Chapter 36

The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to suffocate any semblance of ease as Chase and I sat in silence, the only sound echoing through the room the clinking of our cutlery against porcelain plates. I could feel Chase's eyes burning into me, his gaze like a physical weight that bore into my very soul, but I refused to meet his stare, keeping my focus fixed firmly on my meal as if it were the only thing that mattered.

But then, just as I began to relax into the comfortable rhythm of our silent standoff, Chase opened his mouth to speak, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

"Why were you at the party, Ruby?" he asked, his tone deceptively casual yet laced with an undercurrent of suspicion that sent a shiver down my spine.

I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth as I struggled to find the right words to answer his question. But before I could formulate a response, Chase continued, his words more of a statement than a question.

"You were there to kill me, weren't you