Chapter 52
Chapter 52:
After a moment, it all began to make sense. He had barely acknowledged her existence — so how would he ever have seen what she quietly offered?
Kristine took one of the pills herself, hoping it would settle her uneasy stomach. She lay down on the bed for a short rest, then retrieved the documents Victor had sent over. Even though she had not been at the Arbfact Institute recently, Victor had continued sending her the most current research. It was only when she lost herself in those materials that any real sense of purpose and hope for what lay ahead returned to her.
When noon arrived and her stomach made itself known, Kristine headed downstairs for lunch. She had eaten nothing that morning, and real hunger had set in.
The sight that greeted her in the dining room gave her pause. Colton was already seated at the table.
Was he not supposed to be at work? What had he been doing at home all this time?
She chose to ignore him and let her hunger take over, picking up her fork to begin eating. She had barely taken her first bite when Colton spoke.
“We might be stuck in Gridron for a while, but if there’s anywhere you’d like to visit, Justin can handle the arrangements p>
𝖳𝗁𝘦 𝗺o𝗌t 𝗽𝘰p𝘂𝗹а𝗋 ոо𝗏е𝗅ѕ о𝘯
Kristine set her fork down momentarily. Was Colton actually offering to take her somewhere?
She dismissed the possibility almost immediately. Over four years together, he had spent half his time in Eyling and the remainder consumed by work. Not once had he made time for outings with her — in truth, he had never truly wanted to. There had been a time in their second year when Kristine carefully planned a week-long getaway to Raskor, seeing how overworked he was. She had arranged everything and bought the tickets, only for Colton to dismiss the idea without a second thought.
His suggestion now was likely just a tactic to remove her from Gridron — possibly because Elyse was bothered by her presence here. Kristine knew better than to fall for it. She wished she could leave, but Vance had already advised her to stay put for the time being.
“I’m fine, but thank you p>
The certainty in her voice made Colton’s jaw tighten. “You p>
She cut him off at once. “Let’s not talk at the table. Didn’t anyone ever teach you proper manners p>
Colton had nothing more to say after that.
Silence held for the rest of the meal, and Kristine’s spirits lifted noticeably. As Colton watched the faint smile playing at her lips, his frown only deepened. There had been a time when she found comfort in their conversations.
Once she finished eating, Kristine quietly made her way upstairs, leaving no opening for him to respond. Even just from the way she walked away, it was obvious she wanted nothing more to do with him.
Colton’s expression grew tense and unreadable.
Up in her room, Kristine had barely shut the door when Victor’s video call appeared on her screen. She accepted without hesitation.