Chapter 0281


    It''s a gamble, those words. Because he’s never said more — has never told me, explicitly, that he feels anything more for me than


    just the mistress he signed up for with that stupid contract.


    But | know. | know it in my bones.


    And right now? He’s either going to admit it, or he’s going to lose me. Because | can’t do it anymore — not when | have it on good


    authority that someone ising to kill us all sometime this week. The time for ying coy is over. He either trusts me or he


    doesn’t. We''re either in this together?


    Or I’m leaving.


    I''m not getting killed for someone who doesn’t trust me and can’t even admit he cares about me.


    And as | re up at him, and he res back, | know that Kent understands all of it.


    We stay in that deadlock for a long time, staring at each other, each waiting for the other to break. But neither does.


    Until, to my surprise, Kent shifts his position and looks down at his feet, stepping his right foot on the heel of his left shoe and


    starting to step out of it.


    “What?” | ask, confused, realizing that Kent’s...taking off his shoes? “What are you doing?”


    “I''ming to bed, Fay,” he snaps, looking up at me and renewing his little re.


    “What?” | ask again, still baffled as he shrugs off his suit jacket and hangs it neatly up on a spare hanger in the wardrobe.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    But he doesn’t answer me this time, just sighs as he peels back the covers on the other side of the bed — Daniel’s side of the


    bed, technically — and sits down on the mattress, leaning back against the pile of floral pillows against my headboard.


    “Turn off the light,” he says, nodding to my reading light.


    But | hesitate, ring at him a little and grabbing a pillow that | nt staunchly between us like a little wall. Kent nces down at


    it.


    “What''s that for?” he asks.


    “So you can’t seduce me,” | grumble, “into being nice to you after you’ve been so mean to me —*


    “Is that all it will take to get you to stop being mad at me?” Kent asks, raising an eyebrow at me. “Just, sex?”


    “Well, probably!” | answer too quickly,


    and then bite my lip as | see Kent''s


    mouth quirk up ara


    pyjfe cine {feo at him, | bury


    my face in my hand as | mumble my


    reply. “You''re...hard to resist, Kent.


    And we both know you use sex to


    manipte me.” Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    Kentughs a dark littleugh then. “Manipte might be too strong a word, Fay,” he murmurs softly. | feel him trace his fingers


    over my knee then and | angrily swat his hand away.


    “No touching,” | murmur, frustrated.


    Because — damn it, I’m trying so hard


    to hold onto my convictions — but}


    so happy he''s persy ea pleased that


    He swalldWed his own pride and


    made himself go all the way through


    the passage, to climb that stupid


    winding staircase — made himself


    make the trek he usually makes me


    take every night to be by his side.


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    But still. It’s not an apology. It’s not a


    sigh of trust. | steel myself and tr


    be newly deter, ped g@\GayStong.


    Hepase hy sel -worth is worth more


    than what he’s offering. Especially


    now that | know just how much more


    | want. Please read the original


    content at NovelDrama.Org.


    “The light, Fay,” Kent says and | pull my hand away from my face to frown at him a little, confused.


    “Why?”


    “Because,” he says, giving me a little shrug. “If I''m going to confess all of my darkest secrets to you, it feels... more appropriate to


    do it with the lights off.”