Chapter 3

"I fell in the bathroom!" I repeated the same answer for the third time today, while cheerfully tousling his silky hair.

I didn't see Mr. Sterling at any point throughout the evening, and when it was time for bed, I claimed the left side of Macy's bed.

However, I couldn't even blink an eye. I always had trouble falling or staying asleep whenever the environment was different, and I hadn't been to this house since the beginning of my freshman year of high school.

Macy, on the other hand, had completely submerged herself in the realm of dreams.

I walked outside into the garden to get some fresh air because I was beginning to feel smothered.

I was lounging around in one of Macy's pajamas, along with a tank top and shorts. I walked over to the swimming pool and sat down on one of the long chairs that were set up in front of it.

The roar of the car notified me that Aiden, Mr. Sterling's had arrived, and it wasn't long before I heard a loud bang and screams coming from the room where the couple was staying.

I couldn't tell what they were fighting about because of the distance between the house and the pool.

I saw Mr. Sterling approaching in the distance holding a lit cigarette just as I decided to head back to Macy's room.

He arched his brow in confusion and expressed surprise at seeing me here.

"Why are you still awake?"

I lowered my head to feel the aura of dignity that surrounded him. The fire that burned between his folds was tangible enough to disturb the souls' sense of security.

I'm having trouble falling asleep. I didn't want to keep turning in bed because Macy seemed so worn out, and this place was unfamiliar to me.

"Even an earthquake won't shake Macy." He said flatly.

His face soon became covered in smoke after he licked the cigarette and took a few puffs of nicotine from it.

I anticipated him asking if I overheard him arguing with his wife, but he remained silent. So I opened the conversation with pure intent, which was a stupid mistake.

"I overheard your argument with Mrs. Sterling. You are welcome to share with me if you feel like it."

He raised an eyebrow in disapproval before reprimanding me without any delay. "Leave adult problems to adults!"

He nearly turned away from me, but quickly decided against it as if he had encountered a barrier or noticed something that prevented him from continuing on his initial plan.

"Who struck you?" His eyes were fixed on my cheek as he sat in the chair next to me.

"I tripped in the restroom." I hoped my voice came across as convincing.

"Is it engraved on my forehead that I am an idiot?" I could feel the sarcasm in his tone, and a wave of emptiness washed over me as a result.

"My dad!" I said in defeat.

He took another drag from the cigarette and then purposefully blasted the smoke that he was holding in his mouth onto my face.

The aroma did not bother me at all; on the contrary, it made me quite eager.

"And what heinous act did you perform that warrants this punishment?" He enquired in a scratchy voice.

I couldn't help but grimace, and I was quite sure I caught a glimpse of his eyes darting down my bare thighs for a split second.

People tend to blame me when they notice traces of beating on my face because my father did not drink alcohol.

It made no sense to wear out my voice by constantly complaining or trying to prove them wrong.

"He does not like me!" I reciprocated him in the same manner because he also refused to tell me about what transpired between him and his wife.

I peeled my gaze out of reach of his voracious eyes.

'And you don't love me anymore.' I said the last part inwardly. Imagine how pathetic I would look if I let that out.

I trembled as he touched the bruise with his chilly fingertips, and my gaze met his pupils, which softened for a fleeting second. Nevertheless, a sudden darkness engulfed them, and an emotion that rushed through them was beyond my ability to describe.

"My anger wasn't directed at you, little girl. It just lost its way."

I bit my bottom lip and turned my head towards his hand, not wanting to miss his tender touch.

His illicit touches rolled over my face like a lullaby, and lethargy overtook me. My eyelids were slightly dropping.

He must have sensed my shortness of breath as it became impossible to disguise it from him through my lips.

"Retire to your bed!" Mr. Sterling's voice cracked and became raspy suddenly.

A peculiar blackness swept across his heavenly vision like the nighttime gloom that had enveloped the entire cosmos.

I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't going to get a chill when he took off the jacket of his suit. Even though it wasn't particularly cold outside as May was just starting, the wind was quite gusty, and the smoke from his cigarette was swirling around as it was held up to the breeze.

"I don't feel sleeping!" I grimaced since I didn't want to go.

The warmth of my breath stroked his thumb, which had not been removed from its position between my lips.

He opened his mouth slightly before releasing a trembling breath and clenching his teeth together as if he were fighting his conscience.

"Now go to bed, little girl!" He repeated himself while not attempting to conceal his gaze, which was consuming my cherries in the same way that his thumb was feeling them. Soon after, he removed his finger from my mouth and turned his attention to the swimming pool.

"I want to be by myself!" Mr. Sterling added flatly.

"There is plenty of room in the house. You can be by yourself in other places too!" I was able to communicate clearly. Perhaps because his gentle touch broke through the barriers of age that existed between us, which caused me to forget about respect.

"I, too, was the first one to arrive here." I cracked a wry smile. However, my skin began to crawl with goosebumps when he gave me a murderous look.

This served as a reminder that he was a serious man who did not understand jokes and served as a signal to me that I had exceeded my bounds.