Chapter 72 No More Illusions
She froze. “What are you doing here?”
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Austin didn’t answer her question. Instead, he ground out his words. “I’ll send you an address. Get over here.”
The line cut off. Only a t busy tone remained.
For a while, she just sat there, dazed, until Ethan waved a hand in front of her face. “Hey, Dawn. Earth to you.”
She looked up. At some point, he’d walked right up to her, and the light streaming in from behind him outlined his face in a soft, golden glow. For a second, he looked almost unreal. He was so striking it made her breath hitch.
Blinking, she muttered, “My uncle’s in Northville. He wants me to meet him.”
Ethan responded with a hum. His expression didn’t change, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking. He simply reached for his jacket. “Let’s go.”
“I can go by myself … ” Dawn replied.
“I’m going with you,” Ethan insisted.
Dawn didn’t know what to say.
She had been ready to refuse, but halfway through, she caught herself. With where things stood between them now, maybe it was time to start getting used to his
presence.
The address Austin sent was right near Dreammaker Studios. Which meant he’d already gone out of his way to find out where she worked.
Dawn sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery blur past the window. Memories she thought she’d buried kept surfacing, one after another, until it all felt like something from a past life.
When had it all started to change?
Probably the day she turned 18, when she confessed to him.
From then on, Austin had only grown harsher, his patience nonexistent. Every attempt at a conversation ended in frustration, every exchange breaking down before it even began.
Chapter 72 No More Illusions
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She cracked the window, letting the night air wash over her, and drew in a deep breath. In her mind, she told herself that staying in Northville meant leaving that overbearing, once–beloved uncle firmly in the past.
This was the end of it.
From now on, she’d stop holding on to any illusions about him.
Ethan drove steadily beside her, silent. He caught every flicker of her reaction but didn’t intrude. Instead, he simply reached over and nudged the temperature up, wordlessly making the car a little warmer.
Twenty minutester, the car pulled up in front of a hotel.
Dawn unbuckled her seatbelt and nced inside.
Then she turned around and said, “Maybe … you should wait in the car? I need <i>to </i>talk to him alone.”
Ethan’s eyes flickered, but it took him a couple of seconds to answer. “Okay.”
Dawn let out a quiet breath, forcing a smile that came off a little too cating. “Just don’t go wandering around, okay? It’s cold out there. I’ll be quick.”
She probably didn’t realize it, but even that small bit of concern meant more to Ethan than she knew. At the very least, it soothed the faint sting he’d been carrying a moment ago.
By now night had fully settled in. When Dawn walked through the hotel doors, the lobby was nearly empty. She nced around but didn’t see Austin anywhere.
At the front desk, she asked politely, “Hi, is Mr. Osbourne staying here?”
The receptionist smiled warmly and replied politely, “Are you Ms. Porter? Mr. Osborne left instructions. He said if you arrived, you’re to go straight up to him–Room SSS.”
Dawn was speechless. <fn175b> Follow current nov?ls on find?novel</fn175b>
So he wanted her to go upstairs? She’d thought he’d be waiting for her in the lobby.
With a faint frown, she murmured thanks and made her way toward the elevator.
The five–star hotel carried a light fragrance even in the corridors. Following the signs, she found Room <i>888</i>, paused to steady herself, then rang the bell.
But no one opened the door for her. So, she rang the bell again.
Chapter 72 No More Illusions
Secondster, the lock clicked, and the door swung open.
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Austin appeared in the doorway, tall and imposing. To Dawn’s shock, he looked fresh out of the shower, a robe hanging loose as water dripped from his hair, sliding past his corbone and down into his chest.
Dawn’s eyes widened, and she spun around so fast she almost dropped her phone. “Couldn’t you put on some proper clothes before opening the door?”
He frowned, giving her a sharp look. His voice was low, firm. “What are you being shy about? It’s not like I’m naked. Get in here.”
She pressed her lips together and waited until he turned away before forcing herself to step inside.
The shower had cooled most of Austin’s temper.
Grabbing a towel, he rubbed at his damp hair, then cinched the robe a little tighter around his waist before stepping back out. “Alright,” he said evenly. “Tell me. What were you thinking, running off to Northville behind my back?”
Dawn fell silent.
Because she wanted to get away from him.
Dawn lowered her gaze to her fingers, unwilling to say it outright. Instead, she murmured, “I need to learn to stand on my own. If I’d stayed in Trifton, I would’ve just kept … relying on you and your parents.”
Austin froze, his eyes locking on her without blinking.
“Is that it? Is that the only reason?”
“Yeah.”
She forced a small smile. “And besides, you’re getting married, aren’t you? Your focus should be on your fiancée, on the family you’re about to build. You don’t need to worry about me
anymore.”
She meant every word. What she didn’t realize was that, to Austin, this sounded like the real reason she’d left for Northville.