My breath quickened, and a dull ringing filled my ears as I clicked on the comment box under Thalia’s post. My heart felt like it was splitting in two, and the pain of it made me reckless. Without thinking, I typed: "Wow! Good for you!"
I bit my lip, forcing myself to breathe slowly, but it was no use. The walls of the dining room seemed to close in on me, and the candles—once beautiful and warm—now cast eerie, flickering shadows that made me feel even more trapped.
Without thinking, I redialed Rozen’s number. The ringing echoed in my ears—once, twice. Each second dragged on like an eternity, my anger bubbling beneath the surface, ready to spill over.
On the third ring, he finally picked up.
“Chloe,” Rozen muttered, his voice sharp with frustration. “I’m in the middle of something—"
“When are you coming home?” I cut him off, my words trembling as I tried to keep my voice steady.
There was a pause, but just before he responded, I heard something—a faint voice, a woman's voice, murmuring something in the background. My heart stuttered.
“I’ll be home soon. We’ll talk then,” he said quickly. And then, without warning, the line went dead. He’d hung up on me.