Chapter 2049
After finally making it back home for a visit, Ivy spent practically all her time with Alyssa.
Alyssa was the first person Ivy had ever met who was genuinely kind to her. She wanted to do everything she could for her.
After they finished dinner, Ivy walked Alyssa back to her room and then retreated to her own room for the night.
Her room felt foreign to her; it had been so long since she had been back. It was not really hers; she did not belong there, and it did not belong to her.
Standing silently at the doorway momentarily, Ivy grabbed some pajamas, showered, and then lay in bed.
She was exhausted from not sleeping well the night before, but for some reason, sleep eluded her. She tossed and turned, restless, then heard a car pulling up outside.
Balfour was back.
She was about to get up when she suddenly remembered what Giselle had said earlier that day. Anger flared up inside her, and with gritted teeth, she lay back down and closed her eyes.
When Balfour entered the room, he saw Ivy lying still in bed, seemingly asleep. After a quiet shower, he tiptoed into bed, careful not to disturb her.
But as soon as he settled in, he heard the uneven rhythm of her breathing. She was clearly not asleep; she was pretending.
Balfour felt a twinge of annoyance. What was this about? She was obviously awake, so why pretend? Was she avoiding him?
He moved so close to her that his breath brushed her cheek.
Ivy felt uncomfortable with his proximity and instinctively moved away.
Her reaction only served to irritate Balfour further. His face darkened as he shifted even closer.
Ivy kept moving, trying to put distance between them until she ended up tumbling to the floor after a few back-and-forth tugs.
“Ouch!” Ivy cried out in pain. “What are you doing?”
With a hint of mockery in his voice, Balfour said, “I didn’t do anything. I just didn’t realize that you could move so quickly in your sleep.”
He scanned her repeatedly, ensuring she was not hurt before he relaxed..
Sitting on the floor and rubbing her backside, Ivy snapped. “I woke up when I fell, okay?”
“Really?” Balfour snorted skeptically. “I’ve never known anyone to breathe so erratically in their sleep. Maybe we should get you checked out at the hospital.”
Ivy realized then that he had known she was faking sleep the moment he lay down. Everything that had followed had been him playing a game.
“Oh, thanks a lot,” Ivy said sarcastically, standing up from the floor. “I might be good at pretending, but I’m not as good as you.”
Balfour was already irritated by her earlier act of ignoring him by feigning sleep, and her words only fueled his anger. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
