Chapter 45: Summoned
Ella stood in the middle of the living room, pacing unsure whether to sit, sleep , or disappear altogether.
The house was quiet. Nicholas hadn’t come back from work yet, and for that, she was both grateful and anxious. She didn’t know how to face him after the way she’d pulled away that morning.
He hadn’t said anything—hadn’t chased her, hadn’t pressed. But that almost made it worse.
Because the truth was... she’d wanted to stay.
Her retreat had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the panic gnawing at her ribs. Because it felt too good. Too safe. Too much like something she might want. And she wasn’t sure she was allowed to want anything anymore.
Ella let out a shaky breath and finally moved, toeing off her shoes and slipping into her room to change into soft joggers and a hoodie that swallowed her up. Then she curled on the edge of the couch, knees tucked under her, pretending to watch some show on TV while her thoughts spun like laundry in a machine that never stopped.
He had been warm. Gentle. Patient, even when she’d trembled in his arms like a cornered animal. And yet, she’d still fled. She hated herself for that.
But Nicholas wasn’t someone you could be reckless with. He was chaos and calm in one man, and he was beginning to mean too much.
The sound of the door opening snapped her back to the present.
She straightened quickly, smoothing her hoodie down like it could hide the storm under her skin. Her heart thumped hard when the door opened and Nicholas walked in.
His tie was loosened, his suit jacket slung casually over his shoulder, and his eyes lit up when they found her. Like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t just run away from him that morning like a coward.