Chapter 32 THE BROTHERS ACCEPTED HIM
NOVA'S POV
I woke up feeling like someone had stuffed my head full of cotton and then hit me with a baseball bat.
Everything was fuzzy and confused, and for a few terrifying seconds, I had absolutely no idea where I was.
The bedroom was unfamiliar. White walls, modern furniture, floor-to-ceiling windows showing a view of the city that I didn't recognize.
And then Matthias was there, sitting on the edge of the bed next to me, looking concerned and worried and completely put-together in a fresh shirt.
"What happened?" I managed to croak out.
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"You had way too much wine last night." He handed me a glass of water and some pills.
"I've never seen anyone drink six glasses that fast. You passed out right after dinner, and I brought you up here so you could sleep it off comfortably. I stayed downstairs on the couch to make sure you were okay."
Six glasses of wine? I tried to remember drinking that much, but everything after arriving at his house was just blank.
Like someone had taken an eraser to that part of my memory.
"I'm so sorry," I said, embarrassment flooding through me. "I don't usually drink that much. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Don't apologize, things happen." His smile was warm and reassuring and kind. "You were just relaxed and having a good time. There's nothing wrong with that."
But something felt off. Not wrong exactly, just... off. Like my body was trying to tell me something that my brain couldn't quite understand.
"Did we..." I couldn't even finish the sentence.
"Did anything happen? Between us?" I finally summoned the courage to ask.
"No, of course not." He looked almost offended that I would even ask. "You fell asleep almost immediately after we finished eating. I would never take advantage of you like that, Nova. What kind of man do you think I am?"
I wanted to believe him. He sounded so sincere, so honest. His eyes looked clear and open, with no hint of deception in them.
"I'm sorry for asking. I just feel really strange and I can't remember anything, and I wanted to make sure..."
"I understand completely. But I promise you, nothing happened. You were safe the whole time." He helped me stand up on shaky legs. "Come on, let me take you home so you can rest properly."
The drive back to Blackthorn Estate was quiet.
I kept trying to force my brain to remember something, anything, from the night before.
But there was just nothing there. Just a big black hole where several hours of my life should have been.
It was terrifying and frustrating in equal measure.
When we pulled up to the estate, Matthias walked me to the door like a perfect gentleman.
"Get some rest," he said, and then he leaned down and kissed my forehead gently. "I'll check on you later to make sure you're feeling better."
"Thank you for taking care of me last night. And I'm really sorry for passing out like that.” I apologized.
"Stop apologizing. I'm just glad you're okay." He squeezed my hand once and then headed back to his car.
I watched him drive away, and then I let myself into the house as quietly as I could.
It was still early, barely seven in the morning, and I was hoping I could get back to my room without running into anyone.
I made it upstairs without seeing any of the staff and collapsed onto my bed, still fully dressed.
I was asleep within seconds.
When I woke up again, it was late afternoon. The sun was streaming through my windows at that angle that meant it had to be at least three or four o'clock.
I sat up slowly, testing how my body felt.
And surprisingly, I felt completely fine.
My body felt normal and rested, unlike the way I was feeling while in his house. I guess all I needed was a good night's sleep and nothing more.
I took a long, hot shower and changed into comfortable lounge clothes.
My stomach was growling, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, so I headed downstairs to find some food.
Both brothers were in the living room when I walked past and it dawned on me that they didn't go to work.
They looked up at the same time, and I could see the questions in their eyes.
"Hey!" I said casually, like everything was completely normal.
"Hey!” Elias replied, and his voice was carefully neutral. "How was your date with Matthias?"
"It was good, actually. We had dinner at his place, talked for hours, and just really got to know each other better." I sat down in the chair across from them
"That's all that happened?" Callum's eyes were searching my face like he was trying to read something there. "Just dinner and talking?"
"Yeah, that's all. Why? What else would have happened?" I tried to make my voice light and unconcerned, even though something about the way he was looking at me made my stomach twist with unease.
"Nothing, just asking." But he didn't look convinced, and I could see the tension in his shoulders.
"Actually, I wanted to tell you both something." I took a deep breath, steeling myself for their reaction. "Matthias and I, we're officially dating now. Like, exclusive. He asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes."
The silence that followed was so thick and heavy that I could have cut it with a knife.
"Dating," Callum repeated, and his voice was flat and emotionless in a way that was somehow worse than if he had been angry.
"Yes." I looked between them, trying to keep my voice firm and steady. “And remember you both promise to back off.”
Elias looked like someone had punched him in the gut. His face had gone pale, and his hands were clenched into fists on his knees.
But he had promised and they both had.
"Is that what you really want," he finally said, and his voice was rough and strained.
"It is what I want."
"Fine." Callum stood up abruptly, his movements sharp and controlled. "We'll respect your decision. We promised to give you space, and we'll keep that promise.”
He stood up and walked out of the room, his footsteps heavy on the hardwood floor.
Elias stayed where he was for another moment, just looking at me with those sad, haunted eyes.
"Are you happy?" he asked quietly.
"Yes I am."I replied, keeping my expression steady.
"Then I guess that's what matters." He stood up slowly, like his whole body ached. "Just... be careful, okay? Please."
"I will."
He nodded once and then followed his brother out of the room, leaving me sitting there alone.
And for some reason I couldn't quite explain, their acceptance of my decision felt so much worse than their anger would have.