I stord down the hallway, my father’s cruel words still echoing in my head. The rage simred beneath my skin, twisting my insides, but I clenched my jaw and forced myself to keep moving. The world outside could go to hell—I needed to get to my bedchamber, I needed to shut out the world and find so small semblance of control before I lost it completely.
As I pushed open the door to my bedchamber, I froze.
Thane was standing beside the window, his tall figure half-shadowed by the dim light filtering through the curtains. His arms were crossed, but the mont he heard enter, he turned, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut through the tension. "How did you even get in?"
Thane scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking almost sheepish. "I, uh... snuck in."
"What?" I blinked, disbelief lacing my words. "Snuck in?"
He shrugged, his eyes flicking to the floor for a second before eting mine again. "Yeah. I left Layla, just like you wanted. But ever since then, you’ve been... I don’t know, ignoring . And it’s been ssing with my head." He hesitated, a small frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I’m starting to feel like I got... played."
Of course you got played, I thought. But I didn’t say it out loud.
I folded my arms across my chest, not bothering to hide the frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "You did what I wanted. But what did you expect, Thane? You think leaving Layla would magically make us close? That I’d fall into your arms because you made one decision?"
His expression tightened, and I could see the flicker of irritation flash behind his eyes. "I didn’t do it just to get sothing from you," he shot back. "I did it because it was the right thing to do. You said I was with her for the wrong reasons, and I... I realized you were right. I didn’t care about her the way I should have."
"And what, you think that’s supposed to make feel good?" I took a step toward him, my voice dropping lower, more dangerous. "You don’t get to just walk away from her and show up here. Like I owe you sothing because you finally woke up and made a choice."
He let out a frustrated breath, rubbing the back of his neck again, his posture tense. "I’m not asking for anything, alright? I’m just—" He stopped, struggling to find the words. "I’m trying to figure out what the hell’s going on between us. One second, you’re telling I’m with the wrong person, and the next, you’re acting like I don’t exist."
"Because maybe you don’t exist in my world, Thane!" I shouted, the frustration ripping out of . "Did you ever think of that? Did you ever think that maybe you were just a... a distraction? That I don’t have the luxury of playing these stupid gas anymore?"
His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening as he stared at . "You don’t think I know that?" he growled, his voice suddenly hard. " I’ve seen the way you’re clawing for sothing more. But you’re not the only one dealing with things, alright?"
I snorted, shaking my head. "This isn’t about you, Thane. It never was. You’re just—" I stopped myself before I could say sothing worse, before the truth could slip out and cut him deeper than I intended.
He stared at , his expression unreadable for a mont, then he exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair. "You know what? Maybe I did get played," he muttered, his voice quieter now, more resigned. "But I’m not so idiot who’s going to keep chasing sothing that doesn’t exist."
Good, I wanted to say. But the words stuck in my throat.
Instead, I stood there, watching as he walked toward the window, his shoulders tense, his movents stiff. He was angry, I could see it in the way his hands clenched at his sides, but there was sothing else too. Sothing I didn’t want to acknowledge.
"Thane," I said quietly, barely above a whisper. He paused, but didn’t turn around.
"I didn’t ask for this, you know," he said after a long silence. "Any of it."
Neither did I. But that didn’t change anything.
"Thane," I called again, my voice harder this ti. He stood there, his back still turned to , as if the weight of everything had suddenly beco too much for him to bear. I let out a slow breath, the anger that had fueled monts ago dissipating into sothing colder. "You should go."
He didn’t move at first, and I thought for a second that he might argue. But then he nodded, the tension in his posture easing just slightly as he turned his head, though not enough to et my gaze.
"Right." His voice was flat, distant. He took a step toward the window, but before he reached for the handle, he stopped. "You know..." He trailed off, and I waited, unsure if I wanted to hear what he was about to say or not. "You keep pushing people away. One day, there won’t be anyone left to push."
With that, he opened the window and slipped out, the sound of it closing behind him leaving an unsettling quiet in its wake. I stood there, the silence pressing in around .
I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my temples as I paced the room. Heaving a heavy sigh, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the wall, a small, treacherous part of wondered if maybe... just maybe... he had been right.
Oh please, he thinks he knows ? Don’t make laugh!
I lay back, staring up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of the day press down on like a heavy blanket.
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