Bed behind him 119_Bound by Lies, Trapped by Desire

Chapter 119 

 Elena’s Por

 frowned, but answered him. “Oh no. She’s a ssmate from university Agirl My ape. My voice held a note of surprise at his unexpected assumption. Haruki hummed thoughtfully, a brief pause before he spoke again, his tone <bced with a subtle concern. “Alright then, Elena. Just please be careful. And kindly update me about Shinichiro as well once you’re back home tonight. And take care of yourself” With that, he abruptly ended the phone call, leaving a sense of hurriedness hanging in the air. I owned slightly, staring at my phone. He was obviously in a hurry, or perhaps something hade up unexpectedly. I probably caught him at a bad time,

 I quickly called a cab, providing the address of the hospital. Mielle, though still visibly shaken and embarrassed by her emotional outburst, didn’t protest at my proposal of staying the night at the condo. When we finally reached Haruki’s building, I quietly let us in. Upon entering the kitchen, my gaze dried towards the counter, and my brows shot upwards in surprise. The te of leftover sandwiches, which I had leht there earlier, waspletely empty

 Had Shinichiro actually eaten then? A small flicker of relief sparked within me, Perhaps he wasn’t entirely unreachable after all. I told Mille to make herselffortable in the guest room for the night, offering her a nket and a pillow, while I heated up some milk and arranged a couple of packaged cakes on a tray.

 With the tray in

 y in hand, I walked over to Shinichiro’s closed bedroom door, making sure the faint sliver of light beneath it was still visible before i gently knocked. There was a prolonged silence from within, the muffled sounds of the television barely audible. knocked again, a little louder this time. Finally, atter what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open, and he stood there, looking at me with a guarded, almost hostile expression. “Yes?” he asked, his voice t and unweing.

 “Ah…I made some hot chocte?” offered tentatively, pointing at the tray in my hand. He went tense for a fleeting moment, his gaze flickering down to the steaming mugs, before he moved slightly, taking one of the cups without a word. He then promptly closed the door again, leaving me standing in the hallway. I cleared my throat, the silence of the condo amplifying the awkwardness of the interaction.

 “Ah…one more thing,” I called out through the closed door, and after a brief pause, the door opened just a crack, his dark eyes pearing out at me.” actually brought a friend over with me… Mielle. I really hope you don’t mind… but she needed a ce to stay for the night. She’s going through a tough time. I already have your brother’s permission.” I said.

 Shinichiro scoffed softly, a dismissive sound that conveyed his utter disinterest. “Do whatever you want. It’s not my house.” He said before mming the door shut again, the sound echoing through the quiet condo.

 Isighed, a wave of exhaustion washing over me, and made my way to my own room. I made sure to message Haruki before sleep. The night passed by restlessly, my sleep punctuated by fragmented dreams and lingering worries. I left her a brief text message before leaving for work the next morning, letting her know I had gone to work and that she was wee to stay as long as she needed,

 The workday itself was surprisingly better than the previous day, the anti–nausea medication finally starting to make a noticeable difference. I managed to focus on my tasks.

 My brow furrowed in confusion when felt my phone buzz for what felt like the tenth time in the past hour. I finally turned up the phone and nced down at the screen, my eyes widening as I saw the sheer number of missed notifications – all from Fiona? A knot of unease tightened in my gut. excused myself from my workstation, the insistent burring of my phone growing more frantic with each passing minute.

 I walked slowly towards the rtive privacy of the office restroom. Reaching a vacant stall, I quickly locked the door and finally called Fiona back, my voice tight with apprehension. “What are you talking about, Fiona?” I asked, and she practically screamed into the phone, her voice shrill with a mixture of shock and disbelief. “Girl, what are you doing? You’re divorcing him? It’s all over the news, Elena! Everywhere!”

 Tralication

 Istammered.

 I winced, pulling the phone slightly away from my gar. “Shh, Fiona! Keep your voice down!” hissed, my cheeks flushing with a misture of embarrassment and rm. “That’s our private matter… how did you find out? The Low went silent for a split second, and then a wa washed over me. “Oh, wait, I didn’t mean you, specifically I meant like… other people. Of course, it’s fine if it’s you, you’re my best. trying to backtrack, acutely aware of my slip–up

 Fiona sighed dramatically on the other end of the line. “Damn, Elena… it really has been a while, hasn’t? You’re already treating me like some random acquaintance. Anyways…if you would just open your eyes and look at any news outlet on your phone right now, you’ll see it stered everywhere. On the front page headlines, no less! And not just that, you know. There are also ridiculous rumors swirling around that you somehow used connections to get that internship at Legacy.” Her voice was <bced with indignation on my behalf, but the mention of the rumors made me knock my head lightly against. the cool metal of the bathroom stall in frustration

 I swallowed the sudden lump in my thenat, my stomach twisting with a fresh wave of anvisty “I didn’t, Finna You know I would never do that”

 ly know you personally know actly how talented and hardworking your are. You don’t I know you didn’t, Elena.. trust me, most people who actually need anybody’s help getting to where you are today.” listened to her unwavering support, a small, previne tile frally touching my lips.

 Then I straightened my spine, pushing down the surge of panic threatening to overwhelm me. “Wright, Fions. I should probably get back to work now, Thanks for letting me know about all this” I said I had far more important things to worry about than some baseless numors. As for the divorce news being public… I couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but something felt distinctly off about the whole thing. It felt like someone had deliberately disclosed this information to the media. I mean, hadn’t Niki always been incredibily skilled at quashing any unwanted rumors before they gained traction?

 So then why now? A sinking feeling in my gut told me… what it what if it was Niki who had orchestrated this on purpose! The thought made my

 blood run cold.

 Then I shook my head firmly, stepping out of the bathroom stall. No, Niki wouldn’t stoop that low, would he? But then, I was abruptly reminded of my spectacrly terrible judgment of character when it came to Dmitri, and my hands began to tremble slightly. Shit… what if he actually had?

 “Elena?” Someone gently grabbed my shoulder, and I pivoted around so quickly my heart leaped into my throat,

 “Mkai?” I said, my eyes wide with surprise, my breath catching in my chest. He immediately brought his hands up in a gesture of surrender. / expression concerned.

 *Woah, Elona! You okay? You weren’t answering my calls, and you looked a little pale, so I…I just touched your shoulder. I’m sorry if I started you.” He said, his brow furrowed with worry, I shook my head, trying topose myself, the adrenaline slowly receding, “It’s alright, Mkal. Just lot on my mind,” I admitted, offering a smile. He nodded understandingly, then nced down at his watch.

 “Well, that’s… understandable, I suppose. It’s officially lunchtime now, though. Shall we go together?” He asked, his usual cheerful demeanor returning but I frowned, momentarily confused.

 “Go where?” Lasked, and his smile turned slightly awkward, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. “Uh… didn’t you promise my sister a lunch date? Yesterday?” He said, and my eyes widened in dawning realization. “Oh… God, you’re right! Ipletely forgot.” I said, a wave of guilt washing over me..

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Bed behind him 119