Chapter 55: Crossroads
"What?" Merlina blinked, unsure she had heard him right.
But everything about his energy felt different, he wasn’t joking. His tone wasn’t guarded like usual. Not completely.
Craig’s eyes stayed locked on hers, but his posture gave him away. His tense shoulders, a quick glance at the floor before meeting her gaze again. "I mean..." he started, then paused, swallowing hard.
His voice dropped, quieter now, like he was second-guessing himself even as the words left his mouth. "What I mean is... you don’t have to date him anymore, do you?"
Her brows knit together. Her heart did this weird little skip. Part panic, part curious. "Huh?"
"You said you were done with everything. The case, the rumors, all of it," he said, his voice low and careful. "So you don’t need Louis anymore."
Her eyes narrowed. "I said I was done with this. What does that have to do with who I’m dating?"
Craig looked at her like the answer should be obvious. But it wasn’t. Not to her. Not when things between them were always one step forward, ten steps back.
"Craig, you don’t have to worry about him. I’m no longer interested in anything concerning your family," she said, brushing past him, as she tried to keep her voice even.
But he moved in front of her again. His eyes looked sharp, urgent. "Because you got what you wanted?"
"What?" she snapped, confused now.