Chapter 83 The idea of space
Daxton
Anger seethed through me as I stared at the cold bowl of noodles—the one I’d made her. I should have grabbed her by the wrist, shoved her against the wall, and kissed her until she melted into my arms.
But I didn’t. Instead, what did I do? I remained in the same spot helpless, like a dummy as the word ‘space’ spiraled into an endless loop in my head.
What the fuck did ‘I will be needing space from you for a few days’ even mean?
I’d searched those words online, going through websites to understand what the concept of ‘space’ meant. Time to reflect, boundaries, and a breathing room— they all spat and churned out the same nonsense.
If she wanted space, didn’t that mean she was leaving?
And at that, forever?
Nonsense.
I was one step away from crashing out and going into Verena’s room to check if she had emptied her closet—the same thing I had done over and over even though her things remained intact.
She had left her phone on the couch and I swear on my life that if Josh doesn’t give an update on where Verena was, I would lose it.
I slammed my clenched fist on the table, pushing the stool back, scraping against the tile as I grabbed the bowl, dumped it into the trash, and closed the lid.
It was the proof of my helplessness, my failure, and how worthless I made her feel. The last thing I wanted was to watch it any longer.
My heart pounded intensely in my chest—hard enough to bruise my ribs—as her words replayed in my head again.
Treating her only as a sex partner wasn’t true. Silly. I had always treated her like she was a part of me because she really was so where all of this came from was hard to comprehend.
Zita.
Mandy.
I couldn’t wait to be done with those two. They brought the worst part of me out and now, Verena was worried.
The thought of Verena not being in the house made fear clog my throat and I was about to grab my phone, lash out at Josh when a sharp beep cut through the turmoil brewing inside of me.
I froze.
That was the door, right?
I held my heart in one hand as I listened keenly to each beep that followed. Then another and another. My blood pumped hard as one name crashed through my mind.
Verena.
She was back.
Relief slammed into my chest as I hurried to the door. I would pull her into my embrace, hold her tight, and never let go.
“Verena, I…” The rest of the words refused to slip out of my mouth when those hazel eyes met mine.
The hope inside of me vanished just as swiftly as it came. Matilda.
She stared at me confused, removing her jacket. “Is there a problem, sir?”
I swallowed hard, feeling my features harden as disappointment rocked me. “What are you doing here?” I said coldly.
Her lips parted slightly as she pointed to something behind her. “I still have some cleaning to do, remember? And Miss Verena wanted me to make dinner for you—”
‘Verena’ The mention of her name made my heart pick up in anticipation.
“When did she call you?” Anxiousness poked at me. “She left her phone so how did she call you,”
Matilda’s pupils dilated like she was caught up in something she shouldn’t be in. “Don’t know. She only said ‘Please make him dinner’. That’s all,”
She still cared. Verena still cared.
She wasn’t leaving forever like the voices in my head said and—
My heart suddenly thudded against my ribcage when something hit me. Wasn’t Atlas returning to Seattle tonight and…
Verena.
The hell. She wasn't planning on following him to Seattle right?
Shit. Shit.
I was done waiting for Josh for an update about Verena. I would go find her myself, settle this with her, and knock out every thought of Seattle from her head.
Grab my car keys. My phone and…
The worry on my face slowly faded when I noticed a debit alert buried underneath my other notifications $15,685. And another $18,000. In one single night.
Did someone get my card info or what?
As if I didn't have enough to handle, I had to worry about some potential thief who could be with my card, making these heinous transactions. I’d deal with that
later. Not now.
I was about to turn when my phone buzzed with another notification but this time it was from Josh.
I opened his message—a flood of pictures and texts welcoming me.
—Verena branched the baby and jewelry store. She bought things and gave them to Atlas before he left for the airport—
My eyes narrowed on the picture of her hugging him and I breathed an internal sigh of relief.
She wasn’t leaving for Seattle. That was only happening in my head.
—She rented one Aston Martin Vantage for her and an Aventador for Emily. They went car racing—
—She also went shopping before the City Mall closed. She’s spending a lot. Do I stop her before she makes another big purchase?—
My face contorted into a frown. “Stop her? Why would you? It is my money. Not yours,”
He texted back. “Do I force her back home?”
“Just let her find out that she is being followed and say bye to your job,”
“I apologize,”
“Keep following her. I need to know where she spends the night. Who she meets with. Also, keep your eyes on Kian, you can never be sure of what he is up to,”
“Sure,”
The delighted smile on my face widened as I went through those pictures over and over again, even though the idea of her not being here right now almost choked me to death.
To Verena, she was punishing me by racking up a huge bill in one night. But she was doing exactly what I had always wanted—using the black card I gave her and just spending without limit.
I shouldn’t have acted that way.
I shouldn’t have dismissed her like that.
I missed her, already longing for the way she’d curl into my chest at night, how her fingers would clutch my shirt in her sleep while I stroked her hair until her breathing evened out.
God, I wanted to hold her in my arms again—wanted it so badly it felt like my heart was being ripped out.
The mansion felt empty and cold without her. One more night without her being here again and I would actually lose my mind. Honestly.
The whole ‘space’ thing would end tomorrow. She wanted to know me on a deeper level right? I would give her a sneak peek. Something little—enough not to scare her off but good for a start.
Tonight, I would let her have her little fun with her friend because soon, she would be back in my arms where she belonged.
Her needing space from me for a few days? A total load of bullshit.