CHAPTER 24

ARIANA

I sat at the dining table, absentmindedly stirring my spoon through the bowl of oatmeal in front of me. The sounds of clinking utensils and quiet chatter filled the room, but my mind was elsewhere. Every few minutes, my eyes would dart toward the door, scanning the hallway for any sign of Grayson. But he never appeared.

Why was I waiting for him? The question kept gnawing at me, yet I had no answer. Maybe it was because of what he’d said earlier. Maybe I just needed to see him to understand if he really meant it—if he was truly ready to let me go.

I chewed on my bottom lip, the taste of breakfast completely lost on me. Across the table, Matthew was happily shovelling food into his mouth, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing inside me. I didn’t know how he could be so carefree, especially after barging into Grayson’s room earlier, like a bull in a china shop.

"You gonna eat that or just stare at it?" he mumbled through a mouthful of toast, raising an eyebrow as he motioned t