Chapter 163
~ Clinton ~
"I’ll call you back, Ayanna," Annie said quickly before ending the call. Her eyes narrowed the mont she looked at .
"Hey, Annie-bell, I—"
"What are you doing here?" she cut in, her frown deepening.
"Isn’t that a weird question to ask?" I replied, trying to keep my tone light. "This is still my ho."
"True, it’s your ho. If you want to be here, then stay. I’m leaving right now." She turned on her heel, ready to walk away.
I reached out and gently caught her wrist. "Hey, co on."
She jerked her hand free, spinning back to face . "What do you want, Clinton?"
"Clinton?" I tilted my head slightly, a small smile tugging at my lips. "That’s new. You hardly ever call Clinton."
"Stop beating around the bush and tell what the fuck you want," she snapped, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
I took a breath, eting her gaze steadily. "I ca here to apologize."
"So you’re feeling remorseful now that you’ve hurt ?" She scoffed, but the pain behind her eyes was unmistakable.
"Yes. And the way you’re looking at right now is making feel even worse and more guilty," I admitted with a heavy sigh.
"Good. Let it make you feel bad and guilty," she shot back.
"It already does," I said quietly. "I’m sorry, Annie. I didn’t an to hurt your feelings like that."
"Well, you did," she said, still frowning.
"Which is exactly why I’m apologizing." I reached for her hand again, this ti more carefully. "Please forgive . I’m truly sorry."
"You hurt , Clint," she whispered, her voice cracking just a little.
"I know," I said softly, smiling when she used my nickna. The sound of it felt like a small victory.
She stared at for a long mont, searching my face. Finally, the tension in her shoulders eased, and a reluctant smile broke through.
"Fine. You’re forgiven."
"Thank you," I breathed out in relief, the knot in my chest loosening. I was genuinely glad to reconcile with her.
"You’re welco," she replied, her smile growing warr.
"So...where do we stand now? You and I?" she asked, her voice softer but still cautious.
"I think we should take things slow," I told her honestly. "No rushing into anything."
She smiled and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Hmm, that’s not bad at all."
Before I could respond, she leaned in and kissed . The kiss was sweet and hopeful on her end, but inside, guilt twisted sharply in my gut. All I had wanted was her forgiveness, yet the truth was heavier than I could admit. I didn’t love her the way she deserved to be loved. Annie was kind, caring, and genuinely amazing—she deserved soone who could give her his whole heart. But mine still belonged to Octavia, even though Octavia remained tied to Franklin.
When she pulled back, her eyes sparkled. "Your birthday is in a few days."
"My birthday?" I blinked, genuinely surprised. I had almost forgotten with everything going on.
"You seem surprised," Annie observed, tilting her head.
"I am. I completely forgot it was coming up. Silly ," I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Why would you forget your own birthday?" she asked, narrowing her eyes playfully.
"Maybe because I have a lot on my mind," I shrugged. And it was true. The kidnapping, the constant feeling of being watched, the tension with my father, and the complicated pull I still felt toward Octavia—it was all too much.
"You should stop overthinking everything," she scolded gently.
"I will," I promised.
I glanced toward the mansion, then back at her. "What about your mom?"
"She went into the city with Cleo. Today was their day off, so they’re out having fun—coffee and hair appointnts."
"And you didn’t join them?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I was working, and honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for a hangout," she admitted.
"I see." I paused. "What about my dad? Is he around?"
"I don’t think so. Do you want to see him?"
"No, I was just asking," I said quickly.
She gave a confused look. "The last ti I asked what was wrong between you two, you didn’t give a straight answer. What’s really going on between you and your dad, Clint?"
"We’re fine, Annie," I replied, though I knew it sounded unconvincing.
"You’re lying," she said imdiately. Annie had always been an excellent observer.
"Did sothing bad happen? Are you two not speaking?"
"Yes," I admitted reluctantly.
"What was it?" she pressed, curiosity and concern mixing in her eyes.
I hesitated. Telling her the full truth would an bringing Octavia into it again, and that hadn’t gone well last ti. I chose my words carefully.
"Let’s just say my father wanted to do sothing I didn’t agree with. When I refused, he disowned , and I moved out."
Annie gasped. "Wow... that’s wild."
"Yeah," I nodded, not wanting to elaborate.
"Do you still want to talk about it?" she asked gently.
"I’d rather not," I shook my head.
"Okay." She slipped her hand under my arm. "Want to hang out with until my mom gets back?"
"Sure," I agreed.
"Okay... hey," she said as we began walking toward the mansion.
"Yeah?"
"Ayanna has finally picked a wedding date."
"Wow, good for her," I said.
"Yeah. She’s inviting you and your dad to the wedding."
"She is inviting us to travel over to Chicago?"
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded.
"Oh... Okay... well, I don’t know about my dad, but I think I’ll attend."
She grinned brightly. "I’m really happy to hear that."
We continued walking side by side toward the mansion, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the grounds. On the surface, things felt calr between us. But deep down, I knew the peace was fragile. My heart was still tangled elsewhere, and I had no idea how long I could keep pretending it wasn’t.
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