Chapter 177: ¹⁷⁷: surprised

Chapter 177: 1??: surprised

I squinted as the sunlight fell across my face, something I had grown accustomed to after living in this house for a while.

Following my usual routine, I turned away from the light with a groan, trying to steal a few more minutes of half-conscious sleep. A soft, contented sound escaped me as I felt the warmth of my quilt curl around me.

There was a strange, peaceful warmth settled in my chest, leaving me feeling unusually soft and content. For once, I had slept so well that even the thought of getting out of bed seemed like an unreasonable demand.

Still half-asleep, I slipped one hand beneath the quilt, searching for a more comfortable position. That was when the memory of last night came rushing back to me.

I hadn’t been alone. My eyes flew open beneath my heavy eyelids, and I immediately began searching beside me with my hand. I moved it across the sheets more frantically, feeling for the person who had slept like a baby in my arms last night, despite all the strange and terrifying things that had happened to him.

But there was nothing. I opened my eyes fully and turned my head towards the empty space beside me. The sheets were slightly rumpled, but there was no sign of Kael. I pushed my hand across the mattress one last time, as though I might somehow have missed him, before the truth finally sank in.

He wasn’t in the bed. Had he already gotten up? Had he left me here alone after everything that had happened last night?

A nauseating feeling curled in my stomach as reality dawned on me with every passing second. The peaceful warmth I had been basking in moments ago began to fade, replaced by a familiar ache that I knew far too well.

How could I have hoped, even for a second, that he would stay here with me? I should have known better by now. After all the countless times Kael had hurt me, how had I still managed to let myself fall into the same trap? How many times had I promised myself that I wouldn’t let my feelings for him get the better of me again, only to turn around and do exactly that?

Apparently, I had lost count. At times like these, I truly realised what a fool I was when it came to Kael. I always gave in to my impulses, allowing a single tender moment to make me forget all the reasons I should have kept my distance. And every time, I ended up right back where I had started, silently scolding myself for being stupid enough to hope.

My hands rose to my face on their own, my palms pressing against my cheeks as I tried to ground myself in reality. I couldn’t afford to fall into the same old spiral again. I had spent far too many days doing precisely that, and I was exhausted from the endless cycle of hope, disappointment, and self-reproach.

"You should really stop being such a fool for him, Athena!" I mumbled to myself, directing the words at nobody but my own conscience.

With that, I threw the quilt aside and forced myself to sit up. I had no intention of lying there any longer, basking in the aftereffects of what had undoubtedly been one of the best nights of sleep I had gotten in God knew how long.

"You’re awake?"

I flinched like a startled rat. The unexpected voice came from the direction of my study table, making me whip my head around so quickly that I nearly forgot what I had been thinking about.

And there he was...Kael. Sitting in the chair by my study table as though he had been there all along. I only stared at him, my mind struggling to catch up with what my eyes were seeing. I blinked once, then again, almost convinced that I was still caught somewhere between sleep and reality.

"You... you’re still here?" I stammered, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "You didn’t leave?"

Kael shifted slightly in his chair, his gaze moving towards my table before returning to me. His expression remained as unreadable as ever, giving me absolutely nothing to work with.

"Why?" he asked in that same monotonous voice he seemed to reserve for me these days. "Did you not want to wake up to my face?"

I shook my head almost immediately, unable to decide whether I was more surprised by his presence or by the question itself.

My eyes moved over him, instinctively checking whether he was all right after everything that had happened last night. He had already changed his clothes, and his hair was still damp from what must have been a recent shower. A few wet strands rested against his forehead, while the rest fell carelessly into place.

He looked perfectly composed, almost as though the events of the previous night had never happened. But I remembered them.

I remembered how he had been, and I couldn’t help studying his face for any lingering signs that he might still be unwell.

Only after taking in his appearance did I finally glance down at myself. And then I remembered something else. I had been completely naked when I fell asleep last night.

To my surprise and relief, I wasn’t naked right now. Instead, I was wearing a shirt, a new one that Kael must have taken from my closet.

My gaze lingered on the fabric for a moment before I slowly looked down at myself, trying to piece together what must have happened after I had fallen asleep. He had even cleaned me before putting the shirt on. I could tell from the way my body felt, no longer sticky or uncomfortable as it usually would have been after everything that had happened last night.

The realisation left me feeling strangely unsettled. Kael had done all of that himself? Why? Why would he do that?