I Made a Bracelet for the Man Who Didn’t Love Me, and He Wore It for Two Years Chapter 04

I Made a Bracelet for the Man Who Didn’t Love Me, and He Wore It for Two Years Chapter 04

Moonlight spilled across the wet street.

Under the streetlight, Grant’s expression was unreadable.

I took a step back.

I dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eyes.

All I said was,

“It’s not far. We barely know each other, so you don’t need to go out of your way.”

The words hung between us.

Grant was silent for a moment.

It took him a long moment to answer.

When he did, there was a trace of mockery in his voice.

“Not close?”

“Claire Bennett. Two years apart and now we’re strangers?”

…

That wasn’t it.

I’d just assumed he hadn’t recognized me.

In the few minutes I’d stood there, half my clothes were soaked through.

I clenched my hand and held my ground.

“I can get home on my own.”

He looked away, clearly out of patience.

“Don’t misunderstand. I need to talk to you about something.”

At that point, refusing again would have made me look unreasonable.

I opened the door and slid into the back seat.

Grant tossed me a towel.

I dried myself off in silence.

The car headed back toward my apartment complex.

In the silence, he went straight to the point.

“Two things.”

“First, don’t tell Vivian about us. I’ll compensate you.”

He paused.

“I should’ve taken care of this back then, but you disappeared right after that night.”

“Connections, introductions, money. Whatever you want.”

Money was never going to be a problem for him.

That night, someone had slipped something into his drink, and I’d happened to be there.

He’d asked if I was willing to help him.

I’d agreed.

I couldn’t blame anyone else.

Two years ago, I might have rejected his idea of compensation. But life had changed, and now I truly needed the money.

My throat went dry.

“And the second thing?” I asked.

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he picked up the lighter beside him, flicked it twice, then tossed it down again.

Nearly three minutes passed before he spoke.

His voice stayed calm, almost detached.

“Cole Harrington has been trying to find you for the last two years.”

I froze.

I remembered him.

Cole was Grant’s best friend.

A wealthy playboy, more or less.

Whenever everyone went out, he was always the life of the party.

Why had he been looking for me?

My confusion must have been obvious.

Grant leaned back and let out a short laugh.

“He’s loyal.”

“You disappeared without a word. He was worried something had happened to you. He’s had people looking for you for two years, and he’s been driving me crazy about it.”

I hesitated. “Then…”

What I really wanted to ask was: What about you?

Had you ever looked for me?

But I knew the answer was no. Without that one night, he probably wouldn’t have remembered my name.

So in the end, I asked,

“What do you want me to do?”

Grant didn’t bother softening it.

“If you have time, go see him.”