His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 157

On the video call, Chloe continued her quiet, concerned nagging while he offered noncommittal responses. Finally, they exchanged goodnights, and Archer was the first to hang up.

His phone screen went black, and the room plunged back into heavy silence.

Virginia tossed the blanket aside, ready to get out of bed. "I'm just going to go find another room."

If she tried hard enough, she was sure she could find a vacancy somewhere.

"It's 2:00 AM," Archer's voice was dark and low. "It's below zero outside, and every hotel in a five-mile radius is booked solid."

He stated the facts coldly, his brow slightly creased.

She opened her mouth to argue, but ultimately lowered her gaze and said nothing.

He lay back down, pulling his own blanket up over his chest.

Watching a six-foot-two man crammed onto a five-foot sofa was painful to look at.

Virginia sat on the edge of the bed staring at him, but she didn't mention leaving again. Eventually, she lay back down.

The room slipped into a temporary calm—so quiet that she could hear the steady thud of her own heartbeat.

A long time passed before her voice finally broke the silence.

"Archer."

"...Yeah."

His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep.

"Have you... been doing well all these years?"

She had never intended to ask him that.

But maybe being stuck in a foreign country, or perhaps witnessing that intimate family phone call, had temporarily chipped away at her armor.

No response came from the sofa.

One second, two seconds... a full minute passed.

His deafening silence made her instantly regret opening her mouth.

"Not as well as you'd think," Archer finally spoke, shifting on the tiny cushions.

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