CHAPTER 79
AXEL
The evening felt like it was stretching on forever. I sat at the table, my fingers tapping against the wood as I stared at the blank papers in front of me. Alethea had gone off to her room to change, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that seeing her with another guy—any guy—was a problem.
I could hear her footsteps on the stairs, the sound of her soft shoes echoing through the house. She entered the kitchen, and I looked up, trying to act like nothing was bothering me.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice soft but steady.
I nodded, but I could tell she wasn’t buying it. She could always tell when something was off with me. That’s the problem with being close to someone—n
