Page 218 of The Wishing Game

"Please leave." I take a deep breath.

He's rooted to the spot, staring at me.

"I'm tired and I want to sleep. Please leave."

He doesn't move. He doesn't blink. He just stares at me.

God, this man is impossible! I don't understand him and I don't think I want to at this point.

"I..." He inhales a few times, placing his hands behind his back and straightening his spine. "I apologize if I offended you. It was not my intention to do so. I will weigh my words more carefully in the future."

"Good. Now you can go." I nod as I bypass him.

"Does that mean you will forgive me?" he asks eagerly as he trails behind me.

I close my eyes and count to ten in an attempt to calm myself and not rage at him.

"You have apologized, but that doesn't mean I'm required to accept your apology," I explain, and his face falls.

"But... I apologized," he whispers.

"You also need to show me you mean it, Ze. Words are easy. It is actions that are hard."

"But—"

"I really want to go to bed. Can you please go?"

He takes a deep breath, his shoulders slumping. Finally, he heads to the door. But just as I think he's going to leave quietly, he stops, his hand on the knob.

"Have a good sleep, Luce," he whispers in a barely audible voice.

Then he's gone.

I exhale deeply, my gaze finding the odd chocolate figurine.

Well, at least he brought me chocolate.

I plop myself on the bed and study the Ze-shaped figurine. It truly looks like him, down to the arrogance etched in his features. This version doesn't have the tattoos, though, and his hair is shorter—as I've gotten to know him. His clothes are simple, a shirt and a pair of pants, and his sword is sheathed at his hip.

A mischievous smile plays at my lips. Grabbing the figurine, I bite the head off, munching on the delicious chocolate and silently laughing at the now headless Ze.

Take that, you impossible man!

FORTY-SIX

"Are you sure it's okay for me to come along?" I ask Thea as we make our way down the stairs to meet with Wyn and accompany her to her gown fitting. It's early in the morning, and after a full night of sleep, I finally feel more like myself. Of course, I can't deny the slight disappointment I felt last night when Nikki didn't show up, but I trust that he'll make himself known to me when he can.

"Of course it is. Wyn likes you, and she's thrilled we're going to spend a girls' day out. She already planned the itinerary for today, and after the fitting, we're going to grab sweet ices from our favorite shop."

"That sounds heavenly. Thank you," I murmur with a smile.

"She's so excited about the ball. It's going to be a success, I already know it—much better than mine was, anyway," she adds, rolling her eyes.

"That bad?"

"Worse." She sighs. "Barely any people showed up. It was just my parents' friends, but no one my age. Later, I found out they had organized another secret party at the same time to spite me."

"What?" My eyes widen. "Why would they do that?"

---