Chapter 251: Do you love me?

Eloise’s mind raced as she started remembering everything that had been happening recently. The signs she had been trying to ignore, the ones that kept her up at night.

Her voice tightened, her fingers slowly digging into her palms. "I know he’s busy with his general duties, but the Kaden I know always makes me his absolute priority. No matter how packed his schedule gets, he always finds time for me. And now I heard he’s applying for a short-term deployment near the border territories where those unrest rumours are popping up," she explained, her heart aching.

"He didn’t even tell me," she added, sounding aggrieved.

Killian listened attentively, his sharp mind analysing her words piece by piece. He was instantly certain of one thing: Kaden was indeed avoiding something.

His brother had a well-documented habit of retreating into isolation whenever a complex problem overwhelmed him. But a deep, cynical part of Killian wasn’t entirely convinced that Eloise was the actual root of Kaden’s sudden flight instinct. Eloise knew Kaden’s habits just as well.

"He has that private mountain villa he retreats to whenever he wants to be completely alone," she added, her voice tightening with frustration. "He has never taken me there, Killian. Not once. No matter what I ask, it’s like he’s hiding a whole part of his life from me."

Despite the cynical thoughts swirling in his mind, Killian knew better than to voice his assumptions to her, not after all the meticulous arrangements he had orchestrated to maintain this fragile peace.

He needed Eloise stable and content, at least until Yuki’s engagement to Xavier was finalised and she was safely tucked away under the Velmore family’s protection.

"Maybe you are overthinking things," Killian suggested smoothly, keeping his tone light and even. "Kaden is simply under immense pressure with the recent border movements."

"No! I’m not overthinking it!" Eloise rejected the idea instantly, her voice rising in defensive panic.

Her unusually intense reaction piqued Killian’s curiosity, a cold thread of suspicion twisting in his gut. What on earth was actually happening between his brother and her? Eloise’s hands clenched into tight fists against her knees, her bottom lip trembling as her voice cracked.

"That’s not even all of it... There’s something else." She swallowed hard, searching for the right words. "I... I kissed Kaden during Alexander’s wedding reception."

Killian’s dark gaze hardened instantly, the atmosphere in the office dropping several degrees. "What do you mean?"

"He hesitated before kissing me back," Eloise explained hurriedly, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "And then he pulled away so quickly, like... like he wasn’t interested in me at all." Her throat tightened as she remembered the incident that night.

"And right after that, he completely vanished. Lately, it feels like Kaden is actively avoiding getting intimate with me. Every time things start to progress, he stops it before it goes any further."

Killian forced his expression to remain entirely neutral, though his mind was racing with dark possibilities. "Are you sure? Kaden can be intense, Eloise. What if he’s simply exhausted, or trying not to rush you? You know how careful he tries to be with your health," he asked carefully.

Killian threw out the excuses effortlessly, but beneath his calm façade, a dangerous suspicion was taking root. Eloise went quiet for a moment, staring at the floor as if trying to convince herself.

"Maybe... maybe that’s true. Maybe I really am just being paranoid."

Then her gaze slowly drifted up, locking onto Killian’s face. Her throat went dry as she took in his sharp jawline and steady sapphire eyes. A desperate, erratic thought took hold of her.

"Then... can you kiss me?" she asked softly, her tone laced with a needy, testing plea.

Without a single second of hesitation, Killian took a deliberate step backwards, putting distance between them.

"Not today," he declined smoothly.

Eloise’s eyes widened, her posture slumping as a wave of humiliation washed over her face.

"I have a massive headache, Eloise," Killian said, his voice cold and clipped. "And you cannot project your frustrations onto me simply because you feel insecure about my brother’s recent behaviour."

Tears immediately filled her eyes, brimming over her lashes. The sudden, blunt rejection stung far worse than she anticipated; he hadn’t even attempted to soften the blow.

"Why?" she demanded, her voice trembling with rising anger as she stood up to face him. "You haven’t kissed me in forever, Killian! You barely touch me anymore!"

Killian massaged his aching temples, letting out a low, irritated groan as his headache violently throbbed behind his eyes. Now he was the one being put on the stand and interrogated.

"Not right now, Eloise," Killian growled softly, his voice tight with suppressed frustration. "You know how much work is piling on my desk. Besides... I have never been the affectionate type, and you know this."

Eloise frowned, her lips trembling. It was true. Despite the fact that Killian indulged her every whim, catered to her comfort, and anticipated her needs far better than anyone else, he was undeniably the least physically affectionate of the three brothers.

She had always assumed he was simply distant by nature, showing his devotion through cold efficiency rather than warm touches. But looking at him now, a quiet, terrifying whisper echoed in the back of her mind.

"Do you actually love me, Killian?" she asked, her voice dropping into an eerie, quiet hush.

She had never dared to ask that question out loud before. She had always assumed he loved her because he was the one who constantly kept Kaden and Kieran in check whenever she felt neglected.

But what if he had never loved her at all? What if he only treated her this way to manage his brothers? After all, the triplets shared an intense emotional connection. They frequently felt each other’s emotional bleed-over and could easily mistake another’s feelings for their own.

It was just like the time in their childhood when Kieran had deeply hated an academy instructor who had sabotaged his research project; Killian and Kaden had automatically loathed the man with equal passion, despite never having taken a single class with him.

Killian scoffed at her question, a dry, humourless laugh escaping his throat.

"Are you seriously asking me that question, Eloise?" Killian said, his tone turning bone-chillingly cold. "After everything I have done for you?"