CHAPTER 59: COLD WAR I
The car interior was a tapestry of unspoken words. James stole a glance at Diana under the dim dashboard lights revealing the raw vulnerability etched on her face.
"Aren't you curious where I've been these past few days?" he finally broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper.
Diana's response was a humorless scoff. "And will you answer if I ask?"
Silence stretched, thick and suffocating. A derisive chuckle escaped her lips. "See, exactly my point."
She reached for her phone, dialing a number with practiced ease and spoke curtly, her voice tight with repressed anger. "Uncle Nik? It's Diana. Am coming back with my husband. Could you please add another plate for dinner?"
"Alright ma'am" Nicodemus responded.
The call ended, and Diana proceeded to return the missed ones, her movements mechanical. As she finished, a strained quiet settled back into the car.
Suddenly, James spoke. "How was your week?"
Diana ignored him with her jaw clenched tight, the question an insult after his disappearance.
"I heard about what happened with you and Cassandra," James continued, his voice low.
Her head snapped towards him, suspicion flashing in her eyes. "Are you having me followed?" Her voice trembled with a mix of hurt and anger.
His response was immediate. "It's for your safety, Diana."
"Safety?" she scoffed. "The last thing I need is bodyguards following me around! Fucking call them off, James!" she exploded.
His jaw clenched. "I can't. It's my job to protect you." He countered, his voice firm. "They have to be there."
"So you want to control me too? Is that what this is?" Anger burned in her voice.
"Why are you getting pissed off about me having people follow you? I have people follow everyone i care about. It's not about control," he said, his jaw tightening. "It's about…"
Diana cut him off, her voice rising. "Let me guess Including your friends, right?"
"Yes, including them".
"Wow James, you just can't help yourself, can you? Everything and everyone under your thumb!"
"Diana, please," he pleaded. He reached for her, but she flinched away.
"This isn't what you think. It's about keeping you safe."
"Safe from what?" she shot back, tears welling up in her eyes. "From worrying about you? From worrying about where you've been?" Her voice cracked, and a torrent of emotions spilled forth.
"No!" she exploded. "Infact it is exactly what I think! You disappear for two weeks, no word, nothing! Then you waltz back in and ask how my week was? Well, how do you think it went? Fine i will tell you. Every night was a nightmare James!, I cried myself to fucking sleep, wondering where you were, what happened! I almost went crazy with worry, with no one to talk to. The annoying thing was the thought that something bad must have happened to you. The thought never left no matter how much i willed it, i had no one to talk to about my problems or what i was feeling at that particular moment because i fucking hate telling people my problems. I could only cry and think to myself. Your friends did not even help matters at all, no shoulder to cry on, no one would talk to me. Not even Jared. All I could do was imagine the worst, hoping against hope you were okay."
Tears streamed down her face as she continued her tirade. "The worst part? Not knowing if you were alive or dead. That's the worst feeling a partner can have! I kept thinking how maybe if i had meant even a tiny thing to you, you could have at least said something or at the very least, told me not to worry that you were fine, just anything to make sure i don't go crazy with worry. And now you're back, and I still have to beg for an explanation? Don't I deserve that much, James?"
James opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He was drowning in a sea of regret and a truth he wasn't ready to face.
Silence met her outburst. Her anger morphed into a crushing despair. When James didn't answer, Diana slammed her fist on Antonio's shoulder.
"Stop the fucking car Antonio, stop this damned car!" she screamed, her voice raw with emotion.
The car lurched to a halt. Diana flung open the door and bolted out, her legs pumping as she ran blindly into the night fueled by a mixture of anger and hurt. Her mind was a blur, the only goal to escape the suffocating weight of her emotions. She was determined to run until she was sure she would neither start screaming like a maniac nor crying like a baby. So she ran until her lungs burned, until exhaustion threatened to pull her under and the only sound left was her ragged gasps.
Behind her, James emerged from the car, a look of terrible realization dawning on his face. He cursed under his breath and sprinted after her, the darkness swallowing them both whole.
Diana finally staggered to a halt, gasping for breath. Her frantic run had led her somewhere entirely unfamiliar.
The unfamiliar surroundings sent a fresh wave of panic through her. Gone were the comforting city lights, replaced by the oppressive darkness beneath a canopy of towering trees clawing at the twilight sky, the ground a tangle of rough grass and unseen roots.
The tall trees that loomed overhead, cast long, ominous shadows on the wild grass beneath her feet.
The wind rustled through the leaves, the sound an unsettling symphony in the stillness.
A cold wind whipped through the clearing, sending shivers down her spine despite the blazer that hung on her shoulders.
"Well done, Diana, your stupid emotions have led you into a bush" she muttered sarcastically, the words catching in her throat. She bit her lips as fresh tears welled up, this time laced with a fresh wave of panic.
The anger that had fueled her flight was quickly evaporating, replaced by a gnawing fear.