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She made a move to leave, but his arm wrapped around her waist as he pulled her over to him. She blushed as her back was against his chest, and he placed his face in the crook of her neck.
“You know how much I care about you… how protective I am of what’smine.”
She sighed as she heard his frequently used words to justify his actions.
Mine. Did she want to be his? Of course not.
Was everything about that answer true...? Of course not. But she didn’t let those feeling surface to make sure no one would find out, and it slightly pained her to utter the next words.
“...I talked to my mother and asked her about switching me to online classes for a bit.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “To get away from me?” he asked, and she sighed as she nodded slowly.
Eventually, he pulled away from her, and she finally let out a tear that was begging to fall as his footsteps began to fade away, leaving her in the hall alone.
Chapter thirty-eight
Delilah
Isat with Tyler on my lap as Juliet greeted everyone. Uncle Eugene trailed in behind her and nodded at everybody; he didn’t say much. Kimi took Melanie out of Juliet’s arms as she directed the little girl to where the other children were beginning to gather. Tyler, seeing one of his cousins, wiggled off of my lap and wobbled over to the scene.
“Juliet, Eugene… It’s good to see you,” Killian said as he entered the living room, and I watched him wrap an arm around my mother. They began conversing as Shin entered the room with his wife, Hana, as well. Mom thought it was a good idea for Benjamin and Reginald to spend the night with their family, as she consequently left me and Kimiko in charge of taking care of the children.
Feeling eyes on me, I looked over to see Uncle Eugene now taking a seat beside me.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said, and I gave a small smile.
“Hey, Uncle Eugene,” I replied, and we sat in a silence that was a bit uncomfortable for both of us.
“What have you been up to? Aunt Juli has been talking about you being out for a good while… She seems very happy right now because of the dinner,” I prompted.
He seemed a bit startled by the question. “I’ve been busy. And how have you been?” he responded, and I noticed his small attempt to get me to let go of the conversation.
“I’ve been fine,” I responded, and I felt the tension rise even more as he narrowed his eyes at me slightly.
“Hmmm... You’ve been a bit absent as well. Brielle had mentioned you being busy with your studies, dance, and work.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately.”
We stayed in silence for a while. Eventually, Juliet beckoned him over to her, and he stood up, leaving me alone. I let out a silent breath that I didn’t even notice I was holding, and only then did I realize how nervous I actually was.
“We can’t let him suspect that we know anything,” I heard Blaine murmur as he stood beside me.
I looked up at my uncle as I felt him grab my hand. “What if you and Uncle Shin are right? Why would he be working with Calvin?” I whispered.
Uncle Blaine sighed. “I don’t know, Dede. All I know is that he can’t keep this a secret for long. We’ll figure it out,” he said, placing a kiss on my forehead before standing to fix his collar. “Now, I have to get into character. I am the life of the party, after all,” he said with a wink.
I smiled as I pushed him away. “Have fun,” I said.
Eventually, all of our parents had bid us goodbye. I got up and began making my rounds as I wanted to keep everyone situated. I peeked into our other living room to see Zachary with Uncle Blaine’s older son, Nickolas, along with Ivory, who was speaking to Jin, Kimi’s brother.
I walked out of the room and entered the other one that held all of the younger children and Kimi. I sat beside them andwatched as they attempted to get me involved in their little game. I smiled at them and tried my best to participate.
After about an hour, our home was no longer bustling with noise, but all I could hear were small snores. I stood up from the couch and smiled as all of the children were sound asleep on the sofas or with their blankets on the floor. Kimiko and I moved them to actual beds, and I sighed as there was finally a sense of peace.
Deciding to take a quick shower while Kimiko kept an eye on them, I walked into my room and took my hair out of its ponytail. After I finished in the bathroom, I got dressed in a long-sleeve crop and leggings. Leaving my wet hair down, I brushed it as my phone buzzed beside me. I looked over to it and opened the message from Archer.
Archer: What are you doing?
