Chapter 27 The Moment He Realized
••Roman••
The morning crept in awkwardly.
I was busy choosing a shirt that complemented my outfit when she stirred awake, stretching leisurely on the bed. She glanced in my direction briefly before heading to the bathroom.
There was no small smile, no faint tease, nothing. Just a quick look and silence trailing behind her steps.
After some time, she emerged without a word and took a seat at her desk, opening her laptop.
“Must have slept like a baby, hogging all the bed space,” I remarked. She met my gaze and nodded in silence. I couldn’t help but wonder what was bothering her—maybe it was just one of those unpredictable 'mood swings' women often experience.
She didn’t react, not a twitch. She just typed, scrolled, and typed again. As if the keyboard suddenly became the most fascinating object in the mansion.
During breakfast, her eyes rarely met mine. The conversation flowed around Mildred and my mother, while I felt like an outsider. When I attempted to interject, she merely hummed in response, her gaze fixed on her bowl as if it held untold secrets.
Theo raised an eyebrow at me once, silently asking what I had done. I had no answer; I was just as confused.
When breakfast ended, she didn’t wait for me. She stood, excused herself politely to my mother, and walked out without glancing my way.
Later in the afternoon, when I entered the room, I found her deeply engrossed in her laptop, with papers strewn about.
“You should take a break,” I suggested.
She muttered, “When I’m ready,” still not really acknowledging me.
There was no sarcasm, or warmth in her tone. Just cold distance. Somehow, that was worse.
I stood there for a moment, waiting for her to look up. She didn’t. I waited a little longer, still nothing.
It was as if I had become a piece of furniture—there, but unnecessary.
By evening, my mood had soured significantly. My commands became sharper, meetings dragged on, and every small mistake from my team started to grate on my nerves. I struggled to concentrate, but my thoughts kept drifting back to her expression—or the absence of it.
Luci was clearly ignoring me, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.
The fact that it bothered me only made everything feel ten times worse.
Mildred strolled into my office, aimlessly browsing the bookshelves. She picked up the remote and changed the channel on the TV. I could tell she had an agenda.
“How can I be of help to you?” I inquired.
“I never said I needed anything,” she replied, lingering as if she owned the place.
“Okay.” I continued with was I was doing.
After few minutes of silence.
“Let’s grab some burgers,” she suggested with a pout.
“Take a guard with you, I'll rather remain here.”
“No!” she exclaimed. “It’s been forever since we went out without him.”
She was referring to Andrian, who had always made sure she joined us and indulged her whims, but I wasn’t interested.
“If you won’t take me, I’ll go alone,” she declared, heading for the door.
“Alright, hold on,” I scoffed, realizing she was determined to push my buttons today.
“You need fresh air,” she stated, linking her arm through mine as we stepped outside. “You look like someone stepped on your pride.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled.
She laughed. “You’re clearly not. This attitude is all because of Luci.”
I halted in my tracks. “What attitude?”
Mildred let out a loud scoff, prompting two guards to glance our way. “Oh, come on. It’s painfully obvious. Luci’s been giving you the cold shoulder, and even the windows noticed.”
I clenched my jaw tightly. “I’m unaware of any issue.”
“Sure,” Mildred shot back, giving me a piercing look. “This is all about Katya.”
My chest tightened at the mention of her name. “Katya isn’t part of this.”
“She is,” Mildred insisted, her tone sharp. “Did you see how you both interacted in front of Luci? With all that hugging and whispering? Katya acted like Luci was invisible, and you didn’t step in.”
I took a slow breath. “I thought it was just friendly; Katya and I are pals.”
“Pals??” she glared at me incredulously.
“Yes,” I affirmed, maintaining eye contact.
She twisted her mouth in thought. “I could have sworn you two were an item. She seemed quite attached, and you never pushed her away.”
“Katya and I are nothing now,” I clarified. “Our relationship ended years ago.”
For a moment, she fell silent.
“Luci’s not aware of that,” Mildred said, her voice softening. “You can’t expect her to figure it out. She’s your wife, Roman. Respect is a two-way street.”
A muscle in my jaw twitched.
“I didn’t think Luci cared about any of that,” I confessed quietly.
Mildred smirked, as if she had been anticipating my admission. “Oh, she cares. Maybe even more than she should.”
Those words struck harder than they ought to have.
Heat bloomed in my chest, a mix of annoyance and warmth.
I fell silent, and Mildred nudged my arm playfully, adding, “Fix it. Before Katya, or your own silence breaks something you didn’t even realize mattered.”
We kept walking, but her words stayed, echoing louder than I wanted them to.
Luci cared, and for the first time, the thought didn’t irritate me.
It unsettled me.
In a way that felt dangerously close to… something else.