Page 68 of The Fate Of Us

“I…” I stumbled, rage bubbling from every corner of my body. “I…umm…” I startedlooking around, wondering where Asher had wandered off to and which reporters had stolen my walking support away from me.

“Adaline?” The woman before me questioned. “Is she okay?” I don’t know who sheasked that to, and I didn't want to know. All I knew was that Nate was here somewhere, talking about me and knowing I needed to give him a piece of my mind. But I couldn’t move, I was frozen, wondering when all this tormenting was going to stop—

“I’ve got you,” I knew it was Asher, knowing he’d snuck up behind me and pried meaway from the riddler, letting me fall against his chest slightly, stabilising my legs that were ready to give way.

He ushered me down the rest of the carpet, ignoring the heckles and screaming forboth our attentions, and instead taking shelter in the reception area, free from the eyes of the entire planet.

“Are you okay?” Asher asked, moving us to a corner of the room, the red velvet wallsreminding me of the carpet I’d practically run down. Embarrassment blushed me, my breaths became pants, my vision faded.

“I’m…”

Asher’s hands rose to my shoulder, skimming the silk that bordered them. “I’m gonnago get you some water, wait here.” And he was off, heading to the bar that was perched round the corner from where I stood, leaving me to regulate my breaths and get a grip.

I found a stool just by my feet and claimed it, easing the aches that had manifested inmy knees. The cool crimson silk that pooled around my legs soothed me, as I let some air seep back into my lungs.

My hands came to my face, being careful not to ruin the makeup my glam team spentthe better half of two hours airbrushing onto me.“Pull yourself together, you drama queen,” I whispered behind my hands, beforeletting them rest against my knees, lifting my eyes up and slowly getting my bearings.

When they landed on the tall figure rounding the corner, a fir green suit hugging hisbody, shades of chestnut freshly tousled, and bright eyes finding me… like he knew I was there.

The world stopped turning the moment our eyes locked, and before I knew what I wasdoing, I leapt up from my seat, stalking toward him with a force I didn’t know how to handle.My mouth parted as I neared him, ready to call him out on the childish games he wanted to play.

“Are you ever going to grow up?” I asked, stopping an inch or two from his face, notcaring about the stars that were dotted about. We could have a dozen cameras recording this moment, and I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

If he was going to feed the world lies about me, maybe it was time they knew thetwisted truth about him too.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He said, his face like stone as he looked downat me, his voice duller than I’d ever heard it.

“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about.” I eyed him up, widening mystance. “Whispering to reporters that me and Asher are dating? That we’re inseparable? You know that’s not true!” I nearly yelled at him, before remembering where we were.

He inched his face closer. “Do I?”

I shook my head. “Where’s your girlfriend?” I fired back, basking in the fire that wasburning in his eyes. “I didn’t see her when I came in. Go fetch her for me, I can tell her all about what a—”

“You know we’re not together, Addy.”

“Do I?” I mirrored his tone, knowing that it’d get under his skin.

He doesn’t budge. “After a lifetime in this business, Addy, you should know thateverything they write is a lie.”

I dragged my eyes up and down his face, hanging onto his lips for just a second longerthan I should have. I hoped that haunted him later. “And here you are spreading the rumours for them, about me, my heart.” I dipped to his lips again, remembering how they felt once upon a time, before drowning in those aquamarine pools.

“You lost the right to talk about my heart a long time ago, Nate, and you’ll neverknow what it feels like to have it again.”

His head lifts up, clocking how the oblivious crowd was growing, before stepping intome. “You know, Addy, I don’t think I ever truly knew—”

“It could be you, you know,” his mouth still hung open, eyes searching mine for anyclue of what I was about to say. “Here with me, holding me, whispering our love story to anyone who’ll listen. It could be you I trust to make sure I don’t fall whilst I walk through the lights that you know I hate.” his face didn’t so much as tick. “It could be you who gets to take me home after this, but for some reason, you’re so determined to keep me in the dark about why you never came back, and if you don’t grow up soon, Nate, then you can spend the rest of your life regretting never coming.”

I was done with the conversation. Done with him. So with one last glare into his eyes,I stalked away from him. The silk of my gown trailed behind me, and I could practically feel his eyes memorising every inch of it. I didn’t halt my feet as I turned away and went in search of a dark corner where I could take a full breath and compose myself.

Luckily, I spied a corridor, hidden away and with no indication of where it led, but Itook a chance on it, taking cover between the velvet walls and corners of darkness that do their best to calm me down.

This would do, for a moment. A quiet moment was what I’d been craving since Istepped out of that car.

I sucked in as much air as my lungs would let me, tilting my head to the spotlight on the ceiling, draining away the bulge of tears that were threatening to spill over. I did my best to try and forget every word that had slipped from Nate’s mouth, but like they always did, they were swimming in my mind, refusing to leave.

I had to hunch over, heaving some heavy breaths as my curls fell past my shoulders. Ieventually felt myself calm down, a certain blonde-haired actor springing to mind and making me remember that he was probably wondering where I’d disappeared to.

I shake my shoulders and start to head out of the—

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