Chapter 30
Before he could say another word, the glass doors of the mall hissed open again.
Victoria ca limping out onto the pavent, her wet, espresso-stained coat flapping around her knees. Her perfect ponytail was a complete disaster now.
"Ren!" she cried out, her voice echoing across the parking lot as she clutched her foot. "Ren, wait! I twisted my ankle when that maniac pushed ! It hurts so bad. You need to take to the hospital right now!"
Ren didn’t move toward her. He didn’t even look back at her. His eyes stayed completely locked on mine, heavy and dark with an emotion I couldn’t read.
I didn’t give him the satisfaction of watching care. I turned away from him, raised my hand, and flagged down a yellow taxi that was just pulling up to the curb.
The car ca to a halt right in front of . I opened the door, stepped inside, and shut it firmly behind without giving Ren a second glance.
As the taxi pulled away into the traffic, I looked straight ahead, forcing my breathing to stay slow and steady.
When I arrived back at Neve’s apartnt, the silence of the empty rooms welcod .
I went straight to the bathroom, turned the shower on as hot as it could go, and washed the day right off my skin. I changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt.
I stood in the middle of the living room and took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to let whatever happened at the mall get to . It didn’t get to . It shouldn’t.
Feeling a bit hungry, I walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer, only to realize it was almost completely empty.
There was barely anything to eat. I made a ntal note right then that I needed to buy a car as soon as possible.
Relying on taxis or other people was getting old, and it would make moving around the city much easier.
Plus, I really needed to start looking for my own place to stay. I couldn’t live out of Neve’s spare room forever.
I grabbed my purse, took another taxi to the nearest grocery store, and spent an hour walking down the aisles.
I bought everything I needed—fresh vegetables, at, snacks, and enough groceries to stock the kitchen for a while.
By the ti I took a taxi back to the apartnt building, the sun was beginning to set. But as the cab pulled up to the curb, my heart did a strange, sudden flip.
Ren’s car was parked right out front.
I paused, gripping the grocery bags tightly in my hands, took a deep breath and gave myself a stern ntal lecture. Be mature, Lumi. Do not act like it affected you, because it didn’t.
I stepped out of the taxi and began walking toward the building entrance. Before I could even reach the front doors, the heavy thud of boots sounded on the pavent.
Ren walked right up to , his massive fra blocking the light. His expression was completely blank, his guard fully back up.
"I ca to take my things," he said, his deep voice rough.
He didn’t wait for to answer. He simply reached down and took the heavy grocery bags right out of my hands, carrying them inside for .
I followed him up to the apartnt in total silence. Neither of us said a single word about Victoria, the mall, or the fact that he was engaged. It was like it had never happened.
When we got inside, he dropped the grocery bags onto the kitchen island. But instead of going to the room to pack his duffel bag, he walked straight into the living room, sat down on the sofa, and switched on the TV.
I stood in the kitchen, staring at him through the open doorway, completely confused. Didn’t he just say he ca to take his things?
I shook my head, deciding not to say anything. I went back to the bathroom, took another quick shower to wash off the outside gri, and changed into a pair of oversized, incredibly comfortable sweatpants and a soft tank top.
When I ca back out, the low hum of the TV was still filling the apartnt. I went into the kitchen and started unpacking the groceries, deciding to prepare a simple dinner to keep my hands busy.
As I was chopping so vegetables, I realized I needed a specific spice container from the very top shelf of the upper cabinet.
I stood on my tiptoes, stretching my arm up as high as it could go, my fingers just barely brushing the edge of the plastic bottle.
Suddenly, the air behind grew incredibly warm. Before I could even register the shadow falling over , I felt the solid, heavy heat of soone’s hands resting gently on my hips.
"You should ask for assistance when you need one," Ren murmured.
His voice rumbled right against the back of my neck, making a shiver run straight down my spine.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I slowly turned around within the small space between his body and the counter.
I looked up, locking my gaze right into his dark eyes. He was staring down at with an intensity that made my knees feel weak.
The way he was looking at ... it was like he was starving, like he wanted to say a thousand things but couldn’t find the words.
Without breaking eye contact, his large right hand reached up easily, grabbed the spice container from the top shelf, and passed it to his left hand. He set the small can down on the island beside us with a soft clink.
But his eyes never left mine.
We were standing so close that I could hear the heavy, steady rhythm of his breathing. The scent of his leather jacket and clean skin filled my senses, making my mind spin.
My heart started beating wildly against my ribs, a frantic, traitorous thumping that I was sure he could hear.
And then, like a bucket of ice water, reality slamd back into my head.
I am still a married woman. Callum still had his ring on my finger, legally binding to a nightmare. And Ren is in a relationship. He has a fiancé.
The spell broke instantly. I dropped my eyes, unable to look at him for another second, and took a sharp step back until my spine hit the kitchen counter, putting space between us.
Ren’s fingers twitched slightly as he pulled them back. The sudden coldness where his hands had just been made feel small and exposed.
"I’ve got it from here," I said, my voice sounding a little tighter than I wanted it to. I picked up the spice container he had just placed on the counter, keeping my eyes fixed on the plastic bottle so I wouldn’t have to look at him. "Thanks."
Ren didn’t move away right away. He stood there for a long mont, his chest rising and falling slowly. I could feel his eyes on the top of my head, but I kept my focus entirely on the vegetables in front of , picking up the knife and starting to chop again just to look busy.
Finally, he let out a low breath and walked back into the living room. The couch groaned slightly under his weight as he sat back down, and the familiar sound of the TV filled the quiet apartnt again.
My hands were shaking slightly as I moved the knife against the cutting board. Get it together, Lumi, I told myself fiercely. He has a life. You have a life. You have a son to win back.
By the ti the food was done, the apartnt slled like garlic and roasted chicken.
I plated the food in silence, putting a portion onto a second plate without really thinking about it. I walked out to the living room and set the plate down on the coffee table right in front of him.
Ren looked up from the screen, his dark eyes tracking my movents. "Lumi..."
"Eat," I said, cutting him off before he could start whatever talk he was trying to have. "You’ve been traveling all day too. You need to eat."
I took my own plate over to the small dining table near the window, sitting down with my back partly turned to him.
I picked up my fork, but the food tasted like cardboard in my mouth. I kept staring out the window at the streetlights below, watching the occasional car drive past.
"I’m buying a car tomorrow," I announced into the quiet room, not looking back at him. "I’ll go down to the local dealership in the morning. And I’m going to look at a few apartnt listings online tonight. I can’t stay here forever, and I need my own space if I’m going to start working on the building."
The sound of his fork hitting the plate stopped. The living room went completely silent except for the low murmur of the TV.
"You don’t need to rush out of here," Ren’s deep voice rumbled from behind . He sounded tired, the rough edge back in his tone. "Neve wants you here. I want you here where it’s safe."
"I am safe," I said, turning my head slightly to look at him over my shoulder. I forced my expression to look casual.
"But I’m starting a business, Ren. I need to be independent. I can’t rely on you to drive around or check on every five minutes. You have your own things to take care of now."
I let the words hang there, a quiet reminder of the woman we had left at the mall.
Ren stared at , his jaw clenching tightly. He looked like he wanted to argue, like he wanted to stand up and cross the room to pull away from the window, but he kept himself planted on the sofa. He just nodded once, a sharp, tight movent.
"I’ll co with you to the dealership," he said, his tone leaving no room for argunt. "You shouldn’t buy a car alone. Dealerships around here will rip you off if they think you don’t know what’s under the hood."
"I can handle it," I replied, turning back to the window.
"I’m coming, Lumi," he repeated, his voice dropping into that low, authoritative rumble that always made my stomach do a strange flip. "And that’s final."
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