My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 51: Hide & Seek

Chapter 51: Hide & Seek

As soon as the car rolled to a stop, Lunara wasted no time. She pushed the door open and hurried inside, her heart still heavy from everything that had happened. She didn’t want to see Eryx right now, not when she was still feeling frustrated from their conversation.

She headed straight to Naomi’s room, her safe space, the one place she could always escape to. But when she reached for the doorknob, it wouldn’t budge. Locked.

Her stomach dropped. ’Why was it locked? Naomi never locked her room.’

Panic bubbled in her chest as she glanced over her shoulder, checking for Eryx. He was not coming inside yet, probably still talking to Callum near the car. But that wouldn’t last long. Any minute now, he’d come inside, and she had no intention of facing him.

Frantically, she turned on her heel and rushed down the hall, checking every possible hiding spot. The guest room? No, he’d check there first. The laundry room? Too open. Under the staircase? Too humiliating.

The extra maid’s room! The one she stayed in the past few days. Without hesitation, she darted toward the maid’s room, rushed inside, quickly shutting the door behind her.

"What do you mean?" Eryx, who was still standing nearby the car asked. He had been holding his temple as he processed Callum’s words.

Callum sighed, his voice low but urgent. "The investors are threatening to withdraw if you don’t show up. They refuse to negotiate with anyone else."

Eryx clenched his jaw. Of course, it had to be now. He had postponed the meeting earlier, but it seemed the situation had escalated. If he didn’t handle it personally, the deal, the one that had taken months to finalize, could fall apart.

With a sharp exhale, he turned on his heel. "Get the car ready," he ordered, already heading toward the door.

Meanwhile, inside the maid’s room, Lunara pressed her ear against the door, straining to hear. Had he followed her? Was he coming after her? But instead, there was nothing. Silence.

She pouted, feeling a little disappointed. Was he really not coming after her? Huffing, she turned away from the door.

Then, her stomach grumbled, did not cooperate with her emotions.

Lunara sighed. Sulking was exhausting. With another sigh, she slipped out of the maid’s room and made her way to the kitchen, making sure no one saw her. She quickly grabbed some bread and a glass of milk, munching in silence.

Once she was full, she tiptoed back to the maid’s room, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyelids grew heavy. She hadn’t planned on sleeping, but before she knew it, she had drifted off into an unconscious slumber.

Lunara jolted awake at the sudden ringing of her phone. Still groggy, she fumbled to grab it, squinting at the screen. Naomi.

Pressing the answer button, she brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?" Her voice was hoarse from sleep.

"Where are you?" Naomi asked. "I just got home."

Lunara blinked and checked the time. Almost midnight. She had slept for hours. "I was asleep," she admitted, rubbing her temple. "The whole time."

Naomi let out a soft laugh. "You must be exhausted. Go back to sleep." She assumed Lunara was in Eryx’s room.

Lunara hummed in response, but as she ended the call, a strange feeling settled in her chest. She had been asleep for hours, hidden away and yet, Eryx hadn’t found her. He hadn’t even looked for her.

She clenched her phone, staring at the ceiling. "Am I being too childish?" she muttered to herself.

A part of her knew she had been sulking, but another part couldn’t shake off the disappointment. If he truly cared, wouldn’t he have looked for her? Even just once?

With a sigh, she turned onto her side, hugging the blanket closer. Maybe she was expecting too much. Maybe it was better this way.

Still, the heaviness in her chest refused to go away. She stared at her phone screen, scrolling through social media for about ten minutes, but sleep refused to come.

Then, suddenly, her phone rang, making her flinch. Eryx’s name appeared on the screen.

She hesitated. "Tch... Now you remember me?" she pouted, tossing the phone aside.

Just then, faint voices reached her ears from outside the room. Like an instinct, she held her breath as she recognized Eryx’s deep voice.

"Have you seen Lunara?" he asked, his tone calm.

The maid replied immediately, "No, sir. I haven’t seen her since earlier."

Lunara pressed her lips together, her heart beating faster. He was looking for her.

She glanced at the door before quickly moving. Without thinking, she crouched down beside the bed, tucking herself into the small space where the door wouldn’t reveal her at first glance. A part of her scolded herself, ’wasn’t this childish?’ But another part whispered, ’Let’s see if he really looks.’

The door creaked open.

She held her breath.

Eryx took a slow step forward, his sharp gaze sweeping the room. Just as he was about to turn away, something caught his eye in the mirror opposite the bed.

And there she was.

Curled up in the small space beside the bed, barely breathing, as if she truly believed she was hidden.

For a second, he just stared. ’Seriously?’ She looked like a child playing hide-and-seek. His lips twitched, finding her adorable. He should call her out immediately, but wouldn’t that be a little too embarrassing for her?

Instead, he exhaled softly and turned toward the door. "She’s not here," he muttered to the maid outside before stepping out.

Then, just as he reached for his phone, he heard a tiny, frustrated huff followed by a grumble, "Seriously?! That’s it?!"

He chuckled, rubbing his chin.

Taking his time, he lingered outside, pretending to hesitate. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he snapped his fingers dramatically.

"Oh, right," he said just loud enough for her to hear. "I feel like sleeping in the guest room tonight."

He counted in his head. ’Three... Two... One’

There was a sudden rustling behind the bed.

Eryx turned the doorknob and stepped inside, catching her mid-movement. He crossed his arms, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Gotcha."