Under the Veil I Rule (Amara) novel Chapter 466

She started to shuffle the deck, but Finnian reached out and gently took her wrist. “Let me,” he said.

He shuffled the cards with practiced ease, his long, slender fingers dancing over the deck. Amara watched him, her mind a whirlwind of unspoken thoughts. So much had happened these past few days, but the words were trapped inside her, things she could never say to him.

Finnian, too, seemed to have something on his mind. After he finished shuffling, he looked at her, his expression hesitant.

Amara looked down at her phone, hoping to ease the tension, but Finnian pulled his chair closer. “Amara.”

She looked up. “Yes, Mr. Everly?”

He just watched her, silent. Then, he reached out and cupped her face in his hand. His touch was merely warm, but it felt scalding to Amara, and she flinched, trying to pull away. In response, his other arm instinctively wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. The posture was dangerously intimate; from behind, it looked as if he was holding her in a full embrace.

The temperature in the room seemed to rise. Trapped in his hold, Amara felt a rush of discomfort, embarrassment, and a flicker of anger. “Mr. Everly, what is it?” she asked, her voice strained.

Finnian paused for a moment before replying. “Nothing.”

He let the words of longing die on his lips. What was the point of saying them now, after everything that had happened?

He released her and sat back down, staring at the cards on the table. He didn’t know why he had done that. Was it because he missed her so much that he had lost control? He looked at the hand that had just touched her face, and an endless wave of sorrow washed over him.

“It was nothing. He was just asking how you were doing.” Elysia waved a dismissive hand. “That bastard Dorian wanted to throw a fit, but I just ignored him. I’m done dealing with him. He can have his tantrums all by himself for all I care.”

Amara took her friend’s hand. “How do you really feel about Dorian now?” She sensed that Elysia’s feelings for him had faded significantly. If she was truly indifferent, then a divorce was probably for the best.

Elysia’s face fell, and she sighed. “I’m not completely over him. If I were, I’d have divorced him already, no matter the consequences for our families’ businesses.”

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