Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 166

"Alright." I stand up abruptly and prepare to pull my mask off. I'm out of here.

"No," she laughs hysterically, pulling me back down towards my seat. "No, I'm sorry. It was just a joke. I know you don't love him. Don't worry."

I double take. What did she just say?

She's still laughing, but her eyes narrow in a way that almost seems dangerous. "I know you probably don't even really like him, right? You guys are just together out of convenience? I get it." She smooths out her mask, massaging her cheeks as if that's more important than the crazy things she's saying. "It would be awkward to just be with the other two brothers. I completely agree."

I shake my head. How could she say that? "That's not-"

"Oh." She hops up, smiling down at me. "I think my mask is ready."

I get up to follow her out of the room and give her a piece of my mind.

She points a finger at me. "Oh no. You got the twenty minute one." She ushers me back to my seat without any sympathy. "Sit tight. I'll be right back."

"But-" I start.

She's already out of the room. "When I get back, we can work on my love life~" she says in a sing-song voice before closing the door.

I slump back in my seat, reluctantly. This girl. All she's done is cause problems for me the entire time I've hung out with her. I lean my head back and sigh. What a mess. Aiden writes something down every now and again. Besides that, the room is silent. Or so I thought.

Slowly, then all at once, I become hyper-aware of the sound of my own breathing. Of my body against the chair. Of the occasional movement of the face mask against my skin. Then my awareness shifts to him. To his pen. Then not to his pen. Then to everything but his pen that has anything to do with him, like the sound of his breathing. His fingers tapping against the desk. Not consistently, not annoyingly, not repetitively. Just every now and again, TAP TAP. And nothing else. I turn my chair, and the normally quiet sound it makes threatens to split my ears. Along with the sound of my own heart beating.

"Aiden," I say, as quietly as possible. I already regret it. Then I want to demand my time and energy and voice back from him when I'm greeted with nothing but silence. Silence and the embarrassment of being ignored-again. I wait and wait and wait and wait, and still nothing. Well, whatever then.

I turn "my" chair towards the door, messing with my fingers. How long is it until I can leave to remove this mask? It has to be now, right?