Chasing His Scentless Mate (Caroline) novel Chapter 367

Chapter 367: Chapter 367 The Empty Space He Left

Ava’s POV

The situation with Nate was the last straw. Joseph’s father keeps sending flowers and invitations despite everything. I’ve been trying to ignore it all and pretend it has nothing to do with me.

After Nate’s tragedy, Joseph and I stood face to face at the hospital for hours without him saying a word. I’ve sent messages since then, but no response. We were supposed to stay at Ryan’s house together for safety, but Joseph never showed up. I kept waiting. Where had he disappeared to?

"Ava?" I felt Kyle’s hand on my shoulder. I’d been sitting in a chair in the living room, staring out the window for hours.

"Oh, hey Kyle. I was just... lost in thought."

"I noticed." She sat on the arm of my chair. "Waiting for Joseph?"

At her question, my eyes instantly welled up.

"Want to talk about it? I’m a good listener."

"Did I go too far, Kyle?" I asked, knowing she understood what I meant.

"Can I be brutally honest?"

I nodded.

"It wasn’t just too far, it was cruel, Ava. You gave him hope one minute and snatched it away the next."

"So what do I do now? He can’t even stand to be around me," I sighed, feeling the weight of my actions.

"Now you think about what kind of life you want, and you wait," Kyle said gently.

"Wait? For how long, Kyle?"

"Two weeks. Joseph is leaving for work tomorrow. He’ll be gone for two weeks. When he comes back, his head will be clearer, and you two can talk properly. He’s not here because he’s preparing for his business trip."

I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. I went back to my room and cried like a child. In the days that followed, I just went through the motions, counting each day and longing for his return.

Days passed much slower than I expected; in fact, time dragged unbearably. Joseph had never been away traveling for two weeks before, and I couldn’t help wondering if he’d met someone interesting on this trip.

I’d done nothing but go between home and work, avoiding even meeting the girls as much as possible. I’d convinced Ryan it was safe for me to return to my place, saying security would be at my beck and call, which made me feel secure.

"You’ve been moping for days now," Nina said as she sat across from me at a café near my apartment. "I’m worried about you." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I’m fine," I lied.

"You’re clearly not fine. You barely eat, you hardly sleep, and look at those dark circles! You haven’t even asked about Joseph once."

Nina reached across the table and took my hand. "Ava, I think you need help."

I knew she wanted me to see a therapist. I smiled and said, "I’m fine."

"No, you’re not! Your self-sabotage tendencies, for one." Nina didn’t back down. "You’ve been in love with Joseph since you met him, and the second things got real, you pushed him away. You drugged him, Ava. That’s not normal."

I wanted to argue, but deep down, I knew she was right. I’d acted crazy, pushing away the one person who actually loved me. What was wrong with me?

"I’ll think about it," I finally conceded.

"That’s all I ask."

Three days later, I was sitting in Dr. Marlowe’s office, fidgeting nervously with the hem of my sweater.

"So, Ava," she said, her voice warm and non-judgmental, "tell me why you’re here."

I took a deep breath and told her everything about Joseph—how we met, how I fell in love with him, and how I ended up sabotaging our relationship. I left out all the supernatural stuff.

"It sounds like you’re carrying a lot of emotional baggage," Dr. Marlowe said thoughtfully. "But I’m curious, why do you think you pushed Joseph away when things were getting serious?"

"I don’t know," I admitted. "I just... panicked."

"Did you think he would leave you, like your father left your mother?"

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