Page 361 of The Sinner: James

I flick my hand in disagreement.

“James is busy with his new business. Ed is overseas. His girlfriend is gone too. Thea and I have never had the chance to get to know each other well. Lex is here, but he’s worked long hours since Ed left. He’s in the office most of the time. Dahlia is here, but I rarely see her since she’s gotten involved with the charity foundation.”

Her eyebrows tilt again.

“The charity foundation?”

“Yes.”

She muses for a second.

“You must be busy with your company too. Didn’t you travel to New York with business last time?”

I nod.

“Yes.”

“And your publishing business. Aren’t you writing books? Still?”

I tip my chin down again, smiling.

“Yes, I am, but not so much lately.”

“Why?”

She looks at me, her expression stern.

My smile withers away.

I inhale a shaky breath before exhaling a long sigh.

“Writing books is tricky. It can get lonely after a while.”

She studies me again.

“I do image it’s too much after a while, but you enjoy writing,” she argues, a bit puzzled.

“It’s everything I want to do.”

“But?”

I lean back in my seat, sighing again.

“I don’t know. It’s not what I imagined...” I murmur.

Her gaze drills into my eyes, searching for the real answer.

“Are you talking about your writer’s life or your life in general?”

I shrug, tearing my eyes away from her.

“Are things okay with James and you?” she asks.

I shift my gaze back to her, flicking my hand in the air, rushing to clarify.

“Everything is fine. It’s just that... It’s too much loneliness. I’m writing all day, and that’s fine. But then, there's no one to talk to at the end of the day. Everybody’s busy. And they’re all scattered all over the globe. Everywhere else but where I live.”

Our eyes stay locked for a few moments.

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