Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Even though I was terrified, I had to open the door. I took a deep breath and stood up. I stood silently there staring at the back of the door, and I startled as the door rang once again. I did a series of swallows in a row. My hands were trembling at last, and my knees were quivering. When the door banged again, I couldn't keep it closed any longer. When I took a look and saw who appeared in front of the door, it was as if a thorn had pricked me in the back of the neck. It was still burning as I let out a huge sigh and smiled at the elderly woman with the bowl in her hands. I believe it is a food soup. I scooped up the bowl and carried it inside the house, my pulse still pounding in my chest. When I returned, the lady was no longer there. I went outside to check for her, thinking that she would be strolling about our neighborhood.

“Miss?”

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to track her down. I attempted to find her in the woods behind the river, but all I could hear was the calm and serene flow of water behind me. I merely shrugged my shoulders, but when I turned around, I was nearly knocked to the ground as I backed away. When my gazes fell on the guy my fear —- it  will never be able to stop anymore, no matter how hard I try to stay away from him, a stone lodged in the back of my throat. If only he hadn't grasped my waist so swiftly, ensuring that I had fallen and that my hand was now covered in cuts and bruises. His eyes were still ice cold, so I pushed him farther away from me. Is he really that enraged with me that he would even provide himself access to my private life?

"Can you tell me what you're doing here?" My voice raised as I realized I couldn't keep the contempt I was feeling within any longer. I'd also like to inform him that I've had difficult moments without him. " Why?  If you want to ruin my life and exact retribution for the anguish you're experiencing right now, destroy me!"

I reached out for his hand, intending to smack it against myself, but he hastily withdrew his hand. Nothing had changed in his demeanor. It seemed to be quite acceptable to be frigid towards him. It was impossible to hold back the tears that were streaming down my cheeks as I laughed. I want him to know that I'm also broken without him, and I want to tell him why he didn't search for me when he should have. What was he thinking when he let me suffer alone? He abandoned me.

To take up all of the responsibilities. If only he had been there at those moments...

"You have no idea how much I want to do to avoid having to go through all of the misery I've been through.  You have no idea how much I want to watch you weep while confessing your faults!" His voice was elevated, yet he did not shout.  "However, I shall not hunt for the past that has sadly died. I came to this place for a reason. I looked into your background information and discovered that Athen had no previous information with this country. "I couldn't locate what I was searching for in Turkey, but I did discover her name in the United States."

Suddenly, I found myself short of breath and unable to speak properly. I only want to take care of Athen's papers since I've come to the realization that she doesn't deserve to have her father's last name, which I learned today. I'd prefer her to have my last name instead of his dad. The Everdeen. My last name hasn't been used in a long time since he gave me a different one.

"What exactly is your point?"

"Do not make a fool of yourself in front of me. I'm sure you understand what I mean."  He came up to me, but I moved away from him. He took another stride, and I took a single step back. It was him who didn't stop me, and we kept going until we reached the end of the river, where I couldn't take another step for fear of falling into the water. But no matter what he does, he is unable to converse with me. I'm going to reject everything to the greatest extent feasible. But worry crept up within me as I contemplated the possibility that he would simply up and take Athen away from me without warning. Regardless of whether or not we go to court, there is little question that I will lose the case.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about!" I let out a yell.

It was him who grasped my arm and dragged it away from the water. It took him less than a second to return me to our former position. I was unable to respond, and I was certain that he would figure out the answer to his question from my silence. I dropped my head as tears continued to stream down my face. I never imagined that he would be aware of what was going on in this circumstance. I'm well aware that this issue may arise, but what more can I do? He released his grip on my hand. He took my chin in his hands and raised it up so that our eyes met. As he trembled, his grin indicated it's unbelievable what was happening.

"Are you really planning to keep it hidden from me for the rest of your life, and for what reason?"

"You have no idea what's going on!" I exclaimed. I screamed, shoved him, and raced away.

Using his hand, he blocked the door from shutting properly when I closed it for him. When I stopped and looked at him, his hand was gently opening the door. I was struggling to push him when something touched the bottom of my foot, prompting him to open the door fully. When I went to see what I had struck, I discovered two pieces of luggage that I had no idea where they had come from. I have a hunch. He had no idea that what he was doing constituted trespassing until it was pointed out to him. My brows were drawn together as I raised my eyes to his. My matter with Athen has not yet been resolved, and he has threatened to bring it up again. It seems like the amount of issues he does is driving me insane. Is it okay if I simply go through them one by one?

"Can you tell me what this is?" I'm taking a close look at him right now.

"This is where I'm going to live."

"Excuse me, mister. Could you just repeat what you just said?"