CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER-47. (IN ALL HER GLORY).

The dining room of the Morris mansion was a whole other battlefield.

The table stretched so long I was half convinced they used it to host royal banquets in another lifetime.

White linen so crisp you could probably cut your finger on it, glasses sparkling like they had been polished with tears of peasants, and a chandelier overhead that looked one good shake away from crushing us all.

I sat there, spine too straight, hands folded like I was back in Sunday school.

Only difference? Here, God wasn’t watching. The Morrises were which was worse.

At the head of the table sat Walter Morris, Dave’s father.

He sat there like a king addressing his court. His dark hair was combed back.

The wrinkles were visible, giving a hint of his age and experience, but the sharpness in his eyes made it clear that every line had been earned, and every mistake remembered.

Instead of his usual suit, he wore a crisp polo and jeans, matching him with today’s dress code. I never liked the man, but could not pinpoint just one reason to do that.

It could be insensitivity towards his own children, his own blood.

Before I had the talk with Linda, I did not know about the fact that he never cared for his children.

Even now, seeing Nicole and Dave sitting far away from him showed their true relationship status.

Now, I know why Grandpa Albert was so adamant about keeping Dave’s temporary amnesia a secret from him.

The fact that he was a spoiled brat who, all his life, kept prioritizing his lust and satisfaction, irrespective of the fact that he had a wife and children waiting for him.

In total, he was a bastard who never could keep it in his pants. Before this mess was created, I used to thank God for making Walter fall in love with Vivian because I got to meet Dave.

F.Y.I : I was too little to know that it was so wrong and creepy.

Also, I did not know about their family dynamics that well. Like every influential family, the Morrisses had their own secret which they wanted to hide.

In the world’s eyes, after Walter’s first wife’s death, he remarried to Vivian and had Dave.

He was some poor widower who was just trying to overcome his grief and try to move on from his past.

But the people around him knew what kind of flirt he was.

There are so many stories of his from a young age that have been swept under the carpet. So many women who got close to him but did not get the title of his better half.

Except Vivian.

She sat beside him like a queen. In all her glory.

Her presence was effortless yet commanding, even in casual clothes, a simple champagne coloured blouse and slacks somehow looked like haute couture on her.

She smiled lightly at everyone, but there was an edge in her eyes, the kind that said I see everything, I remember everything, and nothing escapes me.

If they did not know her, everyone could be fooled by her polite smiles and caring gestures. Even I was making a fool out of myself this whole time.

I could feel the weight of her gaze as I tried to focus on my plate, but my fork suddenly felt heavier than it had any right to be.

Grandpa Albert sat on the opposite side of Vivian. He ignored the tension in the air and kept chatting with Nicole.

Nicole, too, was in his casuals, which suited him more than his formals.

His long blonde hair was now tied in a small bun, revealing a small tattoo behind his ear, which I could not make out from here.

Dave, on the other hand, kept his focus on the food, but from the corner of my eye, I could see him glancing in their direction.

I always saw Grandpa Albert giving all his attention to Dave, but now I see his undivided attention shifting towards Nicole. I might also feel bad for Dave, seeing him like this.

Somehow, a wild thought crossed my mind. Should I hold his hand and console him?

The thought seemed ridiculous, but seeing Dave’s off mood did not sit right with me. My left hand, which until now was resting on the table.

I looked at him and then at his other hand, which was settled on his lap.

The indecisiveness kept repeating the question of whether holding his hand was a good idea or just my period was near.

This kept happening for a while until I snapped at myself for being such a noob and kept my hand on his.

For a moment, everything went still.

I could hear my own heartbeat like a drumline in a marching band. Too loud. Too fast. Absolutely announcing my existence in a very public, very wrong way.

Dave didn’t pull away. Not immediately, anyway. His fingers twitched ever so slightly under mine, just enough to remind me he was alive and definitely aware of my ridiculous gesture.

I wanted to shrink under the weight of the table, or maybe crawl into one of the impossibly crisp napkins and hide there. But of course, I didn’t. I couldn’t.

Grandpa Albert cleared his throat softly, drawing Nicole’s attention back to him, and I swore I could feel the room exhaling, like it was all waiting to see if I’d make a mistake.

Or maybe it was just me projecting. Likely the latter.

Walter didn’t notice. He was too busy swirling the wine in his glass, eyes flicking here and there like he was scanning for weaknesses. Classic.

Vivian, on the other hand... her gaze slid over to me for a fraction of a second longer than polite, and I nearly choked on the water I had been pretending to sip.

She smiled that knife-sharp smile, polite, knowing, as if she understood every thought ricocheting in my head.

I quickly let go of Dave’s hand, burying it back under the table, hoping it didn’t scream nervous wreck.

Dave gave me a sideways glance, just enough for me to feel like a complete idiot. His expression didn’t change.

Cool, untouchable, but the corner of his mouth twitched. Maybe he found me amusing, or maybe he just knew exactly how rattled I was. Ugh, why did he have to be so calm?

I tried to focus on my plate, poking at the perfectly roasted vegetables like they owed me money. The silence returned, thick and heavy, filled only by the faint clink of silverware and soft murmurs from the other end of the table.

Grandpa Albert was explaining something about an old family tradition to Nicole, and I could see Nicole listening intently, nodding now and then.

They had that quiet understanding between them, the kind that made the rest of us feel like visitors in a secret club we’d never get into.

The empty chair beside Nicole still stared at me, mocking in its absence. His sister hadn’t arrived yet or maybe she didn’t care. Typical.

I tried not to think about how the house always seemed to operate on someone else’s rules, rules that I hadn’t even been taught.

I stole another glance at Dave. He had picked up his fork again, slowly bringing a bite to his mouth without looking at me.

I wondered what he was thinking. Was he judging me? Feeling sympathy? Probably neither.

Likely, he was calculating, as always, like some chess master planning ten moves ahead while I was still figuring out how to eat without collapsing.

I sighed quietly, hoping no one noticed. Too late. Vivian’s eyes flicked toward me again, quick, assessing. I sat up straighter, trying to look composed, like I had a clue what I was doing.

"Everything alright, Elena?" Grandpa Albert’s sudden question made me almost jump out of my seat.