Chapter 743
[ 514 words ]
Chapter 743:
Without sparing his girlfriend a glance, he walked straight toward me with hurried, determined steps. His eyebrows drew together tightly, and his usually gentle eyes filled with worry and disbelief.
When he stopped in front of me, he lifted his hands slightly, as though he meant to hold my shoulders, but caught himself just in time. His voice came out low and unsteady. “Lianne… what happened to you? You’ve grown so thin.”
Frank’s concern came far too naturally, an instinct shaped by decades of habit, so deeply rooted that, for a brief moment, he completely forgot the girlfriend he’d wanted to introduce to everyone.
Silence settled over the group. The atmosphere turned awkward, and no one seemed to know what to say.
With a restrained smile, I quietly stepped back to put some distance between us. “Resigning left me with a lot to wrap up, so it’s been exhausting lately. Thank you for the concern, and please thank Jane as well.”
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺
I deliberately stressed Jane’s name, pulling Frank back to reality. The concern in his eyes vanished at once, replaced by visible embarrassment. He took Jane’s hand and formally introduced her. “I’m sorry. That was improper of me. This is my girlfriend, Jane.”
Throughout the meal, Tracy did everything she could to ease the tension, joking with Frank and bringing up funny memories from their time in the pack, hoping to erase the awkward moment from earlier.
I sat in the chair closest to the door. Even though the cushioned seat was comfortable, I couldn’t relax. The nightmares that had haunted me for days still wrapped tightly around my mind. The laughter and conversation around the table felt distant and muffled, as if I were hearing them through a thick pane of glass.
I absentmindedly pushed the food around my plate, silently counting the minutes until I could leave this gathering and return to my dark, quiet apartment.
“Lianne, have some more of this. You need to eat something nutritious.” Frank kept adding food to my plate, still clearly worried. His constant attention only made me more uneasy, especially with his girlfriend sitting right beside him.
With a deep breath, I found an excuse to leave the table. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.”
Inside the restroom, I turned on the tap and splashed cold water on my face. The cold made me shiver, but it also cleared some of the haze clouding my thoughts.
I dropped my head to search my bag for a tissue when a neatly folded one suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Thank you,” I said, taking it. I patted my face dry, then slipped my glasses back on.
Only then did I realize the person beside me was Jane. My heart jumped.
“You look like you’re having a really hard time,” Jane said softly, her voice soothing and almost innocent.
“I’ve just been sleeping badly. It’s been a problem for a while now,” I answered with a strained smile, moving to walk past her. Before I could take a step, her next sentence stopped me cold.
“I know Frank spent many years waiting for you,” Jane said casually.
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