Page 35 of Insatiable

I drag my hands through my hair. “You don’t need to.”

She wanders around the room, almost like she’s inspecting it before she comes to a stop and sits on the bed, her flowery dress sprayed out beneath her, her legs crossed at the ankles

She’s not crying, but the weight of her sadness seems to fill the space between us. It lingers in the air, thick and unspoken, and for the first time since she walked in, I feel... unsettled. More than anything, though, I notice how beautiful she looks, her face framed by soft waves of dark blonde hair. It’s almost disarming.

“Look,” I mutter, trying to distract myself from whatever this is. “You don’t have to?—”

“I do,” she cuts in.

I sigh and sit down beside her, the mattress dipping under our combined weight. The silence stretches between us.

“You stayed with me in hospital the whole time. Juliette told me.”

“I had to make sure the baby was alright,” I say dismissively, keeping my tone as flat as I can manage. No fucking point turning this into something it’s not. I’m not in love with Rowena, no matter what Anthura might think. Our one night together was one fucking huge mistake. Just one that ended with consequences.

“Just the baby?” she presses, and I feel her eyes on me, like she’s waiting for something more.

I tear my gaze away, staring at the wall as if it holds the answers. When I don’t answer, she continues, “You didn’t know about the food being poisoned, did you?”

“I already told you that.” My voice is edged with frustration. She needs to get out of here before…

“Barclay, will you effing look at me?”

I turn to face her, my eyes meeting hers reluctantly. The intensity in her gaze catches me off guard, and I feel my resolve wavering. "What do you want me to say?" I ask, my voice rough with emotion I can't quite contain.

She reaches out, her hand gently cupping my cheek. "I want the truth.”

I grab her wrist, pulling it away from my face. Funny how her touch burns worse than Anthura’s, just not in quite the same way.

“You want the truth?” I reply, barely keeping the anger from my voice. “The truth is that I knocked you up, and that’s it.”

“Bullcrap.”

I inhale a deep breath, frustration and anger pouring out of me. “Okay then. Here’s the truth. I hate how you say bullcrap instead of bullshit and effing instead of fuck. I hate that you think you can just come in here like you own the place. I hate your fuck-awful dress and most of all I hate that…” I stop myself before I say the one thing I shouldn’t.

She’s not even shocked at my outburst. I hate that about her, too.

“You hate that you knocked me up?” she says, her voice not even wavering. “That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?”

“No,” I grit back, blood raging through me. “I was going to say that despite all the things I hate about you, which, believe me, are plenty, I hate that I want to tear that fucking hideous dress off you and fuck you until you beg me to stop.”

The world comes to a standstill, and for the first time, I see it—some flicker of emotion breaking through her usually guarded exterior. Rowena’s eyes widen, her mouth parts in shock, and it hits me like a punch to the gut. I’ve never wanted to take back words more than I do right now.

Except I don’t. I meant every damn word. I’m leaving, and she’s staying. I’ll never see her again.

Ten minutes ago, I was certain all I needed was space. Freedom. But now? Now, all I want is her.

She’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind, confusion and disbelief etched across her face. I can almost see the battle raging inside her, like she’s wrestling with her own demons. The silence between us feels suffocating.

She moves closer to me slightly, leaning in. I swear I see something in her eyes—desire, maybe. For a moment, I think she’s going to kiss me.

But then she stops. Shakes her head, barely moving. "I can't do this, Felix."

Before I can respond, she turns and slips out the door, shutting it softly behind her.

The moment the door clicks shut, the air feels like it's been sucked out of the room. I’m left standing there, frozen in place, my heart still pounding as if it hasn’t caught up to the reality of what just happened.

I thought I saw something—something real, something more—but it slipped through my fingers just as quickly. What the hell was I thinking?

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