PEEKABOO

AMARIS POV

“Yes,” I said with an heavy breath. “As much as I would have loved to say otherwise, I did… I killed them.”

A stray tear found its way at the corner of my eye, and I quickly used my hand to wipe it away before it could fall. “At least all the evidence pointed to me… I don’t know what happened during that moment or how I got there, but I was there alone with them… I mean, how could I? They were important to me. They were good to me… at least before I poked my nose into their business,” I mumbled.

“Did you tell anyone about this?” he asked. “Because your parents' story…it’s quite different.”

“How would they know the truth when they weren’t in the picture when it happened? When they only feared me instead of loving me?” I hissed.

“I did tell someone, though,” I said, my chest suddenly hurting badly as I held my hand to it.

“Amoria. She knew because she was the only person who cared to ask… the only person who treated me differently… like I was important.”

Zevian adjusted where he sat. I was aware that mentioning her name might trigger the resentment he had toward me. But I said it anyway. I didn’t want to lie to him.

“I love Amoria, Zevian. I wouldn’t, in my wildest dreams, hurt her intentionally. Why would I hurt someone who has been nothing but nice to me since I stepped foot in that house?” I questioned, but Zevian remained silent.

“You may think I’m lying or making excuses for myself for what I just said. But I’m just going to ask… beg that you at least give me the benefit of the doubt. You don’t have to believe me, but don’t condemn me either.”

I waited for his response, but none came. After some time, he glanced at me before standing up.

“Let’s go inside. You aren’t permitted to catch a cold.”

He said it in a way that gave no room for my rebuttal. Not that I had any. My palms were already freezing.

This time, Zevian waited for me to get up before walking into the house, leaving me to watch his back from a distance as I strolled behind him.

When we got to the hallway, I was about to walk into the section where my room was when Zevian’s voice echoed.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Ahm… my room?” I blinked in confusion, pointing at my door.

“You’re wet, and I remember saying you aren’t permitted to catch a cold,” he snapped.

“I’ll just use the duvet...” I mumbled. The dress would probably dry if I hung it in the bathroom.

“Follow me.”

He turned.

??

Confused, I walked toward him as he opened the door to what I assumed was another hallway, but was actually his room. The largeness of the space was unbelievable. The sort of space that could only belong to a king.

“Amaris, would you come inside and stop standing at my door like some sort of doormat?”

“Oh...” I murmured, walking inside while trying not to stumble over my feet, which I usually did whenever I was in an awkward situation.

I reached the center of the room while Zevian walked through another door, leaving me to marvel at his room. It wasn't as blank as mine. There were hints of pink that contrasted with his personality, and I knew it was Amoria’s doing.

Soon, Zevian came out with a piece of cloth in his hand and threw it at me.

Did this man have a thing for throwing things at me?

“Get changed…”

He cleared his throat before continuing, “I would have given you Amoria’s clothes, but I think I’d prefer they remain clean.”

With that, I examined the shirt in my hand and realized it was Zevian’s T-shirt.

“Thank you,” I said, turning to leave, only to be stopped by his remark.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To change…in my room?” I replied.

“There’s a bathroom here. When you’re done, leave your wet clothes there. My maids would get them in the morning.”

I was about to retort about how I could do it in my room, but before I could mutter the words, Zevian added, “I don’t want you being stubborn and not wearing it.”

“Okay,” I muttered before entering his bathroom.

I wasn’t surprised by its size. The pure white tiles and fanciness were exactly what I expected from someone like Zevian.

Quickly, I changed, doing as he instructed by leaving my clothes there before coming out.

By this time, Zevian was already sitting on his bed, staring at the bright screen of his phone. But his gaze immediately shifted to mine when he heard the sound of the door closing.

Then, from my face, his gaze dropped down to my body that was now adorned in his shirt that stopped just a little bit above my butt—not like I had anything worth staring at in that area.

But a thought ran through my head when he dropped his phone on the bedside table.

For someone as built as he was, there was no way this was the length of his shirt… or did he wear crop tops?

Zevian must have noticed my dazed appearance as he called my name, but I only realized it when his voice increased.

“Hmm?”

“You can go to your room now.”

“Yes.”

I muttered, walking briskly back to the door…completely forgetting the whole chaos that came with my awkward walking.

Soon, the whole act backfired in my face, and just before I could grab the door handle, I missed a step. The next thing I knew, my butt cheeks hit the ground with a loud thud.

“Ow,” I winced at the pain that shot through my ass.

When I raised my head to look at Zevian, his eyes were somewhere else. My eyes strolled down to see that my panties were on full display for him to see.

Duck!

I cursed. Not exactly a swear word, but it was my idea of swearing.

Quickly, I stood up and opened the door without looking back. I ran into the hallway and into my room.

Then I jumped into my bed, not failing to notice the heat that had settled on my cheeks as I shut my eyes tightly, too ashamed to open them.

But as the sleep crept in, I could feel Iradia’s movement within me. A subtle swirl, like a burst of light. She felt happy. Something that had become a rare occurrence.

It felt good… great maybe. And as the sleep took me, the universe didn’t feel as cold as it had before.