Page 33 of Sardonic Burn

She’s dressed in a short dress, exposing her long legs. However, she’s wearing a little scarf around her neck, and I can’t help but grin at that little detail.

Noelle’s neck still holds my mark, and she’s desperate to hide it.

Dylan is holding her hand across the table, and my eye twitches at the sight. He’s smiling ear to ear as he listens to whatever she’s talking about. They’re too far for me to lipread, and I can’t be angry enough at myself for not making a reservation next to their table.

Noelle also looks quite happy.

A smile is on her face as if it’s fucking glued to it. Can she not stop smiling like a fucking moron for one second? What’s so funny about that asshole for her to seem so content with him?

The waiter brings them another bottle of champagne, and I narrow my eyes at Dylan. He pushes her glass closer to her as if he’s eagerly waiting for her to drink it. Is he trying to get her drunk on purpose?

I know a lot about Noelle. I also know that half of a bottle is her limit, and that’s stretching it. She’s already had four glasses in less than forty minutes. By the time they finish, she’ll barely be able to stand on her feet.

I pause.

Why the fuck am I even here?

Why would I give a shit if he gets her drunk or not? Why should it be my problem that he’s acting suspicious?

I whip out my phone and send a message to Henrick before shutting it down and returning it to my pocket.

It crossed my mind a while ago that Dylan isn’t as sweet as he makes himself out to be. I didn’t have any reason to distrust him as I’ve never met the motherfucker. But now his behavior is oddly suspicious.

If he’s either giving information to the people who are after us or is one of them himself, Noelle won’t be able to see it. Given the expression she’s making, she’s head over heels for him.

Perhaps that’s why she stopped her other affairs and decided to focus on her future marriage. After all, in this life, it’s one partner for life. It’s not uncommon for people to cheat and have multiple partners aside from their spouse, but the spouse always comes first.

It makes me sick.

Anger slowly fills my veins, and my vision gets blurry.

Why the fuck am I thinking about this?

I shake my head.

It’s even better if Noelle is in love with this smug bastard. If he’s innocent, then he’s her weakness and the perfect pawn to use against her. Imagining her face stained with tears and his blood as I kill him in front of her brings me too much joy.

I’m almost too impatient to wait and confirm my suspicions.

I take a step backward and pull out my pack of cigarettes. I light one and inhale the nicotine. A cloud of vapor blurs my eyesight, and, for a few moments, I can’t see a damn thing until the smoke evaporates.

By the time my vision is clear again, Noelle is gone.

That motherfucker is still sitting at the table, scrolling through his phone with a passive expression. But she is nowhere to be seen. I stopped looking at her for approximately four seconds, and she disappears in the meantime?

This whole thing is insane.

What am I even doing here?

I take the few last drags of the cigarette before putting it out. Without glancing back at the restaurant, I turn to leave.

“What are you doing?”

I’m met with Noelle’s fiery gaze. She’s in front of me without a coat on, wearing only her little dress and the scarf that’s barely covering all of her bruises. A smile forms on my face at the sight of the scowl that forms on hers.

“Taking a walk.”

Noelle snorts. “Is there a reason you’ve been stalking me and staring at me for the past hour?”

---