Chapter 22

Since that short driving lesson, Ace had changed.

It wasn’t subtle either, it was deliberate, obvious, and almost cruel in its silence. He acted like I didn’t exist. No more lingering smirks, no teasing remarks, no sly touches. Not even glances.

I thought I’d welcome it. I thought the absence of his boldness would bring me peace. But instead, it was like sitting in a room with a thunderstorm hovering outside the window, quiet for now, but charged with tension, as if something worse might break at any moment.

He walked past me in the halls without a word. If our eyes met by chance, he looked right through me, like I was invisible. He hadn’t bothered to acknowledge me, his attention buried in his phone and whatever he did whenever he was in his room.

It stung. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

And now, here we were, seated around the long dining table, the clink of silverware against porcelain echoing faintly in the vast room. The glow from the chandelier spilled warm light across polished wood and gleaming glasses. Dinner had been served, roasted lamb, steamed vegetables, and a glass of red wine by each plate.

Scott sat at the head of the table, where he always sat as the head of the house. I, on the other hand, sat to his right, and Ace lounged on his left, in a careless posture, one elbow bent as his other hand tapped away on his phone beneath the table.

The silence had stretched too long, so Scott cleared his throat, setting down his fork with a soft clink.

“There’s something I need to discuss,” he said, his tone deliberate. His eyes swept between us, finally landing on me before flicking back to his son. “I’ll be traveling soon. To the United Arab Emirates. I need to be in Dubai.”

My fork paused halfway to my mouth. “Dubai?”

“Yes,” Scott confirmed with a nod. “An important business meeting. Several contracts are on the table. I’ll need to be there for at least three weeks.”

Three weeks. The words sank into me like stones. Three weeks without him, without his presence, right after Ace had said I’d come looking for him. I opened my mouth, questions already rising. Like, when would he leave? Who else was going? But before I could speak, the faint, rapid clicking of Ace’s phone filled the silence.

Scott’s gaze snapped to his son.

“Ace.”

Ace didn’t look up. “Mm?”

“No phones at the dining table,” Scott said firmly. “You know this.”

That got his attention. Ace lifted his head slowly, expression unreadable, though his jaw tightened just slightly. “Why? It’s not like you were talking to me.”

Scott’s eyes narrowed. “I was speaking to both of you.”

Ace’s lips curled in a humorless smirk. “Sounded like you were speaking to your wife.”

My chest tightened at the way he spat the word, wife, as if it were venom.

“Enough,” Scott said sharply.

Ace leaned back in his chair, phone still in hand. “I’m just saying. You weren’t talking to me.”

The silence turned brittle, fragile like glass ready to shatter. I shifted uneasily, trying to ease the tension. “Ace—”

“Stay out of it,” he snapped, his eyes cutting to me for the first time in days, sharp and cold. “I’m talking to my dad.”

The words sliced clean through me, harsher than any silence. My throat closed, words dying on my tongue. I sat back, stung, heat flooding my cheeks.

Scott’s jaw clenched. He placed his napkin carefully on the table, his voice deceptively calm. “You will not speak to her like that. Sabrina is your elder now. She is my wife, and she deserves your respect.”

Ace scoffed, a bitter laugh slipping out. “Respect? It would be easier if she weren’t younger than me.”

My stomach dropped.

“That’s not fair,” I blurted, unable to hold it in. My voice shook, but I forced myself to meet his eyes. “You’re only a year older than me.”

His smile was sharp, cutting. “Exactly.”

The single word landed like a slap.

Scott’s hand slammed lightly against the table, not enough to be violent, but enough to silence the air. “Enough. Be quiet, Ace.”

The authority in his tone brooked no argument, and for once, Ace leaned back, lips pressed into a thin line.

The meal continued in stilted silence. I pushed food around my plate, appetite gone, my thoughts a tangled mess. Scott tried to pick up the conversation again, talking lightly about his upcoming trip. The details, the deals, the hotel he’d booked. I nodded, tried to smile where appropriate, but my mind was still stuck on the exchange.

Ace didn’t look up from his plate. His fork scraped, his movements loud and pointed, until finally he shoved it down with a loud clatter.

“I’m done,” he said abruptly, pushing his chair back. He didn’t look at either of us as he stood, phone already in hand.

“Ace—” Scott began, but his son was already halfway out the door.

The silence left in his wake was suffocating.

Scott sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, love. About his behavior. I thought…” His voice softened, weary. “I thought you two had grown acquainted.”

I stared at my plate, the lamb now cold and untouched. My throat ached, but no words came.

How could I explain? How could I tell him Ace’s silence wasn’t apathy, it was anger, sharp and simmering? That his cruel words at the car had haunted me since? That maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t about age or respect at all, but about the promise I’d broken. The intimacy I’d shared with Scott after swearing to Ace, it would never happen?

I swallowed hard and forced a smile I didn’t feel. “It’s fine,” I whispered, though it was anything but.

Scott reached for my hand, his thumb brushing gently across my knuckles. “Don’t let him get to you. He’ll come around.”

I nodded, but inside, I wasn’t so sure.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked in an almost quiet voice.

“Yes, of course.”

I chuckled. “It’s weird, and I know asking this now might seem like a rush to how things are already going with us, but... do you love me?”

The question was unexpected as he paused for a long time. And then finally, he cleared his throat. “I care about you, Sabrina.”

“So, you don’t—”

Before I could complete my sentence, he called out for one of the staff to clear his plate as he was done eating. He stood up, pressing a kiss to my forehead, and with that, he disappeared, leaving my question unanswered, and I remained seated, wondering if maybe Ace was right when he said Scott would never love me.