Page 14 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
These thoughts left a bitter taste in my mouth, darkening my mood.I had been looking forward to this weekend with her.But for the first time since we had met, I felt like I was suffocating.
8.I'm exhausted
EVA
I sighed with relief as I settled into the back of the car.It was probably one of the most complicated lunches we had ever shared with Tristan's parents, and I was drained.
"If these visits are such a burden for you, don't feel obligated to come next time."
Tristan's voice, cold and detached, hit me like a slap.I turned my head toward him, my throat tight with shock.These words, this tone, this way of excluding me...As if everything was...what?My fault?It was unfair, and he knew it!But when I caught Lorenzo's gaze in the rearview mirror, I swallowed the ball of anxiety rising within me.Not here.Not now.
The journey passed in deafening silence.Each mile seemed to stretch the distance between us, transforming the comfortable interior into a suffocating prison.I wanted to reach out to him, erase this tension separating us, but something in his rigid posture held me back.
Upon our return, he immediately retreated to his office, leaving me alone with this oppressive feeling of loneliness in the middle of our penthouse.The place that usually represented our sanctuary suddenly seemed hostile, as if the walls themselves felt the growing tension between us.
Dinner was torture.The sound of silverware resonated like a merciless metronome, marking each second of the silence devouring us.My stomach was knotted, each bite a challenge.I couldn't take my eyes off Tristan, desperately searching his closed face for a trace of the man I loved, the one who, just this morning, had held me tenderly in his arms.
"What's wrong?"My voice betrayed my anxiety despite my efforts to appear calm."Is it because of what I said to your mother?You know I sincerely regret it."
The silence that followed tightened my heart.I watched him, helpless, staring at his plate as if it contained all the answers he was seeking.
"Apologies don't erase wounds," he finally said."What you said to her...you did it deliberately."He raised his eyes to me."If my family is such a burden to you, I can go alone from now on."
How could he say that?How could he exclude me from such an important part of his life?Was he considering going to every family meal and celebration without me?And where did that leave me?
"I spoke in anger," I repeated to make him understand."I regret it, truly, and I would give anything to take back those words."
"Three hours, Eva," he reminded me harshly."We were there for three hours!"
I stared at him, incredulous.How could he dismiss all those years when I had silently endured his mother's criticism?
He rose slowly, approaching the bay window.The city sparkled in the night, indifferent to our drama.
"She's not well," he murmured in a defeated voice."Is it so difficult for you...to just let things go?"
Words rushed to my throat.Twelve years of patience, twelve years of taking every jab, every contemptuous look.And the one time I snapped...
"I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed," he sighed before leaving the room.
I remained there, amid our unfinished dinner, Lily's words echoing with cruel irony:We communicate, right?
The next morning, when I joined him in the kitchen, Tristan acted as if nothing had happened.He handed me a cup of coffee with a warm smile and placed a tender kiss on my forehead.For a moment, I had the impression that the previous day's incident was behind us, that we could resume our closeness where we had left it.
We spent a Sunday like so many others, talking, cooking, and watching a movie together.But deep inside me, a discomfort was growing.The laughter and smiles seemed more superficial than usual, as if we were making efforts to maintain an illusion of normalcy.Each tender gesture, each exchanged glance left me in doubt.Did he feel the same awkwardness as me?Was he really as relaxed as he appeared, or was he pretending, just like me, to ignore the invisible distance that had settled between us?
As daylight waned, one truth became clear to me: Tristan still held a grudge.Nothing was truly resolved.And yet, I didn't know how to defuse the situation.For the first time in twelve years, I felt powerless.How could I lance the boil without poisoning everything?No matter what approach I chose, he was likely to take it badly.How do you talk to someone who refuses to hear your point of view?
The slightest veiled reproach could shatter this fragile balance between us.
I was afraid of his anger and his silent resentment.Of the way he had been withdrawing into himself lately, shutting me out.
Time, I repeated to myself like a soothing mantra, would eventually ease the tensions.Then, only then, could I reopen the subject.
9.Community Pilot
TRISTAN
Monday morning, Audrey entered my office, a radiant smile on her lips.She held a thick file that she was reviewing one last time, her vivid eyes quickly scanning the pages.
