Chapter 71 The Same Trap
My eyes closed and my unoccupied hand naturally moved to his chest, holding on gently as the kiss became more deeper.
My heart began to thump against my chest.
But it wasn’t fear.
It was just a feeling that the kiss felt unique.
After about three minutes of intense kissing, he eventually leaned away, his forehead gently touching mine.
Immediately, I looked down, avoiding his gaze as I stylishly tucked my hair behind my ear.
Then he held my cheeks in his palm and gently lifted my head up.
Our eyes met.
My cheeks flushed and I hoped it didn't feel hot to his touch.
“You see why I asked you not to drink too much,” he whispered, his eyes locked with mine.
“Yeah,” I retorted, my voice barely above a whisper.
I couldn’t even breathe properly and I just wanted to disappear from his presence.
“Goodnight beautiful,” he said softly, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
“Goodnight,” I whispered and turned to leave.
As I walked towards the door, I could feel his sharp gaze piercing into my skin and that alone made my legs feel heavy.
It felt as if something was controlling my legs, but I didn’t let it hold me down.
I didn’t look back till I got to the door.
Not even to tell him to drive safely.
Once I was inside, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, breathing out heavily.
I didn’t realize I had been holding that all along.
“What the hell just happened?” I whispered, touching my lips slightly.
At that moment, my lips were still buzzing as my mind replayed the kiss.
And for the first time in a long while, I found myself not thinking about Alex at all.
A few seconds later, I tiptoed carefully into my room.
I didn’t want any of Lena’s drama that night.
When I got into my room, I undressed and slipped into the bathroom.
Under the warm water, I started replaying Dave’s soft lips on mine again as I watched the soap lather drop down my skin.
When I stepped out, I heard my phone buzz from the bedside table and reached for it.
It was Dave.
“I got home safely. Is there any chance you are free this weekend? Thought maybe a quiet drive somewhere with fresh air and no pressure.”
I stared at the message, water dripping from my hair.
I wanted to decline because I thought I wouldn’t be able to face him after that night.
But that would look weird.
“You don’t want him to see you as a weird person, right?” my inner voice chided.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I quickly typed back.
“That sounds nice. I’m free Saturday.”
Then I hit send.
After that, I held my phone to my chest and sighed.
“You did the right thing,” I whispered to myself.
I told myself it was just a kiss and that it shouldn’t matter.
The next morning, I woke up very early, dressed for work, and walked out of my room, but I bumped into Lena on my way out.
Damn! I wanted to drive out without seeing her at all.
“Ma’am, why are you going this early?” she asked, stirring the coffee she was holding slowly as she fixed her gaze on me.
“I have something very important to work on this morning,” I replied reluctantly.
“That's not true. It’s because you don’t want me to ask about last night,” she chuckled.
It’s not news that she knew me so well.
“Can we talk later?” I asked, squinting my eyes as I waited for her reply.
She didn’t reply at first.
She studied my face for a while, then she nodded.
“Fine, I wouldn’t want a half-baked gist, either,” she said and smiled.
“Thank you,” I smiled and walked out, closing the door softly behind me.
Throughout that day, Dave kept sending random messages to check on me.
Sometimes I would even find myself smiling at the texts before replying.
Jane also texted me, she asked for my house address, saying she wants to see Theo and maybe make friends with Lena too.
The day passed by in a blur, I buried myself in work, but no matter how many hours I spent sketching layouts or coordinating with my team on our new project, I couldn’t stop thinking about that particular kiss, coupled with his unending text messages.
It felt safe.
And when I was done at work, I arranged my desk and walked into my car.
Just as I wanted to start the ignition, his message popped up on my screen again.
“Don’t work too late, okay?”
I smiled, tossed my phone carefully onto the passenger’s seat, and drove out into the street.
ALEX HART’S POV
My own house had started to feel like a cage to me. Cassandra’s presence lingered in every corner, and the damage she had done to my life burned in my memory.
I had locked myself in my study after work, pretending to review blueprints, when all I just did was stare at the wall.
Before Cassandra’s arrival, I didn’t even remember the last time I sat in the study.
I do everything in my room, and I only go there when I need important documents.
My phone sat silent in front of me.
No calls or texts from Joan.
Not like I was expecting one though.
I had also stopped trying to disturb her with messages and calls after my last message.
But the silence still ate me up.
I hoped I would really keep up with not bugging her anymore.
As if avoiding Cassandra by locking myself in the study wasn’t enough, a sharp knock came from the door.
“What?” I snapped through the door.
“I’m bored… let’s go out. Dinner or something,” she said, loud enough for me to hear through the door.
“The baby needs variety,” she added.
I rubbed my temples, anger swirling within me.
She had been like that all week. She would make silly demands disguised as pregnancy cravings.
And when I refused, she would start throwing tantrums.
“Not tonight,” I whispered under my breath.
“Come on, Alex. It’s just food… or do you want me to tell your mother you are maltreating me?”
The same trap every time.
I wanted to disregard her tantrums but I remembered Marcus’s words.
“Endure it. It’s just until she gives birth.”
Reluctantly, I stood up and slowly walked towards the door.
“What do you want to get? Let me get it for you,” I said, my voice firm.
“No… my baby needs fresh air,” she insisted.
I reached for my car key and took the lead without saying any more words.
She followed right after me.
Then I drove her to a restaurant nearby.
When we got there, I parked, killing the engine with more force than necessary.
“Let’s make this fast,” I muttered, stepping out into the cool evening air.
She followed and hurried to walk behind me.
“You couldn’t even get the door for me,” she chucked, wanting to hold my hand.
But I quickly moved my hand away.
Inside, we had barely ordered appetizers when she excused herself to the restroom. I watched her walk through the tables with the high-society grace she had always flaunted, irritation surging through me.
Just as I looked away, I heard familiar voices.
When I looked up, I saw her talking to a tall, blonde woman dressed in casual jeans and a top.
They hugged awkwardly and Cassandra forced out a smile.
“Avalon! Oh my God. It’s been a long while,” Cassandra said, her voice too bright even though her body language screamed discomfort.
“Cass! Look at you glowing. And you look pregnant. Who’s the lucky guy?” the woman asked.
Cassandra kept smiling, one hand shaking with her necklace like she wanted to escape.
Cassandra’s eyes darted towards me, but she hurriedly looked away.
I stood there, watching her every move.
She seemed suspicious, like she didn’t want the woman to say something she didn’t want to let out.
But I let it go.
After all, it isn’t my business.
Then the woman’s expression softened.
“Anyway, I heard about everything,” she said, searching her face.
“Sorry for your loss.”
“Loss?”
She looked at me again and looked away immediately.
What the hell was she talking about?