Chapter 25: Shadows of Escape
Lilia turned her attention back to the plate, her thoughts swirling like an endless tide. What had she been thinking? Oh, goodness. So, he had a fiancée—or rather, an ex-fiancée—before her. A soft, almost wistful smile touched her lips as she considered it. Probably. After all, with how impossibly handsome he was, it was hard to imagine any woman leaving him of her own accord.
But then again, men like Zethan never needed to worry about being ignored.
And yet, there couldn't possibly be any chance... She sighed inwardly, scolding herself for her ridiculous train of thought. What absurd things are you imagining, Lilia? As if it were even remotely possible that this man—this impossibly striking Zethan—could be a... She shook her head slightly, her lips pressing into a tight line. She wanted to suppress a laugh, not just any laugh, but one aimed squarely at herself. No, the notion was absurd.
With his looks, the idea of him being a virgin was downright laughable.
Lilia bit the inside of her cheek, her mind wandering further. In her world, even finding a virgin lady was rare enough. And yet... no denying it—this man changes women like the seasons. She sighed again, unable to stop herself from questioning. If he knew he couldn't be loyal, then why had he agreed to become a fiancée to Ava? What had he been thinking? And worse, what if Ava had been like her—someone who had foolishly hoped for something real?
Lilia, stop. You're losing your mind.
She forced herself to focus, her hands tightening on the fork, but her traitorous gaze darted toward him. Zethan had turned his attention to her, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark pools that revealed nothing. Her stomach twisted painfully as embarrassment washed over her, sharp and unrelenting. Anger at herself quickly followed. She hurriedly looked away, pretending she hadn't been caught staring. Her face became a mask of indifference, though her thoughts were anything but calm.
Then, Zethan stood suddenly, the soft scraping of his chair against the floor startling her out of her muddled thoughts. Lilia raised her head slowly, her gaze meeting his for the briefest moment before she quickly dropped it back to her plate.
"The meat is all yours," he said, his voice even but laced with quiet authority.
As if recalling something, he added, "I'll be back."
Lilia didn't respond. She continued eating, her outward demeanor cool and composed, but inside, her emotions were a tangled mess. When Zethan began walking away, there was a subtle pause in his stride, as though he expected her to say something. She didn't.