Chapter 89: Cracks In The Armor
325 Words
The silence between them clung like a second skin. Maria’s lips parted, but no sound came. She could feel Daniel’s gaze burning into her, waiting, challenging her to deny the emotions she’d buried.
Her throat tightened. “I… I don’t know what I feel,” she whispered, eyes darting away.
Daniel stepped closer, his shadow falling across hers. “That’s not true. You know. You just don’t want to admit it.”
Her pulse thudded painfully. “And if I do admit it, what then? You think everything magically disappears? That people will suddenly forget you made me a bet?”
The bitterness in her voice sliced through the air. For a second, Daniel flinched—like her words had struck deeper than she intended. He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t change how it started, Maria. I hate myself for it. But I can change what it means now. I’m not asking you to forget—I’m asking you to give me the chance to prove I’m more than the mistake I made.”
Maria’s chest ached with confusion. Every wall she built seemed to crumble when he spoke like this. Yet fear dug its claws into her ribs, refusing to let go.
Before she could reply, Emeka’s voice boomed from behind the hedges. “Ah! Lovers’ conference again! Should I fetch popcorn?”
Maria spun around, cheeks blazing, while Daniel groaned. “Emeka—”
“Don’t Emeka me,” he teased, grinning as he sauntered closer. “Maria, if you keep sneaking off with him like this, people will start talking. And when they do…” He wagged his brows. “You two won’t be able to deny it anymore.”
Maria’s heart skipped. Deny it. That was exactly what she’d been trying to do. But the cracks in her armor were widening, and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep them from breaking open completely
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