Chapter 214 Afraid to Love Again
?Wesley leaned back in his seat, hoping with everything in him that his friend would figure things out before it was too late. Dorian deserved to be genuinely happy.
?Hours later, the dark sky slowly began to shift into the pale, quiet hours of early morning.
?Back at the manor, Veyra was lying awake in the large bed upstairs. Her eyes were wide open in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling while her tired mind raced rapidly through a hundred different thoughts.
?Suddenly, the silent bedroom was broken by the soft buzzing of her phone resting on the nightstand.
?She reached out blindly, picked up the device, and tapped the screen. A new message had just popped up from Wesley.
?Dorianโs low spirits arenโt because of relationship issues. Itโs just work stress. Donโt worry about it too much.
?She stared down at the glowing words over and over again.
?Not relationship issues. Just work.
?As she read that, she felt a heavy, suffocating weight lift off her chest. She let out a long breath she did not realize she had been holding.
?She quickly tapped out a reply with her thumb. Thank you for telling me, Wesley. Did you actually meet up with him tonight?
?His reply came back immediately. Yes, we had a drink together tonight.
?What is wrong then? What kind of work issues could make him act like that?
๐๐๐พโฏ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐๐พโ.๐๐ ๐ฎ
?Wesley sat in his own quiet space, reading her follow-up question on his phone screen.
?He thought back to everything Dorian had confessed across the table just an hour ago. He thought about the raw pain, the confusion, and the deep, undeniable love Dorian had finally admitted to having for Veyra.
?Yet, he knew he could not repeat any of that to her. It was simply not his secret story to give away.
?He carefully tapped out a safe response. It is just heavy corporate stress and pressure. Nothing serious to worry about. He will be fine once he catches up on rest.
?He paused for a second, his thumb hovering over the glass screen. Then he typed out one more line.
?Veyra. Can I ask you a personal question?
?A few seconds later, her answer popped up. Of course, go ahead.
?Do you actually like Dorian? As more than just a marriage partner? As a man?
?Veyra stared down at those direct words, and her heart gave a sudden, hard thump against her ribs.
?She felt a rush of heat climb up her neck. She typed her reply slowly, carefully guarding her words. What do you mean by that kind of question?
?I mean, do you have feelings for him? Do you like him as a man?
?She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a shaky breath in the quiet room. No, I do not.
?Why not? Is it because of the situation?
?Because I know the huge social gap between us, she typed back honestly. I know exactly who I am and where I came from. And I certainly know who he is in this world.
?Wesley read her message and frowned slightly at her stubborn self-doubt.
?He typed his thoughts back to her. If you truly cared about someone, class differences would not matter at all. You would not let silly titles stand in your way.
?He paused, letting the message sit for a moment before adding another line. Have you ever taken the time to truly look deep into your own heart, Veyra?
?Veyra stared at the screen as those words hung in the dark room.
?She did not rush to type an answer back this time.
?Instead, her thoughts drifted back to Dorian. She remembered the gentle way he had held her close when she was crying in the room. She thought of the intense, searching way he looked at her when they were alone, and how his deep voice always seemed to soften just a fraction whenever he spoke her name out loud.
?Then, her mind flashed back to the painful memories of Caspian. She remembered the betrayal, the cruel lies, and the deep, lingering fear of opening up her heart only to be torn apart all over again.
?She finally tapped the screen, her fingers trembling slightly. I honestly do not know anymore.
?She paused, adding another sentence. Maybe I do not like him that way. Maybe all of this hesitation is just because of what happened with Caspian in the past. Maybe I am just completely broken and not ready for any of this.
?Wesley read her honest confession and decided not to push her any further tonight.
?He typed back a reassuring reply. That is fair, and your feelings are valid. But give it some thought. At the end of the day, you deserve to be truly happy.
?Thank you for listening, Wesley, she replied.
?With that, she locked her phone screen and set it back down on the wooden nightstand.
?She pulled the blankets up around her shoulders and lay back down in the dark. Even though the room was quiet, her mind was still spinning with a million restless thoughts.
?Deep down inside, she felt firmly that the absolute best and kindest thing she could possibly do for Dorian was to intentionally keep her distance from him, protecting them both from further complications.
?She reached over and clicked off the bright bedside lamp, plunging the room into shadow, but she made sure to leave a soft, glowing nightlight on across the room so that it would not be pitch black for him when he finally came home.