Chapter 33
-LANA
It was the next morning, and I hadn’t slept a wink all night. My mind kept drifting back to thoughts of my mate and who he might have spent the hours with. I tried not to dwell on it, but it was far too late for that. I felt like I was losing my grip on reality.
Why did his actions trouble me so much? Why couldn’t I just brush it off?
“You look a bit off, sweetie,” my mother remarks, studying my face closely. “Did you manage to get any sleep at all last night?”
I forced myself to keep a straight face as I replied, “I think I might be coming down with something.” It was a lie, of course.
She sighed, clearly not convinced. “I can call a doctor to come over if you’d like.”
ishook my head immediately. “No, it’s really nothing to worry about.”
Though she didn’t press any further, I could tell she wasn’t entirely satisfied with my answer.
I watched my stepfather join us at the table. “Breakfast looks wonderful, darling,” he says, leaning in to give my mother a light kiss on the cheek.
I tried to focus on my meal, but my thoughts kept circling back to Apollo.
“I wanted to apologize for yesterday,” he says as he gazes at me, looking genuinely remorseful. “I know my ex–wife can be a handful at times. I never expected her to just show up at the house uninvited. She had made it clear she didn’t want to set foot here after our divorce.”
I shared his surprise that she had decided to drop by, especially given her unpleasant demeanor.
“Why did she show up yesterday of all days?” my mother asks, raising an eyebrow. “Is there something important she needed from Apollo?”
My mother wasn’t exactly happy with her surprise visit either. Both women clearly did not like each other, and for good reason. I knew there was no chance of them ever getting along in this lifetime.
He sighs again. “All I know is that she’s been badgering Apollo and me for ages about some dinner she wants him to attend. He’s been putting it off, and I guess that finally got under her skin enough to make her come over and confront him.”
I frown, feeling a sense of unease. Why would they bother her so much to the point that she would react that way?
It seemed so controlling to me. Apollo’s mother definitely struck me as someone who expected to get her way with her son every chance that she got.
She came all the way over here just because Apollo refused to go to a dinner she wanted him to attend? That seemed a bit extreme to me. I’d never met anyone so obsessed with their child’s choices.
“She’s quite involved in his life,” my mother remarks. “I can understand her investment, but I wouldn’t react this way if my kids didn’t want to attend a particular dinner.”
A new thought hits me. Was the dinner perhaps with that girl she showed up with last night? Did Apollo’s mother want him to go out with her? What if he declined because she wasn’t his usual type?
“He didn’t come home last night,” my mother adds. “Do you know where he is?”
Even though Apollo was her stepson, my mother genuinely cared about his well–being, and I loved that about her.
My stepfather sighs, “He was guilt–tripped into spending the night at a hotel with his mother. He told me she’ll be staying until tonight and wants to spend some time with him before heading back home.”
My eyes widen at his words, unable to hide my surprise at the truth behind his whereabouts.
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Chapter 33
He didn’t spend the night with some random girl like I initially thought. Instead, he stayed in a hotel with his mother at her request.
But why didn’t he just tell me that? Was it possible Apollo wanted me to think the worst of him?
That couldn’t be it. What reason could he have for keeping his real plans from me?
“Oh,” my mother replies.
I blurt out, “And who was the other girl with her?”
Both of them turn to me, surprised to see my genuine interest in the conversation. Normally, I’d brush off any talks about Apollo.
My stepfather sighs again. “I believe she’s the girl my ex–wife wants him to go to dinner with.”
My heart sinks at his words.
I don’t know why this awful feeling wells up inside me. Maybe it’s because Apollo’s mother seems to like her while she clearly dislikes me.
Why did that bother me so much? It wasn’t like I had a real chance with Apollo. It was clear we were never going to be a couple, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling weighing on my chest.
“You look even worse now than you did a minute ago,” my mother tells me, walking over to place a hand on my forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever, but I still think you should get some rest.”
Rest was the last thing on my mind now that I knew Apollo might be out to dinner with some random girl his mother could be trying to set him up with.
He’d ignored my initial questions about her, almost as if he were trying to protect her. Now, I had an idea of why.
Why did my heart hurt so much with this new information?
I didn’t want to care this deeply about Apollo’s life when there was clearly no space for me in it.
Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake these feelings. This was all part of the mate bond. The more I attempted to suppress my feelings for Apollo, the more intense they became.
“I don’t think I can eat anything,” I tell my mother as I push my plate away and hurry off from the dining room.
How could I let go of this pain? How could I ignore the fact that he was out with another girl right now just to please his mother?
Could it be that he actually had feelings for her? I knew she wasn’t at all his usual type, but she was undeniably one of the most stunning women I’d ever laid eyes on. She must have turned his head.
I let out an internal groan.
You really need to snap out of this! You can’t keep putting yourself through this. Apollo doesn’t feel the same way about you, so stop dreaming about something that’s out of reach!
I had to keep reminding myself of this. I didn’t want to be hurt by his actions anymore.
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Chapter 34
Chapter 34
