Chapter 21: No coming back
A laugh escaped her. Cold, disbelieving. "You really think I’d date someone because of you?"
Craig didn’t answer right away. He just stared, his gaze intense, but a flicker of something uncertain passed through his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, an instinctive gesture that showed his growing frustration and confusion.
Merlina’s gaze softened for a brief second before she steeled herself again, her shoulders slumping slightly in a mix of weariness and exasperation. She gave a quick shake of her head, the corners of her mouth tightening as if to hold back words she didn’t want to say.
"You’re not that important, Craig." Her words cut clean, but the disbelief still burned behind them.
She didn’t even know how deep the thing between him and Louis ran. But to think she’d revolve her choices around Craig Lesnar? The idea was ridiculous.
And insulting.
"I’m not?" Craig scoffed, looking away. "It only made sense that you were using him as the perfect ally for your little ’Justice for my mother’ scheme."
The second the words slipped out, he felt it, the sting of his own cruelty.
Merlina froze.
Like the air had been knocked out of her. Her body went rigid, and her eyes, once sharp and steady, lost their fire. She didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. Just stood there, like she was trying to figure out if she’d actually heard him say it.
It only took one look at her face before Craig regretted everything.