I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Atlas POV

I stepped down from the private jet, and the cold night air smacked me awake like it had attitude.

“Thank you,” I told the flight attendant.

He smiled. “Welcome back, Mr. Lawson.”

I nodded, then headed toward the car waiting on the tarmac. The driver opened the door, and I slid in, exhaling hard like I hadn’t been holding my breath for the entire flight. The second got settled, I pulled out my phone and switched off airplane mode.

Boom. My screen exploded. Missed calls. Voicemails. Texts. Ninety percent of them were my mom. I let my head fall back against the seat.

“Yeah,” I muttered, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat like it had personally offended me. “I promise I’ll make it up to you, Mom.”

I let out a long breath through my nose, stared at the flood of notifications, and then dropped the phone on the passenger seat like it had personally betrayed me.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you, Mom,” I said to the empty car, bbing a hand over my face.

The plan had been simple.

Show up. See her. Leave.

From afar. Like a mature adult with b

Yeah. Right.

Because how the hell had she found me in that crowd?

I’d been careful. I’d stayed to the edges. I’d kept my head down. d played the whole “ghost in the corner” thing like I was auditioning for a sad boy documentary.

But the second she stepped in…

I saw her.

How couldn’t I?

She stood out like the room had been built around her. That emerald dress stole my breath and didn’t even have the decency to return it. My chest had gone tight, like my ribs were trying to protect my heart from the sight of her.

And it wasn’t just the dress.

It was her.

Her posture. The way she held her drink. The way she looked like she belonged and didn’t belong at the same time.

She’d left me weak and fantasizing in one look, which was ridiculous… because I was a grown man, not a teenager.

It should’ve stayed that way. Me watching from a distance. Quiet Controlled.

But then she ended up right in front of me

Standing there like she’d been summoned. Like the universe wanted to test whether I’d learned a damn thing in ten years.

Her big green eyes were full of…everything. Hurt. Shock. Hope. Fear.

And what did I do?

I walked away.

Why?

Because I froze.

My heart had been pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat My hands had gone hot. My brain had gone blank. And if I’d stayed one more second, I would’ve pulled her into my arms crushed her to my chest, and broken her request, broken everything, in one stupid, desperate hug.

So I’d turned and walked out like a coward.

Outside, I sucked in air and tried to pretend I wasn’t losing my mind. I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing the sidewalk like I was waiting for a verdict.

“Get your shit together, Atlas,” I muttered, voice low, hoping my face didn’t look as red as it felt.

God. Maybe coming was a bad idea.

Because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her, I couldn’t stop my body from leaning in her direction like she had gravity and I was just some idiot planet.

“You should talk to her, man,” Rhys had said, stepping beside me with a drink in his hand, casual like he wasn’t poking a bruise. “Instead of standing out here like a creep.”

I’d shot him a look, jaw tight.

He didn’t back down. Just lifted his brows like, Tell me I’m wrong

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