Page 77 of Ugly Truths
The muscles in his jaw flex. He stands, smoothing his suit jacket as he steps around the desk.
“You’re cocky, Silas,” he sighs, “and that confidence will be your undoing.”
I don’t flinch. “Or it’ll be the reason this company thrives.”
The silence between us is so thick I could swim in it.
“You’ve made your position clear.”My position on what, exactly?“We’ll see how long you can hold it.”
He exits without another word, leaving my office door open. Through the glass, he strides down the hall, and only when he’s finally out of sight do I exhale.
It takes me a minute to pick myself off of the cigar chair, flexing my aching fingers from the fist I hadn’t realized I was holding them in. Just as I move back towards my desk, Leslie approaches, her expression cautious.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
I force a small smile, though it feels tight and unnatural. “It’s fine,” I say. “Thank you.”
Leslie nods, clearly unconvinced. She closes the door behind her, and I sink into the chair William vacated, my hands gripping the armrests, wondering how the hell we got here.
Chapter 31
Elena
“Please don’t take this the wrong way because I always love when you visit,” Natalie starts, her gaze fixed on me from atop the small step ladder just inside the guest bathroom. “But why did you want to come over so badly today?”
The piece of wallpaper she’s been battling for over ten minutes peels away from the top of the wall, draping over her head. The groan she releases sounds more demonic than human. I press my lips together, trying to suppress a laugh, but a snort escapes me anyway.
Natalie shoots me a glare as she pins it back into place, her tongue peeking out between her teeth in concentration. With one hand, she reaches for the scraper on the step near her chest to smooth out the bubbles. I smile at her from the floor and lean my head back against the wall.
I’d already offered to help her several times in the past two hours. She’s attempting to correct her disaster DIY project from the spring when we were both confined to our homes. Each time, she’s declined.
“Well?” she prompts.
My eyes wander, taking in the neatly pressed linens and the tidiness that makes it feel more like a hotel room than the place where I'd scattered my clothes just over a month ago.
Even as I try to distract myself from answering, Natalie waits.
“Silas needed space,” I finally admit.
It was one of our bad days. I’ve told Natalie enough about them that she doesn’t need more details. Not that I want to particularly relive them, anyway.
I could tell how the day was going to go the moment my eyes met his in the bathroom mirror this morning. Silas was fresh from his post-workout shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. The resentment was etched in every line of his frown, the crease between his eyebrows, and his gaze hardened the moment he realized I had entered the room. The shame that flooded me was enough to fill the free-standing bathtub behind him and drown in it.
I must be a glutton for punishment because I still tested the waters, brushing my fingers lightly against his bare back as I passed to my side of the vanity. He recoiled just enough to confirm what I already knew. So, I withdrew, too embarrassed to ask if I did something in particular or if it was just the sight of me this time.
Instead of asking questions and hurting my own feelings more than they already were, I gave him the space he clearly needed and went back into the bedroom. Only when he was dressed and retreated to his study did I get ready for my day and try to be as small as possible.
Silas stayed locked away all morning. I didn’t even dare to walk past his door, let alone try to speak with him. With Davey occupied at the office and no tasks for me, I was left to stew in my own thoughts.
After cooking myself breakfast alongside Kendall and a few hours of mindless television, the vastness of the mansion and the unbearable silence became too much. So, when I texted Natalie and learned she was wallpapering, I seized the opportunity and asked Lloyd for a ride to her townhome on his way to take over for Paul at the satellite office.
I left a note for Silas on the window seat of the music room, where I spent a lot of my free time now. I didn’t want to insert myself into his thoughts with a text when he obviously wanted to avoid me. Leaving the note in the place he’d look for me felt like the best compromise.
“Ah,” Natalie muses, lips pursing as she considers her next words. “It feels like it’s been a longer stretch this time, at least?”
I give her a thin smile. She isn’t wrong. Every bad day seems to be spaced further apart now. It’s progress, although it’s no less painful each time it happens. It’s starting to feel worse, actually.
“How’s the holiday party planning coming?” I ask, eager to pivot the conversation anywhere else.
