CHAPTER 162: CHAPTER 162

At that moment, Abigail pushed her chair back, her mind made up to leave before the conversation could spiral further. But Robert’s voice, deep and sharp, cut through the air like a whip.

"Where are you going?"

There was no gentleness in his tone, only the weight of someone who had reached the end of his patience. Abigail froze for a second but didn’t answer. Her fingers curled tighter around her purse, her knuckles whitening.

Then Robert gaze locked on her like a warning. "It seems to me," he began slowly, "that you’ve overstepped your line. You don’t know your boundaries anymore... or perhaps you’ve chosen to forget them altogether."

Abigail’s eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent, the tension between them thick enough to suffocate the room.

"Let me remind you," Robert continued, his voice now edged with something darker, "we are not married yet. And it won’t change the fact that both families might be working themselves into exhaustion to create something between us. That’s their choice, not mine. And even with all of that effort, I still have my reservations about you."

The words hit Abigail like cold water, but Robert didn’t flinch.

"So tell me," he pressed, "why are you trying to boss me around? Why are you speaking to me as if we’re already married and you have the right to demand and dictate? That’s not the reality here, Abigail."

Hearing Robert word’s her lips parted, ready to defend herself, but his next words silenced her.

"You don’t have that right. Not now, not ever, unless I give it to you. And so far, you’ve done nothing to earn it. So watch your tone. Be careful with your words. Be conscious of how you speak to me... because I am not the type of man who is going to take nonsense from anybody."

At that moment, when Robert spoke up in that firm, almost cutting tone, Abigail was taken aback. She had never seen him address her in such a way before. It wasn’t just the words, it was the weight behind them, the unshakable conviction in his voice. He wasn’t raising his tone, yet every syllable seemed to carry the force of someone who was drawing a clear line in the sand. For a moment, Abigail simply stared at him, almost questioning in her mind if this was truly the Robert she knew.

"Are you seriously speaking to me like this?" she asked slowly, her voice carrying a mixture of disbelief and challenge. "Did you actually just say that to me?"

Robert’s gaze didn’t waver. He leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression calm yet unyielding. "Yes, Abigail. You heard me right. And I’m not taking it back," he replied evenly. "Everything I just said is the truth, and I’m not here to sugarcoat it. You may not like hearing it, but sometimes the truth isn’t meant to be pleasant."

Abigail’s brows drew together, her fingers curling slightly at her sides. The part that stung wasn’t just the firmness in his tone, but the reminder embedded in his words that, in his eyes, she had crossed a line.

Robert continued, his voice steady but edged with warning. "I’m reminding you because you seem to have forgotten. You and I are not married, Abigail. The only reason our families are even having these conversations about a future together is because they believe it could work. But that doesn’t mean I’m handing you the authority to dictate how I move, what I say, or what decisions I make. We are not there yet."

He straightened his posture, his gaze locking onto hers with a quiet intensity. "What you’re doing right now trying to control me, trying to speak as though you have every right to challenge me at will it’s not going to work. Not with me. You’re making it seem as if I’m somehow incapable of making my own decisions, as if I need to be managed. And Abigail... that’s not how I operate."

Abigail held her ground, but the words cut deeper than she expected. The room felt heavier, the air thick with the weight of unspoken tension.

Robert’s voice dropped slightly, but the firmness remained. "So hear me clearly, I’m not the kind of man who will tolerate nonsense from anyone. Not from a stranger, not from a friend, and certainly not from the woman I’m not even married to yet and I don’t think we will ever be."

At that moment, upon hearing what Robert had just said, Abigail’s entire mood shifted like a storm brewing without warning. Her big head rose slightly as her brows furrowed, and her eyes narrowed with visible heat. The silence that hung in the room didn’t cool her no it poured fuel into the fire raging within her. Her fists tightened at her sides. She wasn’t the type to get easily flustered, but today, Robert had touched a nerve she didn’t even know existed.

Then she took a sharp breath, staring at him like she was staring through him.

"Oh," she muttered, almost to herself. "So this is what it is."

In that moment, everything that had been floating around her mind like unanswered questions began to connect. She no longer needed to confront anyone, didn’t need to dig through conversations or scroll through timelines. The truth was standing right here in front of her. Plain. Quiet. And loud as thunder.

"It’s Cora, right?" Abigail’s voice rose just slightly, sharp and pointed like a blade pressing against the edge of truth. "It’s because of her that you’re acting like this. That’s what all of this is about."

Robert didn’t flinch. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t confirm it either.

That silence, it was more insulting than any spoken word. Abigail’s blood boiled.

"You like her, don’t you?" she asked again, more firmly this time. "That’s why you’re doing all this. That’s why you’re suddenly so... distant, so off."

Robert remained quiet, his eyes fixed on her, unreadable.

Abigail let out a bitter laugh, short and full of disbelief. "Wow. So all those pictures, those cozy little pictures I saw... They weren’t just random moments, were they? You actually took them with her because you wanted to keep them. You wanted to look at them, smile at them like a little boy keeping a secret crush. Isn’t that it?"

Still nothing.

She stepped forward, eyes locked on his. "Say something, Robert. Say something so I can at least believe you still have the decency to talk straight. Say I’m wrong. Say I’m overreacting. Say anything!"