ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond

Chapter 286: Was it him?

Chapter 286

"Oh my gosh." The way chiara said it wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t controlled. It was full disbelief, full excitement, full Chiara.

Before I could react, she rushed forward and practically threw herself onto the bed beside me, her hands hovering over the jewelry like she was afraid touching it might make it disappear.

"Katya," she whispered, staring. "Katya, tell me I’m not seeing things." I didn’t answer. Because honestly, I still wasn’t sure I wasn’t seeing things either.

Chiara looked at the necklace, then the earrings, then the bracelet—her mouth slowly falling open wider with each second.

"This is the set," she breathed. "This is the exact set." Her head snapped toward me, eyes blazing with shock.

"The one from the store." I swallowed. Her gaze dropped back to the box immediately, her expression turning into something dangerously close to awe.

"We said we would rob the place for this."

"We joked," I said quietly. She ignored that. "Do you know how much this costs?" she whispered dramatically, like the number itself might summon security.

"I remember," I said. Chiara finally looked at me properly. And that was when her expression changed.

Because I wasn’t smiling. I wasn’t excited. I was sitting stiffly, the note still in my hand, my shoulders tight, my thoughts clearly somewhere else.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Okay," she said slowly. "Why do you look like this is a bomb instead of jewelry?"

I opened my mouth to talk but she beats me to it, "Wait." Chiara paused me, tilting her head. "Don’t tell me you stole this without me? Is that why you’re quiet?"

I stared at her. "Chiara."

"What?" she said defensively, already reaching for the bracelet again. "If you were going to become a criminal, the least you could do was include me. I’ve been loyal to you for years, well technically months but you understand.."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, the tension in my shoulders tightening instead of easing. "I didn’t steal it."

She paused. Then slowly, very slowly, her head turned toward me.

"Oh," she said. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh." That tone. The dangerous one. The investigative one. Her gaze dropped to the small piece of paper still clutched in my hand.

" what’s that?" I hesitated for a second. Just one. Then I handed it to her.

Big mistake. Chiara snatched the paper like it was evidence in a crime scene and flattened it open immediately. Her eyes moved across the words.

And then her entire face lit up. Her mouth fell open. Her eyes widened. Her shoulders lifted. And then she looked at me.

"Katya." I already knew that tone too. "Katya," she repeated slowly, her voice rising. "What the actual fuck."

I closed my eyes briefly. "You got an admirer?" she demanded. Her gaze dropped back to the jewelry, then to the note, then back to me again.

"A rich admirer," she added, her voice full of disbelief and excitement. "A very rich admirer."

She scooted closer on the bed, her knees bumping mine, her energy vibrating like she had just been handed the best gossip of her life.

"Who is it?" she asked immediately. I didn’t answer. Her eyes narrowed. "Who is it?" she repeated, louder this time. Still nothing from me.

Her mouth dropped open. "Katya, don’t play with me right now." She grabbed my arm and shook it lightly.

"Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Is it someone I know?"

I swallowed. "Chiara—" Her eyes suddenly widened. Her grip tightened. "Wait." She leaned forward, staring at my face like she was trying to pull the truth out of my skin.

"Don’t tell me..." Her voice dropped into a dramatic whisper. "Is it Michael?"

"What?" I blinked.

"Michael!" she insisted, already nodding to herself. "He was giving you that weird in love stare yesterday at dinner." I stared at her.

"Chiara," I let out a long breath, pressing my fingers to my temple. "This isn’t from Michael."

She paused. "Okay," she said slowly. "Then who?" Silence stretched between us, Chiara’s excitement didn’t fade.

Her eyes searched my face, moving slowly, carefully, like she was looking for something I wasn’t saying. "Katya," she said, quieter now. "You’re not answering."

Because I didn’t have an answer. I swallowed. "I don’t know." She blinked. "What do you mean you don’t know?"

"I mean exactly that," I said, my voice coming out tighter than I wanted. "I don’t know who gave it to me."

Her eyebrows pulled together. "Katya... this isn’t flowers. This isn’t chocolate. This is—" she gestured wildly at the jewelry "—this is a house sitting on your lap, a very expensive house."

"I know," I whispered. Chiara stared at me for a long moment. "Okay," she said slowly. "Start from the beginning."

I exhaled, my fingers twisting together in my lap. "I woke up," I started. . "And the bag was there. On the bedside table. I didn’t hear anyone come in. I didn’t see anyone. It was just... there."

Chiara’s mouth opened slightly. "That’s it?" she asked.

"That’s it." Her eyes moved slowly around the room, like the person might still be hiding somewhere.

"That’s... creepy," she whispered. I didn’t argue. Because it was. Her gaze snapped back to me.

"Wait," she said. "Who came into your room last night?" My heart gave a small, traitorous jump. Because there was only one answer. Only one person who had opened that door.

Only one person who had stood inside this room.Only one person who was sharing a door with me.

Romeo. The name settled heavily in my chest. And it almost made sense.

Who else could afford something like this? Who else had access? Who else had been here? But the thought didn’t stay steady.

Because the more I looked at the jewelry... The less it made sense.

Romeo and normal gifts didn’t belong in the same sentence. Romeo and kindness didn’t belong anywhere near each other.

He didn’t like me. He didn’t tolerate me. He made my life difficult in ways that were blood filled. He looked at me like I was a problem he hadn’t decided how to solve yet.

So why would he give me this? We weren’t friends. We weren’t close. We weren’t anything.

Family obligation didn’t explain this. Pity didn’t explain this. Nothing explained this. The logical part of my mind pushed back immediately.

It isn’t him. It can’t be him. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do something like this. I shook my head slightly, more to myself than to Chiara.

"No," I said quietly. Her eyes narrowed.

"No what?"

"I don’t know who it is," I repeated. "And I’m not guessing." That wasn’t completely true. But I wasn’t ready to say his name out loud.

Because if it wasn’t him, I would look ridiculous. And if it was him... I didn’t know what that meant. Chiara watched me carefully.

"You’re thinking about someone," she said.

"I’m thinking that this doesn’t make sense," I replied. She studied my face for another long moment.

Then suddenly—Her eyes widened.

"Wait."

I froze. Her voice dropped dramatically. "...Was it him?" She pointed at the hidden door. My stomach tightened because at the same time she pointed, the panel opened and Romeo stepped out.