Chapter 85: ... doesn’t ignore me.
Lawrence.
Theresa didn’t say anything again, even after both Lurgard and I had chorused the question at her, our voices overlapping in expectation and concern. The silence she gave in return was heavy, almost deliberate, as though she had decided that words were no longer something she wanted to offer us at that moment.
Lurgard, on the other hand, seemed to drift away into his own thoughts. His expression shifted slightly, unreadable, as if something had clicked in his mind that he wasn’t ready to share. He stood there for a while longer, lingering in the room without truly being present, before finally turning away. Without another word, he left the room entirely, his footsteps fading down the corridor and leaving behind a silence that felt even more suffocating than before.
I took that as my chance.
A chance to finally be alone with Theresa.
A chance to do what I had been holding back from, especially with him always hovering around her like a hawk that refused to loosen its grip.
His presence had been irritating in a way I couldn’t fully explain, always watching, always close, always making it difficult for me to just... be near her the way I wanted to be.
Without wasting another second, I moved closer and took Theresa’s hands immediately into mine. The moment I felt her skin against mine, I began to gently caress her hands, my thumb brushing softly over her knuckles as though trying to ease away whatever invisible weight she was carrying.
A strange warmth filled my chest at the contact alone. Despite everything, I was genuinely happy just to be beside her like this, to have even this small moment where I could hold her without interruption.
She was my mate after all. That thought anchored itself firmly in my mind.
Everything would fall into place soon—everything would become right, especially when we finally got married. That future felt so certain to me that I almost couldn’t imagine anything standing in its way.
"Baby, is anything bothering you?" I asked softly, my voice lowered so it wouldn’t disturb the fragile atmosphere between us.
I searched her face carefully, hoping—almost pleading internally—that she would open up to me. I wanted her to trust me enough to share whatever was weighing her down. At least then, we could begin to strengthen what existed between us, to solidify the bond that I believed was already ours.
"Can you help me with something, Lawrence?" she asked suddenly.
The question alone made something in me lift instantly. For a brief moment, foolish excitement rushed through me at the thought that she was finally reaching out, finally asking me for something. I didn’t even pause to consider what it could be. It didn’t matter. Whatever it was, I was ready to do it.
"Anything for you, Theresa. Just name it, because I can do anything for you," I said almost eagerly, a happy assurance slipping through my tone without restraint.
But nothing—absolutely nothing—prepared me for what came next.
"Get out of this room!" she said firmly.
The words hit me harder than I expected. At the same time, she immediately withdrew her hands from mine, breaking the contact so abruptly it felt like a physical rejection. Her eyes closed afterward, shutting me out completely as if she could no longer bear to look at me.
For a moment, I just stood there, frozen, my mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened.
She actually does want me out.
But...what have I done wrong?
Did I do anything? Say anything? Or was it simply me?
The question lingered in my chest, unanswered, as I stood there still trying to understand why the warmth I had just felt had so suddenly turned cold.
"It’s all Lurgard’s fault," I muttered loudly in my head, my thoughts sharp and bitter as I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails pressed into my palms.
Everything about this situation suddenly felt clear to me in the most frustrating way.
If he hadn’t been hovering around Theresa, always inserting himself between us, always trying to stay close to her like some kind of shadow that refused to leave her side, then she wouldn’t have started finding my presence disturbing in the first place.
It was him. It had to be him.
If Lurgard hadn’t been constantly trying to separate Theresa from me, if he hadn’t been around her almost all the time, watching her, talking to her, touching her hands as though he had some right to her attention, then she wouldn’t suddenly look at me like I was the problem. She wouldn’t have pulled away from me the way she just did.
My jaw tightened as the thought spiraled further. I couldn’t understand why his behavior had changed so suddenly.
One moment he was acting normal, and the next he was practically clinging to her presence, as though something in him had shifted and made him decide he needed to be closer to her than before.
Why? What had changed? What was he trying to prove?
I looked at Theresa again, my eyes lingering on her face. Her eyes were still closed, her expression shut off from me completely, as if she had locked herself away and thrown away the key. The sight unsettled me more than I wanted to admit, and yet I couldn’t stop my thoughts from forming.
"Does she love Lurgard now?" the thought slipped into my mind, uninvited and sharp.
My chest tightened at the idea. I mean... he had been the one holding her hands earlier, caressing them so gently before he left the room. And yet, when I did the same thing, she pulled away instantly. Not just pulled away—she rejected me outright and told me to leave.
The contrast burned in my mind, twisting everything into something I didn’t want to believe but couldn’t ignore either.
"Lurgard!" I screamed his name loudly in my mind, anger flaring hot and immediate.
Theresa was my mate. That was not something that could be questioned or replaced.
And as my brother, Lurgard should understand that. He should know better than to covet what does not belong to him. He should know his place. He shouldn’t be interfering, shouldn’t be standing between us like some obstacle I didn’t ask for.
No... I think it was high time I made something very clear. To both of them. To everyone involved.
Theresa belonged to me.
That thought settled in my chest with finality, hardening my resolve. I was not going to leave this room just because she told me to. She couldn’t simply throw me out as if I didn’t matter. She needed me more than she realized—more than she could ever understand at this moment.
And I refused to believe she truly meant what she said. I refused to accept that she wouldn’t open her eyes and speak to me again.
If she wouldn’t do it willingly...then I would make her.
Without hesitation, I stood up properly, my movements slow but certain. Then I bent my head slightly, leaning forward as my gaze locked onto her face.
My heart pounded, but not from fear—more from anticipation, from the need to break through whatever wall she had suddenly put between us.
Before I could second-guess myself, I leaned in closer.
My lips brushed against Theresa’s lips in a deliberate kiss, firm enough to demand a reaction, yet still holding onto the belief that this would bring her back to me.
And just as I was about to fully claim the moment, her eyes snapped open.
She pushed me away immediately.
"What are you doing?" she asked sharply, her voice filled with irritation and anger.
But I didn’t care. Not even a little.
’Bingo,’ I said in my head, a strange, uncontrollable smile forming on my face.
It had worked. She was looking at me. She was speaking to me.
Whether she looked at me with anger, irritation, or even hatred, I realized I didn’t mind. Any reaction from her was better than the silence. Anything was better than being ignored.
As long as she acknowledged me...as long as she saw me...then I could deal with whatever came after.
