Chapter 178

I went straight to the mansion after lunch. I did not even bother to stop by my apartment to drop off the flowers. In the back of my mind, I knew that I should not bring them into Andrew’s home, but I was so furious at Andrew that I did not care.

As I entered the mansion, Parker eyed the roses in my hand. He seemed about to say something but only offered to bring me a vase and helped me to set them up in the dining room. He looked back at the vase one last time before he walked out of the room, shaking his head.

I did not give the roses a second thought as I sat down and watched videos on my phone, waiting for Andrew to get home.

Just after I finished a small dinner, I smelled Andrew’s distinct scent wafting down the hall. It was soon followed by his heavy footsteps. I braced myself for the conversation that I had rehearsed in my head a hundred times that afternoon.

“Any leftovers—”

Andrew stopped in the doorway and stared at the flowers on the table.

“Did you get those from someone at Ever After Weddings?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“No, I got them…somewhere else.”

“The store?”

“No.”

“One of your florist connections?”

My voice faltered.

“No.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Where did they come from, then?”

I swallowed, but I did not let myself be intimidated. I sat up straight and looked Andrew straight in the eye.

“Noah gave them to me.”

Andrew’s hands clenched into fists.

“When?” he growled through gritted teeth.

“When we met for lunch this afternoon.”

“You said that you wouldn’t meet with him.”

“Yes, I did, but—”

“Why did you have lunch with him?”

The accusatory tone in his voice was almost too much for me.

“I talked to him about getting him back on the Bob case. I explained everything that has been happening so that maybe he would understand why I need Bob in jail—"

“You lied to me.”

“Yes, I did, but you left me no choice—”

“I told you how I felt about you hanging around Noah, and then you brought his flowers into my house. Do you not understand how that would make me feel, after all this time?”

“Are you going to let me explain?”

Andrew breathed in and out deeply through his nose, but he nodded.

“You didn’t give me any choice. I had to meet with Noah to finish this case against Bob, and you weren’t going to relent.”

“I told you not to worry about Bob—”

“Why? Because you’re already investigating him?”

Andrew blinked at me in confusion.

“Where did you hear about that?”

I laughed dryly.

“Your private investigator paid a visit to Noah a few weeks ago. Apparently, Noah knew him from a few cases they had worked together. You’re lucky he did, too, or he might not have given your friend anything.”

I stood and crossed my arms.

“So, are you going to tell me why you didn’t include me in your investigation?”

Andrew sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“I was trying to protect you—”

“I could have helped you! Why are you investigating him, exactly? Is it because of the attacks?”

Andrew threw his hands in the air and began pacing.

“It’s because of the attacks, it’s because of the bomb in Lisa’s car, it’s because of the constant threats against you…I don’t trust the man, and he’s managed to snake his way into my home.”

He growled in frustration, though whether it was at himself or at me, I could not tell.

“I should have run a background check on him before I let him date my daughter, but I dropped the ball. Now, I have to play catch-up and find out if he’s behind all the terrible things happening to the ones I love. And it’s not helping that you’re running around behind my back—”

“I told you that I wanted to continue this case against Bob and why. You just weren’t willing to listen—”

“I listened!”

Andrew came to an abrupt halt and turned to face me. He towered over me, wagging his index finger right in my face.

“You said that you trusted me to handle this. You promised me that you wouldn’t meet with Noah. You lied to me.”

“And you lied to me.” I pushed his finger out of my face. “I said that this was about me seeing Noah, but it wasn’t. You just didn’t want me to get tangled up in your little investigation.”

“My little investigation is our best chance of getting Bob off the streets permanently—”

“Then let me help! You already got Noah involved. Why can’t I be a part of it, too?”

“Because I don’t care what happens to Noah!”

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, closing his eyes tight. He took quick, sharp breaths to control his temper.

“I don’t know what will happen as we dig further into Bob’s exploits. I will not let you get hurt just because we might benefit from adding your perspective to the mix.”

A part of me could see the logic in Andrew’s reasoning. The more prominent—and angrier—part of me, though, could not let go of the fact that Andrew had been trying to dissuade me from the very path that he had taken.

Tears stung my eyes. I could not think rationally anymore. I stepped around Andrew and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Andrew asked, following me into the hall.

I did not respond and continued walking.

“Let me guess—you’re going home, again,” his voice called after me. “Run away after an argument, like always.”

I came to a stop as my body went rigid. I rolled my head, trying to crack my neck to relieve some of the tension. Then I turned, slowly, to face Andrew as he approached me.

“No,” I said, my voice strained. “I’m going to bed, in your bedroom. If I’m still invited to stay the night, that is.”

Andrew lowered his gaze at me. He knew that I was challenging him, and he was not about to lose a challenge in his own home.

“Yes, you are.”

The ball was in my court now, and I had to choose my next move carefully.

Without another word, I charged to his sleeping chambers. Andrew followed close behind me.

Once inside, we immediately set to changing into our pajamas. We did not dare look at each other. I knew that if Andrew was going to bed without any dinner, he truly was pissed.

I slid into bed first. Although the emptiness behind me was temporary, it made my heart feel heavy. Even as Andrew filled in the spot in the mattress, my heart did not lighten any.

As the darkness surrounded us, Andrew did not wrap his arms around me. The usual comfort that came with the weight of his arms and the heat of his body did not engulf me. Instead, panic gripped me.

I fell into a restless sleep, bombarded by nightmares of Bob, snipers, and Lily’s screams.