Chapter 56: Driven by Him
Merlina blinked, disoriented for a second, as if shaken from a trance she hadn’t realized she’d been in.
"What do you mean?" she asked, aiming for casual, but her voice betrayed her. Tight and a little too careful, like she was afraid of the answer.
Megan watched her closely, the way a friend watches someone who’s clearly off balance but pretending not to be. "It’s not hard to notice."
Merlina stayed silent, unsure of where this conversation was going, her fingers tightening on the wheel.
"He offered you a ride, gave you his car, even followed you to the restroom..." Megan’s voice was slow, almost cautious now, like she was laying down pieces of a puzzle she wasn’t sure she wanted to solve. "That’s unlike the Craig Lesnar we know."
Still, no answer. Just Merlina staring ahead, like the painted lanes in front of her might give her a way out of this awkward conversation. She shuffled in her seat, swallowed hard, and turned her face just enough to avoid Megan’s eyes. She was doing anything to dodge the look.
Megan folded her hands together, her eyes never leaving Merlina’s face. Her tone softened, though it still carried weight. "He’s different with you. Like you matter to him."
That one stung. She shook her head, trying to push it away, but all that came out was a bitter, half-hearted smile. "I don’t. Trust me."
Mattered to Craig Lesnar?
She seriously doubted that, because he had the chance to show her that she did, he would’ve made it clear that their family drama wasn’t the entire picture, that Conor Lesnar all he cared about, but he didn’t.
Finally, she could afford to meet Megan’s eyes, with a clearer gaze yet tired—so tired "Everything he’s doing...he’s doing because of his brother." She paused, the words tasting bitter. "That’s how much Conor means to him."