Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 224

"Of the what?" he asks.

"The window," I say.

"The... window?" he asks incredulously.

I nod, even though he can't see me.

"Is it still broken?" he asks. "I thought Axel fixed it."

"He did," I say quickly. "I just feel like..." I tighten my grip on the phone. "Like it's not safe, you know? He fixed it, so don't tell him, but I just feel scared."

Silence.

I sigh, leaning my head against the phone. "I'm just scared, Aiden, okay? I don't know what else to say."

He doesn't say anything.

I pause. "Aiden?" I look down at the screen. It says he's still there. "Hello?"

"I'm just waiting for the part where you explain to me what you want me to do about this at 1 A.M." His voice is as cold as ever.

"... Oh." I say, not really to him, just to myself. Oh as in what was I expecting? Oh as in I shouldn't've called him. Oh as in why do I keep giving this guy chances. Everytime we get one step closer he just goes back to this. I'm so sick of this.

"For example, if there was some kind of threat outside," he says. "I could deal with that. Or if you needed some kind of herbal tea, well... you could probably get that yourself from Walmart or another convenience store, but you get what I mean." I hear movement, then it's still again. "I'm not trying to upset you, it's just, unless there's something that I can do for you, I don't know why you're calling me when I'm a town away." He pauses. "In other words, what you're dealing with sounds like a personal problem. I'd suggest a counselor."

I hang up the phone, sipping my glass of water slowly. I stare at the wall across from me. I glare at it actually. I watch time pass, slowly, as if it were crawling by. I watch seconds turn into hours only to realize it's just been minutes. I try sleeping until I realize that I don't even want to sleep anymore. I just want day to come, but it's hours away, and I'm stuck here at 1:37.

BUZZ BUZZ

My phone vibrates beside me. I pick it up, reading the illuminated message.

Aiden: Open your back door

So let me get this straight. He actually thinks I'm gonna open the door for him? I try not to laugh.

"Wait!" Brittany says just before I hang up. She sounds so tired. "Just let him in, please. He's been out here forever trying to-"

The phone cuts off.

I raise an eyebrow, trying to weigh my options. I could be the bigger person and hear what he has to say. Or I could be petty.

I rub my chin, liking the sound of number two. I do deserve to be petty, and, besides, he's probably already left by now. So I'd just look stupid opening the door for someone who isn't there.

Yup.

I should just ignore him, but... I'm already standing up. My eyes shift to the empty glass of water.

I might as well put that in the sink-which just so happens to be by the back door. I'm not gonna open the back door though. I'm just gonna put this glass away. I quietly make my way down each step.

When I get to the kitchen, I decide I have no choice but to wash the glass. It's the only thing in the sink, so I slowly lather it up. Then I look at the back door. I rinse the cup off. I look at the back door. I put the cup on the rack. I look at the back door, staring at the knob.

He's definitely gone by now, right? There's no point in looking. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone.