Chapter 210
Athena’s POV
What, what are you doing here? I stutter, my voice barely above a whisper. How did you get here?
My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. I thought I was being careful. I thought I was quiet enough, that no one would hear me dreva
But here he is, standing in the middle of the street like he’s been waiting for me.
Like he knew exactly what I was planning to do.
He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at me with this look that makes me want to disappear into the ground.
The intensity of his gaze forces me to lower mine. I can’t look at him anymore. I can’t stand to see what’s written all over his face.
Disappointment. Hurt. Pain that I put there by trying to run away from them again.
“I’m sorry, I whisper, the words coming out all shaky and pathetic.
But he still doesn’t say anything. He just turns his back to me and starts walking toward the house. Each step he takes away from me feels like a knife
in my chest.
I stand there for what feels like forever, watching him walk away. My feet won’t move. My brain can’t process what just happened.
He caught me trying to leave and now he’s walking away from me without saying a single
word.
Maybe this is it. Maybe he’s finally had enough of my running and my fear and not worth the effort anymore.
i
my inability to trust him, myself or anyone else. Maybe he’s decided I’m
The thought makes me want to throw up.
After a while, his steps slow down. He stops completely and looks back at
me
read.
over his shoulder. There’s something in his expression that I can’t quite
I raise a confused brow. Why did he stop? What does he want?
But then I see the look on his face more clearly. It’s expectation. He’s waiting for something.
“Oh, I mutter in understanding. He’s waiting for me.
He’s not walking away from me forever. He’s walking home and expecting me to follow him. The relief that floods through me is so strong it makes my
knees weak.
I take hesitant steps toward him. He still doesn’t say anything. When I finally reach him, close enough to touch if I wanted to, that’s when he starts moving again.
Still silent. Still not looking at me.
The quiet between us is suffocating. I want to explain myself, to tell him why I tried to leave. But the words stick in my throat.
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Chapter 210
How do I explain that I was trying to protect him by abandoning him? How do I make him understand that running away felt like the only way to him safe, to keep them safe?
We walk back to the house in complete silence. My mind is racing with all the things I want to say, but none of them seem right. None of them sem like enough.
When we reach the guest room, I enter first. My hands are shaking as I listen to him follow me in. The moment he’s inside, he locks the door and slides the key into his pocket before climbing onto the bed.
I stand there watching him, feeling surprised and amused despite everything. He’s actually locking me in. He’s making sure I can’t sneak out again..
- me.
“Tristan, I say softly.
He doesn’t respond. He just lies down with his back to me, like he’s planning to go to sleep and pretend this whole thing never happened.
I walk toward the bed with a small smile on my face. I can’t help it. I’ve never seen Tristan sulking before.
This strong, confident man is actually posting because I tried to run away. It’s almost cute in a heartbreaking sort of way.
I sit on the edge of the bed and stare at his back. His shoulders are tense, and I can tell he’s not actually trying to sleep. He’s just avoiding looking at
‘I’m sorry,‘ I try again.
Nothing. He doesn’t even twit
“T, look at me.” Still nothing
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