Too Late for Sorry, Mr. Billionaire (Chasing my Wife Back) novel Chapter 50

TIANA let out a long, exasperated sigh, stepping away from the desk as Shantel advanced toward her, the air between them thick with tension.

“Shantel,” Tiana began again, her voice steady but tinged with frustration, “what is this? I thought we had passed this. I thought you had moved on.”

Shantel frowned, tilting her head slightly.

“What are you doing in my room again?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“That is not the question, sis,” Tiana said firmly, shaking her head. “You really shouldn’t be doing this. Not now. Not ever.”

“Doing what?” Shantel asked innocently, though the sharpness in her tone betrayed her.

“This,” Tiana said, gesturing to the desk, the laptop, the magazines, the scraps of paper plastered with Amelia’s face. “Are you… stalking her now? Studying her every move?”

Shantel’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“Stalking? Tiana, you are exaggerating. I’m… I’m just looking. Researching. That is all.”

“Researching what?” Tiana countered, stepping closer. “Amelia’s life? Her habits? Her pictures everywhere? Shantel, this isn’t research, it is obsession. You can’t hide it behind words!”

Shantel shook her head, her eyes narrowing.

“This has nothing to do with the past. I told you, I’m not thinking about that anymore. I’m not trying to bring it back.”

Tiana’s gaze sharpened, her voice gaining strength despite her younger age.

“No, Shantel. That past is still alive, whether you admit it or not. You can pretend it’s buried, long forgotten, but I see it in the way you are going about this, the way you have surrounded yourself with her image. Charles has moved on. Amelia is happy. You are digging up something that doesn’t belong to you anymore.”

Shantel’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t back down.

“I’m not interfering. I’m not trying to… any of that. This won’t affect him, and it won’t affect me. Stop overreacting.”

“I’m not overreacting,” Tiana said, her voice rising slightly. “I’m worried about you! That past, you can’t bury it, Shantel. It will seep through, it always does. And Charles has made his choice. He is with her now. You should just… let sleeping dogs lie. Stop chasing ghosts that aren’t yours to chase anymore!”

Shantel stared at her for a long moment, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

“You don’t understand,” she said finally, her voice low and dangerous. “You don’t know why I’m doing this.”

“I do understand enough to know this isn’t healthy,” Tiana said quietly, taking a step closer. “And I don’t want to watch you destroy yourself over something from the past. Please, Shantel… just let it go. Stop before it gets worse.”

Shantel’s face twisted with frustration.

“And why exactly are you here, Tiana? Why have you barged into my room, telling me what I can and cannot do?”

Tiana paused, suddenly remembering the reason she had come in the first place. Her eyes flicked toward the closet.

“I came for my hairpins,” she admitted softly, gesturing vaguely toward it.

Shantel let out a short, sharp laugh, rolling her eyes.

“It’s in my closet. Take it and leave,” she said, pointing toward the small wardrobe.

Tiana walked over quickly, retrieved her pack of hairpins, and turned to leave. She felt the weight of the conversation lingering in her chest, but she knew she had said what she needed to say.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, she heard the soft click of the door behind her. Shantel had locked it.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify