Chapter 90
Chapter 90 SAGEContent protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.
Despite it being against my will, I had no choice but to join them for breakfast, as they already waited for me. I thought it was obvious that I don't want to see them at the table, but it seems like this one was inevitable.
The air was thick as soon as I stepped inside the dining room. The place was small compared to the size of the palace where they used to live. The cozy table was surrounded by six chairs; two on each side and one at each end. Titus occupied the seat at the far end of the table, with Anna seated beside him on his right. Elara and Scott had taken seats across from each other, leaving the chair on Titus's left empty.
I felt his gaze on me as I deliberately moved to the chair at the opposite end, farthest from him. His eyes followed my every step, his expression darkening as I settled in across the table instead of beside him. He clenched his jaw, a clear sign that he wasn't pleased by my choice, though he said nothing. Whether that empty chair was intended for me or not, I didn't care. I was planning on keeping my distance from him as much as possible. "You're finally here," Anna remarked, lacing her words with sarcasm and making no effort to hide her annoyance.
I held back a sigh and looked at her, unamused. "I didn't ask you to wait for me. Am I holding your plate hostage, or are you waiting for me to spoon-feed you?" Anna's sweet, polite facade had vanished the moment Titus chose her. Now there was no hiding the venom in her she didn't bother with niceties. eyes, and
don't appreciate your tone," she snapped, eyes narrowing.
"Too bad I don't give a damn," I replied, flashing her a quick, insincere smile. The words left my mouth before I could hold them back. But there was no point in pretending with her, not when her true colors were on full display.
Anna's mouth opened, likely ready to retaliate, but before she could say another word, Titus's deep, commanding voice cut through the tension. "That's enough. Let's eat."
The finality in his tone left no room for argument. Anna pursed her lips and fell silent, though her glare lingered on me. Titus's gaze was fixed on his plate, yet I couldn't shake the feeling he was all too aware of the tension radiating between us. I took a deep breath, determined to get through this meal without letting either of them get under my skin.
I shifted my focus to my own plate, trying to ignore the storm of emotions swirling around the table. The food looked good, but my appetite was nowhere to be found. I poked at the scrambled eggs with my fork, taking small bites as the silence stretched, punctuated only by the clinking of silverware. Every so often, I felt Titus's eyes flicker in my direction, but he remained silent, his expression unreadable.
I was starting to enjoy the silence when it was suddenly broken by the loud shrieking of chairs against the concrete floor. We all raised our heads and found Titus standing from his chair. He grabbed the plate filled with meat and another plate filled with fruits. We are all clueless for what's going on inside his head. But I was completely surprised when I found him standing right beside me as he put the plates near mine. I was startled when he grabbed a big chunk of meat and put it on my plate. He did the same with the fruits. "What are you "I didn't manage to finish what I was about to say.
"You haven't eaten for two days. You need to regain your strength," he explained coldly before he backed to his seat.
We were all too stunned to speak as we all followed his every move with our eyes. He seems unbothered even when he noticed us staring at him. He casually brought back his focus on his plates, but our eyes remained fixated on him. That's when he realized that we were waiting for some kind of explanation for his action.
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"I was only showing her gratitude," he said in a calm tone, though his words struck me harder than I wanted to admit. "Sage I went through pain because of the rejection, and I appreciate her willingness to take that burde I know how important it was for Anna to cut off my bond with Sage, and I appreciate that Sage didn't let Anna suffer even more because of this."
As he finished, Anna's frown melted into a satisfied smile. She reached for his hand on the table and gave it a gentle squeeze, their shared smile enough to send a fresh wave of hurt through me. I tried to ignore it, to pretend it didn't sting, but it was too much. I couldn't just sit there and watch them sharing tender glances, unaware or uncaring of how much it cost me to be there.
Quietly, I picked up the food Titus had placed on my plate and put it back on the serving platter. My appetite had vanished completely. I didn't check to see if Titus noticed or responded. My only goal was to leave the table without looking back.
"Thank you for the meal," I said, keeping my voice steady. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some fresh air
Without waiting for a response, I stood, pushed in my chair, and walked away, doing my best to ignore the weight of eyes on me. Once outside, I took in a deep, shaky breath, welcoming the cool breeze as it washed over me. The walls of that room had been closing in, suffocating me, and now, at least, I had space to breathe and regroup.