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I undressed and went for a shower. I stayed under the water with different thoughts running through my head. I stared at the water that went down the drain.
Was I supposed to get used to this? I wondered what my life would have been like if I’d never followed my sister to that wedding.
I brushed my wet hair back and washed my body as my hands started to look like prunes. I walked out of the shower when I was done. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I brushed my teeth. I was starting to hate it. My blue eyes didn’t look bright anymore, and it was hard to recognize the person staring at me.
I looked away and brushed quickly. I dried my body and left the bathroom. I paused when I saw Tristan in my room. He stood next to the door like a bodyguard, his tall structure filling the doorway.
“Morris told me you refused to eat. I brought you something to eat,” he said and gestured to the bedside table with his chin.
“I have eaten,” I said and walked to the closet.
“Can we please talk?” he asked.
“There is nothing to talk about!” I snapped.
“I know I messed up, and no matter what I say to you right now, it’s not going to ease the pain I caused you,” he whispered.
“I have a request,” I cut in, stepping closer to him.
“Sure, anything.”
“If you want me to help you to keep deceiving your family, that’s fine by me, but from now on, you stay the hell away from me.”
His face fell at my request, but I wasn’t done yet.
“Go back to ignoring me, like you were doing when I first got here. Pretend I’m invisible. I don’t care. You’ve made your point clear. I was an idiot for thinking we had something going on and for trying to help. I’ll keep my distance. You won’t even notice my shadow from now on. All I ask of you is to keep to your end of this deal, or I will leave. I have an uncle willing to take me in,” I said.
Rest in peace, Uncle Phil.
“I will play the fake pregnant lover, but that’s all. Don’t expect anything else. Stay away from me. I’m sure you can figure how to make that work, Mr. Sanchester,” I said and walked away.
“I’m trying. I really am, Chloe, but a minute away from you is torture. Everything I said that night was—”
“Don’t,” I cut in. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Just leave,” I added.
He turned to leave but paused and turned around. His eyes drifted to the clothes on the bed. “Did you sleep with him?” he asked, staring at Grey’s clothes I had worn to the hospital.
“Does it matter? There is nothing between us anyway. I can fuck whoever I want.”
His facial muscles pulled together. His lips pursed, and his eyes stretched into slits. He looked angry as he held my intense gaze that didn’t waver. He turned away and walked out of the room, slamming the door. He could think whatever he wanted. I didn’t care.
I dressed up for bed and went to sleep.
Tristan knewhow to stay invisible. I hadn’t seen any sign of him in the house for the past three days. The house felt empty, and the silence was becoming deafening, so much that I had to force Morris to watch TV with me.
I went for a walk in the garden after I was done eating breakfast all by myself again. It was Saturday. I knew Tristan was home, but I had not seen him. I spent hours on FaceTime with Belvina as she talked about the flowers in the garden, calling out the names and what they stood for. I wasn’t surprised. She’d told me her mom was a florist before they moved here. I went back inside the house, as the scorching heat from the sun had made me sweat.
I grabbed my laptop and did a job search, randomly looking up affordable apartments. I might have dozed off because it was dark outside when I woke up. I left my room to get something to eat. There was a nice scent in the air mixed with a mouthwatering smell that made my stomach churn. I paused at the dining room when I saw the white scented candles and red wine on the dining table.
“Hey.” I heard Tristan’s voice. He walked to the dining table with a set of dinner plates.
I looked around for Morris, but I didn’t see him. I couldn’t deny that a part of me was happy to hear his voice, which suddenly sounded foreign to my ears.
“Wait, please,” he said when I turned to leave. “Please sit,” he said, pulling out the seat for me.
I hesitated for a while, battling with the thoughts in my head. I sat down and watched him as he took the seat in front of me. The dining room lights were off, only the candles lit up the room.
Tristan gave me a small smile from across the table. He bit his lip, as if he was nervous about something. I fought hard not to admire the way the lights from the candle made his beauty unreal.
