine and she had access to the parts of Elaine’s life most outsiders never saw.
So yes I had asked her to befriend Elaine and I asked her to tell me what she heard and saw.
At the time it had been the cleanest solution, it wqs efficient. And Claire had agreed without hesitation, mostly because she believed she would eventually get something out of it.
That something being me p>
My mouth twists slightly at the memory and I straighten slowly, rolling the tension out of my shoulders.
What I didn’t anticipate was Claire coming back years later to throw it in mt face, I thought that situation was finished and i thought i handled it perfectly I made sure she was taken care of financially when our arrangement ended. I made sure she had enough to move on with her life, I hadn’t completely ignored her but I also hadn’t given her much attention after that.
Apparently that was a mistake on my part FUCK p>
Mt fingers tap once against the tablr, I should have known better.