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He shook his head at my question and walked into the room.
“I didn’t invite you in,” I said, shooting him a glare.
“Why aren’t you dressed for bed?” he asked, ignoring my anger.
“I was busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Playing sudoku.”
He chuckled, shaking his head.
To be honest, I despised that game. I could never understand it. My mom used to force my sister and me to play it; she’d said it was good for the brain.
“Do you need help with anything?” he asked, stopping a few feet away from the bed.
I admired his white sweatpants, wishing I could have them. I looked away and met his deep blue eyes.
“I thought you were tired?” I said, leaning back on the headboard.
“Yeah, but you’re in my care so—”
“I’m good,” I cut in.
“Okay, good night.”
“I wish I could say it back, but right now, I’m just wishing you would roll off the bed and slam your face on the floor while sleeping.”
He laughed softly, shaking his head at my comment. “Good night, Chloe,” he said, smiling.
I hated myself for making him laugh and putting a smile on his face. Was I a bad person for wishing he never found happiness or anything to make him smile? I just wanted him to be miserable like I was—maybe worse.
I breathed out in relief as he turned to leave. He suddenly stopped, turning around. I gave him a questioning look.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you with anything?”
“Yes,” I said, waiting desperately for him to leave.
“If you need anything, let me know or tell Morris.”
“Wait,” I said quickly before he could walk out of the room. “I wanna go out for a walk.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“I feel incarcerated here. I wanna go out,” I said, and he stared at me for a while, saying nothing. I needed some air and wanted to be away from this room. Maybe I could persuade him into telling me the truth about why he’d stop his wedding.
“Okay.”
He walked to the bed and carried me in his arms downstairs. He placed me on the couch and went upstairs to get the wheelchair. He wheeled me outside the house.
We walked down the sidewalk in silence, the tall trees lining the pathway. The cars driving by left a burning smell of gasoline mixed with dust in the air. The moon and stars cast their light down on the earth, caressing my skin with their soft glow. The sound of the wind rustling the leaves and the insects chirring in the trees echoed around us.
“I’m sorry things turned out this way, Chloe,” Tristan said after a while.
“If you are, why do you keep allowing the gossip to grow?”
“I never wanted this,” he said, his tone coming out a little harsh.
