Chapter 54-The Things He Refused to Admit
1053 Words
The Sinclair Tower cafeteria was unusually loud that afternoon. Laughter bounced off glass walls, cutlery clinked, and employees crowded the tables like birds settling on electric wires.
Adrian Knox sat alone with a cup of coffee he had barely touched.
He told himself he was reading the report in front of him.
But his eyes kept drifting across the room.
To Damien.
Damien Sinclair sat with Hana.
Hana leaned close to him, her laughter soft and deliberate, fingers occasionally brushing his sleeve as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
He looked down at the report again.
Why does it bother you? he scolded himself.
Damien was engaged to her.
Everyone knew that.
Still, something bitter climbed into his throat.
Across the room, Hana tilted her head and said something that made Damien smile faintly.
That smile landed like a punch in Adrian’s chest.
Minho slid into the chair across from him.
“You look like you swallowed poison.”
Adrian didn’t respond.
Minho followed his gaze.
“Oh.”
A knowing expression crossed his face.
“Hana again.”
Adrian’s voice came out sharp.
“I don’t care.”
Minho smirked.
“Sure.”
Adrian slammed the report shut.
“I said I don’t care.”
But even he could hear the lie vibrating in his own voice.
Across the Room
Damien wasn’t listening to Hana.
He heard her words, yes. Nodded at the right moments.
But his attention kept drifting across the cafeteria.
To Adrian.
The way Adrian sat stiffly in his chair.
The way his jaw moved slightly, like he was grinding his teeth.
Jealousy?
The thought appeared suddenly in Damien’s mind.
And just as quickly he shoved it away.
That’s ridiculous.
Still… the idea stayed there, flickering.
Hana noticed Damien’s wandering attention.
Her eyes followed his gaze.
They landed on Adrian.
Understanding slid slowly into her expression.
“Oh,” she said softly.
Damien turned back.
“What?”
Hana smiled.
“That boy.”
Damien frowned.
“What about him?”
“You look at him a lot.”
Damien’s expression hardened instantly.
“I look at everyone in this company.”
Hana’s smile widened slightly.
“Not like that.”
Damien didn’t answer.
Because suddenly he wasn’t sure what “like that” meant.
Later That Evening
The office floor had grown quiet.
Most employees had already gone home.
Adrian remained at his desk, pretending to finish paperwork.
But his thoughts were a tangled storm.
Damien.
Hana.
That smile.
The memory played again and again until his chest hurt.
He leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes with his hand.
“What’s wrong with me…”
He whispered the words quietly.
Jealousy.
The word terrified him.
Because jealousy belonged to lovers.
And Adrian Knox was supposed to be a man.
Not Jade.
Not a woman secretly falling apart over another man.
A sudden knock on his desk startled him.
He lowered his hand.
Damien stood there.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Damien’s voice finally broke the silence.
“You’re still here.”
Adrian shrugged.
“So are you.”
Damien studied him carefully.
Adrian looked… tired.
Something fragile lingered in his eyes.
“Is something wrong?” Damien asked.
Adrian laughed quietly.
“You’re asking that now?”
Damien frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian stood up.
The chair scraped softly against the floor.
“It means you spent the whole week pretending I don’t exist.”
Damien’s jaw tightened.
“I’ve been busy.”
“That’s not the reason.”
Their eyes locked.
The tension between them thickened like a storm about to break.
Adrian’s voice dropped.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Damien said nothing.
Because he couldn’t say the truth.
Because every time you stand near me, I forget how to breathe.
Adrian waited.
Seconds stretched painfully.
Finally Damien said coldly,
“You’re imagining things again.”
Something inside Adrian cracked.
“Stop saying that!”
The sudden emotion in his voice echoed across the empty office.
Damien looked startled.
Adrian turned away quickly.
His hands trembled slightly.
He hated this.
Hated how exposed he suddenly felt.
“Just forget it,” Adrian muttered.
But Damien stepped closer.
“No. Tell me.”
Adrian shook his head.
“Why do you care?”
Damien’s voice softened unexpectedly.
“Because I do.”
The words hung between them.
Adrian slowly turned back.
And suddenly his eyes were bright with unshed tears.
Damien froze.
He had never seen Adrian like this before.
Vulnerable.
Shaken.
“You don’t get to do that,” Adrian said quietly.
“Do what?”
“Act like I matter.”
His voice broke slightly.
“Not after you spent days pretending I don’t exist.”
Damien felt something twist painfully inside his chest.
He hadn’t meant to hurt him.
He had only been trying to protect himself.
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“I thought maybe… maybe I had done something wrong.”
His voice grew quieter.
“But you were just running away.”
Damien stared at him.
Adrian’s eyes shimmered now.
The tears he fought so hard to hide were winning.
“Why?” Adrian whispered.
The question wasn’t angry anymore.
It sounded almost… broken.
Damien opened his mouth.
But the truth was impossible.
So he said nothing.
And that silence hurt Adrian more than any answer could have.
He wiped his eyes quickly, embarrassed.
“Forget it.”
Adrian grabbed his bag.
As he walked past Damien, he whispered hoarsely,
“I won’t bother you again.”
Then he left.
The sound of the elevator doors closing echoed faintly down the hallway.
Damien stood alone in the empty office.
His chest felt tight.
Heavy.
And for the first time in years, Damien Sinclair realized something terrifying.
He had hurt someone he didn’t want to hurt.
Someone who mattered far more than he wanted to admit.
He ran a hand through his hair and whispered under his breath,
“What the hell is wrong with me…”
But the question had no answer.
Only the quiet hum of the empty building.
And the realization that the distance he created between them hurt far more than being close ever had.
- Writer
