Chapter 289: the rowe VI

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: the rowe VI

Vivienne froze.

Her wrist was still in Anthony’s hand.

For several seconds, she could only stare at him.

Anthony.

Here.

At her dinner.

She couldn’t make sense of it.

His fingers loosened.

He released her wrist.

Then, with the same composed expression he always wore when addressing her, he said,

"Lady Beaumont. A moment, please."

Vivienne blinked.

Her mind seemed to have stopped working.

"Anthony..."

It was the only thing she managed.

Anthony waited.

She stared at him, still trying to understand why he was standing there.

Anthony’s gaze shifted toward Christopher.

"Christopher, please excuse us."

Christopher’s brows lifted slightly.

His eyes moved to Vivienne, then back to Anthony.

"I don’t think the lady has agreed just yet."

There was no challenge in his voice.

No hostility.

Just a quiet reminder that the decision belonged to her.

Anthony fell silent.

His gaze returned to Vivienne.

He waited.

Vivienne looked between the two men.

What was she supposed to do?

Anthony was her former fiancé.

Her past.

The man she had once loved albeit one-sidedly.

But that was over.

She had accepted that.

She had come here tonight because she wanted to be with Christopher.

And yet Anthony was standing beside her now, asking to speak with her as though the last few weeks hadn’t happened.

Vivienne looked at Christopher.

He was simply watching her.

Waiting.

Not telling her what to do.

Not trying to stop her.

Just waiting for her decision.

She hesitated.

Then, quietly, she asked,

"Is it okay?"

Christopher’s expression softened.

"It’s whatever you decide."

Vivienne looked at him for another moment.

Of course he’d say that.

He wouldn’t make the decision for her.

She glanced toward Anthony.

Then back at Christopher.

Oh, no.

What was she supposed to do?

She took a small breath.

"It’ll just be a moment."

Her voice was quiet.

"I’m sorry."

Christopher gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry."

He leaned back slightly in his chair.

"I’ll be waiting here."

Vivienne’s heart gave a little squeeze.

She nodded.

"Okay."

She turned toward Anthony.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Anthony stepped aside, allowing her to pass.

Vivienne hesitated for only a moment before following him.

She glanced back once.

Christopher was still sitting at the table.

He gave her another small smile, as though reassuring her that he would be there when she returned.

Vivienne managed a faint smile in return before turning away.

They moved through the restaurant, past the tables and the long polished bar, until Anthony pushed open the door leading outside.

The evening air was cooler.

Vivienne stepped out after him.

Behind them, the restaurant door closed, muffling the sounds of conversation and music from inside.

The university quarter was quieter here, with students passing along the pedestrian paths in small groups, their voices carrying faintly through the evening air.

Anthony stopped a short distance from the entrance.

Vivienne stopped too.

She looked at him.

Anthony seemed to be gathering his thoughts.

That alone unsettled her.

Anthony was rarely at a loss for words.

"What is this about, really?"

Anthony was silent for a moment.

He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

"About what happened between us."

Vivienne’s expression changed slightly.

"The engagement?"

"Yes."

She waited.

Anthony drew in a slow breath.

"I know I hurt you that night."

Vivienne said nothing.

"I know what I said."

His gaze remained on her.

"And when you suggested that we end our engagement, I agreed."

Vivienne lowered her eyes briefly.

"You told me you didn’t love me."

"I know."

"So ending it seemed like the right thing to do."

Vivienne looked back at him, waiting.

Anthony was quiet for a moment.

"Yet now..."

He stopped.

He looked away briefly before continuing.

"I know this may sound strange."

His voice was quieter now.

"And I know I have no right to ask this of you after everything I’ve said."

Vivienne simply watched him.

"But I’ve thought about it."

"About what?"

Anthony looked at her again.

"About us."

Her heart gave a small, uneasy beat.

He took a breath.

"I wish you would reconsider."

Vivienne stared at him.

"Reconsider what?"

There was a brief silence.

Anthony held her gaze.

"Me."

Vivienne’s breath caught.

He continued, his voice quieter.

"Us."

She simply stared at him.

The words were almost impossible to reconcile with the man standing in front of her.

Anthony had told her he didn’t love her.

She had believed him.

She had accepted that she could no longer hold on to an engagement built around a love that wasn’t returned.

And now he was asking her to reconsider.

Vivienne swallowed. ℯ𝔴ℯ

She didn’t know what to say.

Anthony waited.

Finally, she asked softly,

"What changed?"

Anthony was silent for a moment.

He could have given her a dozen explanations.

None of them would have been enough.

The truth was simpler.

It had started at the Founders Ball.

That was when something in the way he saw Vivienne had changed.

For the first time, he had looked at her not simply as the woman he had been engaged to for years, but as a woman he wanted.

And that realization had unsettled him.

He didn’t love her.

He knew that.

And he knew Vivienne loved him.

To marry her simply because he had begun to desire her would have been unfair. His wanting her could not replace the love she had always hoped he would give her.

So when Vivienne later suggested that they end their engagement, he agreed.

At the time, there had been no urgency.

He could acknowledge what he felt without acting on it.

Then came the pool party.

Seeing her with Damian changed that.

He hadn’t liked it.

It bothered him enough that he eventually sought Damian out and confronted him about his closeness with Vivienne.

And somewhere in that conversation, Anthony finally admitted the truth to himself.

He wanted her.

He simply didn’t know what to do about it.

Then the following days became crowded with midterms, student council work, and preparations for the Sports Fest.

Vivienne hadn’t disappeared from his thoughts entirely, but she had gradually been pushed into the background.

Until tonight.

Until he was already sitting in this restaurant and she walked through the door with Christopher Archibald.

A man Anthony hadn’t even known she knew.

And suddenly, everything he had pushed into the background came rushing back.

He watched her smile at Christopher.

Watched her laugh.

Watched the way she looked at him.

And this time, there was no uncertainty about what he felt.

He couldn’t stand the thought of her with another man.

Anthony drew in a slow breath.

"I know this may sound selfish."

Vivienne looked at him.

"But I realized..."

He paused.

"I can’t stand seeing you with other men."

Her eyes widened slightly.

Anthony’s expression remained composed, but there was uncertainty beneath it.

"I don’t know what that means," he admitted. "I don’t know if I can call it love."

Vivienne’s heart tightened.

Anthony looked at her.

"But I know I want you."

A quiet beat passed between them.

Anthony’s gaze remained on hers.

"And now I know that matters."

He paused.

"A lot more than I thought it would."

Vivienne simply stared at him.

--

Tbc