AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION

LILIANA'S POV

I turned around so quickly that I almost slipped on the polished floor, whispering, "Oh my God." As soon as my gaze returned to him, my face began to burn. A few paces away, Darian had a towel draped loosely around his waist and a smaller one around his neck. Drops of water trickled down his chest slowly, and his dark hair appeared damp with strands falling over his forehead.

My heart pounding frantically against my ribs, I instantly turned around again.

In a panic, I blurted out, "I swear this isn't what it looks like."

His deep voice finally filled the room after a brief period of silence.

He asked icily, "You broke into my room to stare at me half naked?"

My eyes got bigger. "What? No!

At last, he said, "You could have asked one of the maids for help."

"There was only one maid I saw, and she disappeared before I could say anything."

My eyes widened slightly as he let out a low sound that sounded almost like a laugh. Darian had never said anything funny to me.

I tightly wrapped my arms around myself, still avoiding his gaze. "I was looking for my room."

"After midnight, the doors automatically lock," he said coolly. "For safety."

I frowned a little. "That clarifies why the door refused to open."

At last, Darian approached the couch by the big window, picked up a black shirt, and pulled it over his head. I felt a little more at ease after that.

A tiny bit.

He suddenly said, "You can sleep here tonight."

I blinked in surprise before taking the chance to look at him. "What?"

"It's obvious that you're too quick to explore this house by yourself once more."

"I'm not quick."

He slowly raised an eyebrow.

Alright, perhaps I was quick.

Calmly, he continued, "I'll sleep on the couch."

I almost scoffed as I turned to face the couch. It appeared to be larger than my previous bed at home.

at home.

The word hurt more than I had expected.

Flashes of tonight pushed their way back into my mind, causing my chest to tighten painfully. Taryn. Emily. The humiliation. The guards won't let me enter my own home.

I quickly lowered my eyes in an attempt to stop crying.

When I remained silent, Darian said, "You can take the bed."

"No," I shouted out. "Definitely not."

"You're hurt."

"It's also your room."

He said coldly, "I own the entire house."

I shook my head after giving him a long look. "That's not the point."

He sighed quietly, as if I were causing him anxiety. "Just go to sleep, Liliana."

I felt a strange sensation in my chest when he said my name.

Darian took a blanket off one of the shelves while I sat slowly on the edge of the bed. Although it wasn't particularly uncomfortable, the silence between us wasn't either.

I muttered, "You don't have to do all this for me.”

After a moment of hesitation, Darian resumed his work. "My car hit you."

"That hardly qualifies as an explanation."

"It affects me."

After that, I silently stared at him, not sure what to say.

Darian was described by the whole pack as a terrifying monster. ruthless. cruel. heartless. Even Taryn used to caution me against upsetting him.

He was giving me his bed, though.

I froze in horror as my stomach growled loudly.

Darian turned to face me slowly.

I wanted to be completely engulfed by the floor.

He remarked, "You said you already ate."

"I did," I muttered feebly.

"That sound indicates otherwise.”

He moved toward the door and left the room before I could stop him. I sat there clutching one of the pillows awkwardly, trying to understand how my life had somehow come to this point.

I had a husband less than twenty-four hours ago. a home. stability.

I had unintentionally caught my ex-husband half-naked and was now hiding in his brother's room.

Officially, my life was a farce.

After a short while, Darian came back with a tray of food. My stomach began to painfully tighten at the smell.

I thought, "There's no way you cooked this yourself."

His mouth quirked slightly on one side. "I didn't.”

I was totally taken aback by that tiny almost-smile.

I carefully took the tray from him, being careful not to let our fingers come into contact. "I'm grateful."

He nodded slightly and took a seat on the couch across from the bed.

I took a moment to look at the tray before biting into the bread. I became acutely aware of how hungry I was as soon as the food touched my stomach.

While I was eating, Darian was silent, but I could occasionally feel his gaze on me.

He abruptly said, "You keep staring."

The bread in my mouth almost caused me to choke. "I'm not!"

"You are."

My face instantly became hot. "I'm just eating, really.”

"Since you entered this room, you have been staring at me."

"I accidentally entered this room!"

For once, he appeared oddly at ease as he leaned slightly against the couch. "Yes."

I squinted at him and took another bite to keep from saying anything more. Regretfully, I ate too quickly and began coughing almost right away.

With a quiet sigh, Darian got up and came over to me carrying a glass of water.

He whispered, "You eat like someone is trying to steal it from you."

I coughed, "No one is stealing my food."

"Obviously."

As he handed me the glass, his fingers briefly touched mine, and my body tensed up. Even though the contact was brief—just one second—it felt oddly intense.

After drinking the water, I swiftly withdrew my hand. To be honest, I was more concerned about my wolf's complete silence than anything else.

Darian's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he sensed the sudden tension as well.

A knock abruptly reverberated throughout the room before either of us could respond.

Darian's face instantly became icy once more.

He asked sharply, "Who is it?"

From outside the door, one of the guards responded. "Your brother is here, sir."

In an instant, all of my relief vanished.

Painfully, my stomach twisted.

"What?" I muttered.

Suddenly the room seemed too small, and Darian turned slowly toward the door.

The guard nervously went on, "He says he wants to see his wife."

"No," I replied right away. Inform him that I'm asleep. Inform him that I'm not present. I'm not concerned.

For a moment, Darian's gray eyes moved in my direction before turning back to the door.

He stated icily, "She isn't seeing anyone tonight."

Then there was silence.

The guard then spoke once more.

"He won't go.”