Glass Castle Prince by Nicole Williams

Author:Nicole Williams [Williams, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Published: 2019-03-17T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

He didn’t come looking for me later that day. I didn’t go looking for him either.

I thought we both needed our space to process everything; at least I knew I did. Whatever the reason for Edward’s absence was only to known to him.

After a tormented night of sleep, I gave up trying sometime before six in the morning. After throwing on a few layers of warm clothes, I stepped out into the dark morning and headed for one of those walks Edward was such a fan of. It was slow going, even with the old cane I’d dug out of storage, thanks to my sore ankle, but it didn’t take long for the clouds of confusion to recede. I walked—hobbled—around the grounds and through the gardens until my toes were numb and my lungs felt filled with ice crystals. My mind felt clearer this morning, answers taking the place of questions.

As I passed the manor gate, ready to limp back, I realized how simple life and all its components really were. It was only we humans and our proclivity toward convolution that made a mess of things.

A dark car was winding down the driveway, headlights cutting through the early morning fog. Only one of four people could be behind the steering wheel, but I knew who it was before the tinted driver’s side window whirred down.

That familiar ache in my chest radiated through me.

I lowered my scarf from my mouth, reminding myself to act normal. “Going for a drive?”

Edward was not behaving the same way though. His focus stayed aimed out the windshield, his knuckles white around the steering wheel. “I’m leaving.”

My arms crossed, my mind replaying what he’d said. “For how long?”

“I don’t know.” He adjusted something inside the car, his attention everywhere besides me. “A while.”

“And you were just going to leave without saying goodbye?” I waved at his fancy car and him inside it, ordering myself not to even think about crying.

“I didn’t realize I was supposed to inform you of my every coming and going.” The muscle running down his jaw quivered. “The other three will still be here, but they’ve promised to stay out of your way.”

“Edward—”

“Whatever I might have agreed to before, I believe it’s best if we leave that in the past.” His eyes narrowed out the windshield. “I wouldn’t want either of us to get the wrong impression or come to an inaccurate conclusion. It was only pretend.”

The wound he’d given me yesterday reopened, the pain so real my vision went white for a moment. My sneakers crunched over the gravel as I backed away from the car. “I agree.”

He nodded stiffly as he punched the car into gear. “Goodbye.”

Gravel sprayed as the car took off, speeding through the gate, taillights swallowed by the fog a moment later.

I only gave myself a minute to stand there, staring at the place he’d been, before forcing myself up the driveway. I’d been foolish to think he could bear any type of feelings for me that extended beyond satisfying a basic need.

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