Chapter 80. Deep Distress

Chapter 80: Chapter 80. Deep Distress

Chapter 80. Deep Distress

"What are you talking about?" he asked, making one final attempt to pretend he didn’t understand her.

Then he watched her step back to where she had been standing. She leaned against the table with her head bowed down, closing her eyes and pressing her lips tightly together as her breathing came fast and heavy.

Silence filled the kitchen, heavy and suffocating, stretching on for nearly a full minute. It lingered so long that he wondered if she had actually fallen asleep right where she stood. He blinked, observing her and scrutinizing every nuance of her expression while trying to remain as calm and neutral as possible. He kept his arms folded across his chest, maintaining a stoic, unreadable mask.

She didn’t say anything for several long moments. Then, she let out a slow, trembling breath and shook her head quickly. A sharp, sarcastic smile spread across her lips as she struggled to keep her composure.

"Do you know what?" she murmured.

He looked at her, remaining quiet.

"It’s nothing," she said quickly, letting out a short chuckle and nodding to herself.

When she opened her eyes and looked back at him, the dark tension seemed to vanish. Her expression had abruptly returned to the normal, jovial, casual, and innocent way it usually was.

He exhaled, feeling a heavy wave of relief flood his mind. Has she truly dropped it? he thought to himself, staring at her with a slightly squinted eye, watching her every move.

She shook her head. "Just forget about it," she murmured, gesturing animatedly with her hands. But the nervous laughter that escaped her lips spoke far more than her words did. She was still unraveling inside, simply too exhausted to keep dwelling on the entire issue.

He frowned. What else had she gone through overnight to make her this hysterical, to make her feel as though she were losing her mind? It surely couldn’t just be about what happened with him last night. He clenched his jaw tightly together. Although that was close—dangerously close. I wonder what she’s going to think if she finds out, he thought, raking his fingers through his hair with a raised eyebrow. She’ll probably think I’m not human.

"Just forget about it, okay?" she repeated. "I’m just going to get out of your hair, I guess. I’ve done my assignments, my work is done, and I’ve overstayed my welcome. So... I’ll just see you some other time."

Then she froze. She waved her hand dismissively, a bitter chuckle escaping her. "Oh, never mind. I don’t think we’re going to see each other some other time, so what’s the point?" she said softly. "I’ll just go."

She turned around and walked toward the door.

He frowned, his gaze falling on the mug sitting on the center island. "Aren’t you going to drink your coffee?" he called out.

She didn’t bother to turn around. She stormed straight out of the kitchen and slammed the door behind her so hard that the frame rattled, making him flinch at the sharp vibration.

She had already given up on hiding her frustration. He closed his eyes and breathed out. Yep, definitely frustrated, he thought.

Rushing over to the door, he swung it open and stepped into the hallway. He watched her cross the living room toward the sofa where her books were supposed to be. She froze in front of the empty cushion, looking around in utter confusion as her eyes darted left and right. He blinked, suddenly remembering that he had actually taken her books from the couch last night and moved them to the bookshelf in the far corner of the living room.

He exhaled deeply, a knot tightening in his chest. I am so sorry, Rosa. I would really, really love to tell you—really love to explain things to you—but it’s all just going to come crashing down in a very, very bad way. You are not supposed to know this. Knowing any of this will only repeat the danger. I just can’t endure it anymore. I can’t continue living with this pain. Four times is enough trouble to go through. I can’t repeat that cycle.

Shaking his head, he turned back into the kitchen and picked up the warm cup of coffee. This should help her calm down a little bit.

He walked out of the kitchen and slowly approached her, watching as she practically ransacked the entire living room, lifting throw pillows and tossing them everywhere. He exhaled, just about to open his mouth to tell her where her books were, when a sharp ringing broke the silence.

Her phone. Both of them froze instantly.

Rosa hadn’t realized that he was standing there, a few meters away between the living room and the kitchen. Don observed her with a raised eyebrow, still holding the steaming mug of coffee in his hands. Step by step, he backed up slightly and concealed himself behind an archway to stay out of sight.

He saw her stare at her phone. She frowned.

"What?" she murmured to herself. Her eyes drifted toward the staircase. "I thought it was in the bedroom. Did I leave it here?" she whispered.

She walked over toward the sofa where her phone lay ringing. Don blinked from behind the wall. I guess I must have missed it last night, he thought.

She picked it up and stared at the glowing screen, her forehead creasing with a slight frown.

Then he saw all the color drain from her face. Pure, unadulterated shock painted her expression. She blinked rapidly, her breath catching as she dropped her hand down as if trying to ignore the call entirely. She gritted her teeth tightly together, her eyes darting left and right in sheer panic. She scratched at her neck, bit down hard on her bottom lip, and tapped her chin nervously, trapped in a spiral of frantic thought.

Don frowned. Who the hell could be calling to make her react that way? he wondered.

Peering around the edge of the archway with his eyes squinted in concern, he saw her slowly raise the phone back toward her face. Her lips were trembling violently.

Rosa, on the other hand, felt a heavy, terrifying rhythm pounding against her ribs. Her breath hitched, and the air in the room suddenly felt suffocatingly thick. Hyperventilation threatened to overtake her. Oh my God! she thought to herself, staring at the screen with trembling lips.

The bold, unmistakable name on the caller ID was setting off endless pinpricks of terror striking her nerves: Mrs. Lee.

"God damn it!" she muttered under her breath.

She turned around, her head swerving left and right to check her surroundings, but she didn’t see Don anywhere. I thought I saw him coming out of the kitchen just now, she thought, blinking. He must have left.

Moving over toward a quieter part of the living room near one of the sofas, she sat down on the cushion. Her thumb hovered nervously over the screen before she swiped the green icon to accept the call.

Oh my God! You’ve really done it now, Rosa...

She pressed the phone against her ear, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how to even start the greeting. What was she supposed to say?

"Have you made your decision?"

Mrs. Lee’s voice came through the speaker, sharp and cold. No preamble. No greeting. No elaboration.

Rosa’s breath hitched. "I haven’t..." She stumbled over her words, clutching the phone tighter. "I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it," she murmured, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat.

"Are you aware of what the date is this morning?" Mrs. Lee’s voice echoed sternly through the receiver.

Rosa closed her eyes tight and gritted her teeth. Of course she knew what date it was. Today was the second and final day of the deadline Mrs. Lee had set—the absolute last chance to accept her offer tied to her tuition fees.

Rosa leaned her head back and stared toward the ceiling, feeling completely trapped. Is this really how it’s going to be? If I don’t accept this offer, is she really just going to abandon me, refuse to pay my school fees, and let me be thrown out of the institute?

She blinked rapidly, exhaling a shuddering breath. "I know," she murmured, her voice shaking.

"So what’s with the delay?" Mrs. Lee asked.

Rosa froze, her lips hanging slightly apart. At this point, she truly had nothing left to say. Closing her eyes, she looked down at her free palm while keeping the phone pressed glued to her ear.

From behind the archway, Don watched her with narrowed eyes. He noticed the violent trembling of her shoulders and the way her fist clenched tight. She was in deep distress.

His frown deepened, his eyebrow pulling down as he stared at her. Who the hell could that be? he wondered.