Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 294

Adrian’s POV

I sat in the corner booth of the Wave restaurant, waiting for Clairessa. The place was private, and that was the only reason I picked it. I didn’t need anyone snapping pictures of me sitting across from her. I’d already been waiting thirty minutes, and every passing second just made me more restless. She’d promised she’d come. No excuse was good enough. Maybe she was stalling, trying to figure out how to slip away without me noticing. Or maybe she thought she could avoid me altogether. Either way, she was wrong. She had to face me.

The past few days had been hell. Sleep wouldn’t come, not with the image of her tangled up with my father burned into my mind. It made me sick. I wasn’t even sure why I needed this meeting so badly, but deep down I knew. I wanted her to say it to my face, to choose him, to force me to hear it so I could finally tell her exactly what I thought of her. If I were ever going to fix things with my dad, she had to be gone. There was no place for her in our lives.

My eyes stayed fixed on the entrance. Then I saw her. She walked in, looking around like she was searching for me. I raised a hand, just enough for her to notice.

She smiled when she spotted me and waved back. That smile made my heart skip slightly, but I crushed it immediately.

She walked over, dressed in pants and a cropped top. Simple. Clean. And still, she looked so beautiful. For a split second, I almost forgot why I was here. But then I reminded myself, behind that innocent face was nothing but a liar, a seductress, the girl who ruined everything.

“Hi, Adrian,” she said softly, as if we were old friends catching up.

I didn’t reply. I just leaned back in my seat and gave her nothing. She hesitated, then tried again. “How have you been doing?”

Still nothing. I kept my eyes on her, flat and cold. She stayed standing there, as if waiting for me to invite her to sit. I didn’t. Finally she asked, her voice low, “Can I sit?”

A dry laugh escaped me. “You don’t need my permission. You didn’t need it to fuck my dad.”

Her face stiffened, color draining. For a moment she looked like she might turn and leave, but instead she breathed out and said, “Adrian… I’m guessing you called me here so we can talk. So please, let’s just try to do that without you being condescending. It took a lot for me to even come here. If all you want is to hurl insults, then it’s best I leave.”

Before she could move, I reached across the table and set my hand over hers. She froze, startled. “Don’t go,” my voice was softer this time. “You’re right. You’re here so we can talk. I’ll… try not to be aggressive. But I can’t promise anything.”

She looked down at our hands, then gave a small nod. “Fair enough.” She pulled her hand back and sat down. Silence stretched between us for a while. She looked at me, steady but weary, before asking, “How have you been holding up?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “How do you think? I caught my ex-girlfriend with my dad. How the hell am I supposed to be holding up?”

Her lips parted, like she was about to answer, but I cut her off, slamming my palm lightly against the table. “No, you don’t. I guarantee you have absolutely no idea how I feel. That night I caught you with my dad…”

My throat tightened, anger burning through my chest. “That was the most hurtful betrayal I’ve ever experienced in my life. It felt like a dagger shoved straight into me. I haven’t slept. I can barely eat. It’s been absolute hell for me, and that’s putting it lightly. So tell me, how else am I supposed to react? How else am I supposed to move on, knowing what I know now?”

Guilt flashed across her face. Her hand twitched like she wanted to reach for mine, but she pulled it back, curling it into a fist against the table instead. “I know you’re hurt, and I’m sorry. I can’t defend what happened. I don’t have an excuse. But I’ve felt betrayal too, Adrian. I know what it’s like to be gutted by someone you trusted. All I can say is, don’t let it consume you.”

A bitter laugh broke out of me. “Don’t let it consume me, Clairessa?”

I leaned closer, eyes narrowing. “I really hope you’re not trying to compare me cheating on you with Nicole to you screwing my father. Because it’s not the same thing. Not even close.”

“No,” she shook her head quickly. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m not comparing. I’m just saying I know what betrayal feels like. I know what it’s like to be broken by it.”

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