Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 24: Closure I

One evening, Sarah came back only to find Brandon waiting for her at the gate. He seemed not to have seen a barber in a long time because his ever-skillfully trimmed beard now covered his face. The shirt that used to fit him nicely now hung loosely over his body. A trace of surprise flashed in her eyes but quickly disappeared. She clenched her fists and walked straight to him. "What are you doing here?"

Her sudden voice startled him. "Sarah, you are back." He took a step forward and pulled her into a crushing hug. His scent filled her nostrils, and she felt suffocated. The scent that she once loved disgusted her. She struggled out of his embrace, and sensing her rejection, he tightened his arms around her and added, "You have to stay away from him. He is not a good person."

"Are you?"

His back stiffened, and he let go of her. Yes, he wasn't a good man either. Sarah pushed him out of her way, wanting to leave. He grabbed her arm, and she had no choice but to turn around and face him. She tried to peel his hand away, but Brandon held her hand with a death grip. "Sarah, let's talk," he begged.

Sarah suddenly stopped struggling and looked him straight in the face. She contemplated on something for a while, and her lips curved into a smile. She seemed to have made a decision. "Yeah, we need to talk."

His grip on her hand loosened, and he led her into the car. He got into the car and drove off.

***

Brandon kept glancing at Sarah, sitting in the front passenger seat, from time to time, but she did not spare a single glance at him. The damn trees outside the window seemed interesting to her than talking to him. He swallowed hard, knowing he earned that. The words he'd carefully crafted stuck in his throat.

Curly hair looked good on her, and his fingers itched to touch those silky curls framing her face. Her slender fingers, which he liked to touch, fiddled with her phone. Her beautiful nails were short and rounded without nail polish, but it did not diminish her elegance. She loved filing her nails short, yet he always criticized. He glanced at her empty ring finger, and his heart twitched. The ring that should have been there was nowhere to be seen. She had long gotten rid of it, just like how she had gotten rid of him.

Silence.

An awkward silence.

He had begged for a chance to talk, but now that she agreed, he didn't know what to say. Where should he start? Should he get to the point, or play around with words?

"How have you been?" Brandon finally said as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. Why didn't he ever realize that starting a conversation was this hard?

"Good," Sarah said without sparing him a glance.

Did you miss me? That's what he wanted to ask, but instead, "I heard your mom had a relapse a few weeks ago. How is she doing?"

"She's doing fine. Thanks for asking," Sarah responded indifferently.

"What about your financial situation?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road. He glanced at her from the side and noticed her raised brows. He quickly clarified, in case she misunderstood, "I mean... You know... the bills and everything."

"Well, I haven't starved yet, so I guess I'm fine."

Brandon was silent for a long time. All they could hear was the soft humming of the engine and occasional cars passing by. He kept opening and closing his mouth because the words stuck in his throat. Sarah's responses made it difficult to continue a conversation. The silence suffocated him. "Why didn't you tell me you were fired?"

Sarah sat upright and turned to face him. "I was going to tell you that day, but then you surprised me. After that, it didn't matter anymore whether I told you or not. As for why I got fired, you can ask your little lover. They are indeed a family of dishonest people. One stole my fiancé, and the other stole my proposal."