Chapter 110: Busted

I jolted and my heart leaped to my throat when I saw him watching us, just standing there. What alarmed me was the look on his face. That wasn’t my stepbrother, Julian, in the window. It was the man that intimidated me. There was a calculating look in those blue ember eyes. He knew something serious was going on and he knew that he was the one I was trying to keep it a secret from. The red flag was that the topic was serious enough that I had to tell my mother about it.

*Julian isn’t a complete dumbass, and I know that he’s going to keep focusing on what’s going on down here until he finds out the truth.*

In my mind, there was only one thing I could think of that would make me drag Mom out to somewhere private and speak to her alone. And I just hoped that Julian wasn’t having the same mindset right now. I don’t know what he’d do if he found out and I’d rather not find out.

Mom’s hands slid from my shoulders to my hands. “As much as I love stargazing, we should get to bed. Especially you, missy, you’ll be extra tired now. Come, come. Let’s get you to bed.”

I just give a nod and let go of my sarcasm for the moment. My inner flame was practically demolished by now and my chaotic emotions have fried my brain. Mom took me back inside and upstairs to my room. The mansion was as silent as can be, with all the maids already gone home and everybody else in their bedrooms. Everyone but one.

My hand tightened around my mother's when we stopped in front of my bedroom door. The thought of Julian hiding somewhere in my room and catching me the moment my mom was long gone left goosebumps crawling up my arms. Mom looked at me worriedly. “Hm? Is everything alright, honey?”

“Uh… y–yeah, I’m good.” Fuck. I cursed myself in my thoughts. Mom definitely had to have caught my stutter.

She squinted at me suspiciously through her ginger eyelashes. “Hmm. It's been a while since I’ve checked your bedroom for monsters.”

My heart gave another sharp jump as soon as she released my hand and opened my door. “No–wait!”

*At this rate, I’m gonna die of a heart attack before I’m even halfway to 30!*

As expected, my room was empty at first glance. I had a feeling that Julian had the common sense to leave before we got back, but, Julian had an awful knack for catching me off guard… I wouldn’t be surprised if he hid in a place I didn’t even know was in my room or bathroom.

Mom literally looked around my bedroom like she used to when I was a kid. Checking my closet, under the bed, behind the curtains, and even the bathtub. She checked every nook and cranny. I was nervous that she’d find Julian, but now I felt safer.

She turned to me with a bright smile and her hands on her hips. “All clear! No monsters here.” She gave an amused snort. “Oh, will you look at that? I rhymed.”

I smacked my hand to my forehead. My mother could cringe the life outta of me but I wouldn’t change her for the world. “Thanks, Mom. Appreciated.” I was about to hug her and tell her goodnight, but I stopped when I saw the uncertainty fog in her summer leaf-green eyes. Her hesitance made me uneasy. “Hey. Is something wrong?”

*Did I stress her out?*

The look on her face vanished as soon as I spoke, her pursed lips turning into a sweet smile as she shook her head in reassurance. “It’s nothing, honey.” She gave me a tight hug and kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Feel free to sleep in. Goodnight, love.” the last look she gave me was endearing but still showed that she was worried about my wellbeing.

After she left, I flopped down on my bed. *Fuuuuck… this fuckery is the worst I have ever been in.* The look on my mother’s face still made me anxious. Something told me that she wasn’t looking at me like that because of something I did. That’s the part that worried me.

I heard the creak of wood in my bathroom and I immediately sprang up, my senses on high alert. *Was I right? Was there really a secret hiding place in this giant fucking house that I didn’t know about??* I grabbed my pocket knife I had been keeping under my pillow and took wary steps towards my bathroom, each one as silent as a stalking predator.

Without hesitation, I kicked the door open, and it swung with enough force that it loudly slammed into the wall behind it. *Oops.* When I rapidly looked around, my tension eased when I saw there was nobody in the bathroom. *What the fuck? Then what was that fucking noi–* A startled gasp escaped me when I heard a squeak and saw a furry mammal race behind the toilet at the speed of light. *Holy shit! Is that a fucking rat?!* To think that my joke would come back and bite me in the ass. When I peeked behind the toilet, I saw that it was much smaller than what I had thought I saw at first glance. *Oh. It’s just a lil mouse… kinda cute looking.*

It was tempting to catch it and keep it as a pet, but I don’t think either my mom or Gabriel would appreciate a wild rodent being kept in their house. As I left the bathroom to go find something to catch the mouse in, I slammed into a solid object and lost my footing. Before I could fall to the ground, strong arms wrapped around my back and pulled me back into a steady balance. It may have startled me, but I wasn’t surprised by the man who had gotten in my way.

“Are you alright?” Julian wears the same cute puppy expression each time he asks me that same question, over and over in the past.

I shoved his chest to push myself out of his grip and gave him a feisty sneer. “You fucking ASS! You didn’t even knock! What the fuck do you think you’re doing in my room?! Last I checked, you were so depressed that you closed yourself off for weeks! The first thing you do is waltz into my room in the middle of the night without permission?!”

The concern in his beautiful blue eyes clouded the glowing irises further. “I was, but you looked really troubled. I just wanted to see if you’re alright.”

“I’m fine. Do you mind getting the fuck outta my room now?” my sass was like a bottomless pit that headed straight down to a hateful hell.

*To think he’d shut the whole world out unless I look troubled… I’d admire the dedication if it wasn’t for all the bullshit that has happened between us already.*

Julian’s worried gaze shifted into curiosity as he looked past me with a tilt of his head, looking into the bathroom behind me. “What’s on the counter?”