Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows novel Chapter 31

I had built up this picture-perfect fantasy in my head. And because of my naivety and foolishness, Jonah lost his cool with me for the first time.

We were in the hospital room. It felt like a whole half hour passed from the moment he walked in to when he finally stood there, looming over my bed. Not a single word left his mouth during that time.

I knew I was in the wrong, so I kept my eyes glued to the floor, too scared to look up. Then, out of nowhere, he broke the silence with a question: "From yesterday until now, do you realize what you did wrong?"

His voice was low, not giving away any hint of how he felt. I wanted to nod, but the bandages on my head were pulling, reminding me of the pain. So, I softly admitted, "Yeah."

He pressed on, "Tell me."

I stayed quiet. His voice grew louder, "Look at me. Why did you do that?"

His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and his jaw was shadowed with stubble. A wave of guilt and bitterness washed over me, threatening to swallow me whole.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I acted impulsively and caused trouble for everyone, made you worry, and wasted a lot of money on these medical bills."

He let out a cold chuckle, his gaze cutting through me like a knife.

"Lana, you still didn’t realize your mistakes! If I'd been a minute later, would you still be here? Do you think you can predict human nature to a T? Do you not know how unpredictable your father can be when he's angry?

"Did you talk to me before deciding anything? Did you even think about what might happen?"