Innocent cravings

Chapter 28 – Watching Eyes

Clarissa arrived at the restaurant, laughing.

Her heels clicked softly on the marble floor as she walked in, her arm looped casually through one of her friends'. Her expression was flawless, perfectly composed, perfectly practised. She was immaculately dressed, confidence draped over her like a second skin.

She hadn't expected to see them.

Brian sat at a corner table, his posture relaxed in a way Clarissa hadn't seen in months. Across from him was Alice.

Alice.

Clarissa's smile froze for half a second, just long enough to be noticed if you were looking closely. Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she took in the scene: the candlelight, the closeness, the way Brian's attention was wholly, completely fixed on the girl opposite him.

Not hiding.

Not ashamed.

Open.

Her nails dug into her palm.

She watched as Alice laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Watched Brian lean forward, listening as if nothing else in the room mattered. Watched their fingers brush across the table, intimate, deliberate.

So this was why he left.

Clarissa inhaled slowly, schooling her expression back into place. She turned to the hostess with a bright smile.

"Table for two."

Her voice was steady. Polite. Controlled.

Throughout her meal, Clarissa barely touched her food. Her eyes kept drifting back to their table, cataloguing every glance, every smile, every moment Brian gave to Alice so freely, moments he had denied her for months.

When Brian leaned forward and kissed Alice, Clarissa's fork stilled.

The room didn't spin. She didn't cry. She didn't scream.

She smiled.

A slow, dangerous curve of her lips that promised nothing good.

Alice felt it before she saw her.

That strange feeling, eyes burning into her back.

She glanced up, her heart dropping into her stomach.

Clarissa.

Their eyes met.

For a heartbeat, the world stopped.

Clarissa lifted her glass slightly, as if in greeting, her smile serene and unreadable. Then she turned away, resuming her conversation as though nothing had happened.

Alice's hands trembled beneath the table.

"Brian," she murmured, forcing her voice to stay steady. "She's here."

His expression hardened instantly. He turned, saw Clarissa, then looked back at Alice, jaw tight.

"I won't let her touch you," he said quietly.

But Clarissa wasn't touching anything.

Not yet.

Alice left the restaurant alone.

Brian had insisted on driving her home, but she needed air, space to breathe, to think. The night was cool against her skin as she stepped onto the pavement, pulling her coat tighter around herself.

She didn't notice the footsteps at first.

They were soft. Measured.

Intentional.

"Enjoy your dinner?"

Alice froze.

Her blood ran cold.

She turned slowly.

Clarissa stood a few steps away, arms crossed, eyes glittering under the streetlights. Gone was the polite smile. Gone was the composure. What remained was raw fury sharpened into something calculated.

"I-I didn't know you were still there," Alice said quietly.

Clarissa laughed.

"Oh, sweetheart," she said softly. "I stayed long enough to understand everything."

She stepped closer.

"You know," Clarissa continued, her voice almost conversational, "Brian didn't even have the decency to lie. He told me exactly why he left."

Alice's chest tightened.

"He said your name."

Clarissa stopped directly in front of her now, close enough that Alice could smell her expensive perfume.

"So don't insult me by pretending you're innocent," she whispered. "You took what was mine."

"I didn't..." Alice began.

Clarissa's smile vanished.

"You ruined my life," she said coldly. "And for that, I promise you something."

Her eyes darkened.

"I will make yours miserable."

A chill ran down Alice's spine.

Clarissa stepped back, straightening her coat, her mask slipping back into place.

"Enjoy him while you can," she added lightly. "Things like you don't keep men like Brian for long."

She turned and walked away, heels clicking sharply against the pavement, each step echoing like a threat.

Alice stood there long after she was gone, her heart pounding, hands shaking.

The warmth of the dinner now felt like a distant memory.

And deep down, Alice knew

This was war.