Chapter 25: How dare he?

                                    

                                          
Adeline.
Sunday mornings were my sanctuary. I snuggled deeper into my warm bed, feeling the soft blankets envelop me. A glance at the clock showed 8:10 AM. I took a deep breath, savoring the tranquility. Sundays were my day to sleep in, but somehow, I always ended up waking up at this time. Not that I minded.
As I sat up, my mind began to stir, and a nagging feeling crept in. Something had bothered me last night. Eryx. I picked up my phone, and my eyes narrowed. He had left my message on "seen" last night. How thoughtful of him.
I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to let thoughts of him ruin my relaxing Sunday. But, my curiosity got the better of me, and I opened our chat. No new messages, just my reply from last night staring back at me. I placed the phone back on the bed and stood up.
Today was a holiday for both my body and mind. I stretched, feeling the tension melt away, and walked out of my room, ready to take on the day.
Liv was still fast asleep. I greeted Soph, who was in the midst of her morning yoga routine. "Good morning!" I said. She replied with a calm "Morning."
I headed to the kitchen, thinking about my day. I should visit my family this evening; it had been too long. I made a mental note to make it happen.
Now, what to do with the rest of my day? A certain name kept popping into my head, but I was determined to ignore it. "Let's watch a movie," I thought, walking into the living room. I needed to keep myself occupied and distract myself from... unwanted thoughts. Thoughts I refused to acknowledge.
The day had been a blissful escape, filled with laughter and movies with Liv and Soph. Those two were treasures I wanted to keep close forever. As the evening drew to a close, I mentally prepared myself to leave the cozy warmth of our little nest and head to my parents' place.
I had deliberately avoided my phone all day, but now it was time to face reality. I walked into my room, slipped into a comfortable outfit, and styled myself in a black tank top and high-waisted tan wide-leg pants. My hair cascaded down my back in loose waves.
Just as I was about to head out, my phone rang, shattering the peaceful atmosphere. 
I strode over to my bed, my eyes fixed on the phone still clutched in my hand. The peaceful atmosphere was instantly shattered. "Hello?" I asked, my tone laced with annoyance.
"I'm coming to your apartment. In 5 minutes," he said, his voice firm and commanding.
"What? For what?" I asked, my irritation growing.
"Important matter!" he replied curtly, before hanging up on me.
I was fuming. Who did he think he was, commanding me like that? Not even giving me a chance to respond. It wasn't the first time he'd done this, and I was sick of it.
I sat on my bed, seething with anger. I didn't want to go anywhere with him. He wasn't my father, after all. I stood up, my movements jerky with rage. "Damn it!" I muttered, storming out of my apartment without even grabbing my bag.
I stepped out into the evening air, my feet heavy with resentment. I scanned the street, but his car was nowhere to be seen. I hated that man.
Just then, his car appeared, pulling up in front of me. He leaned over and opened the door. "Get in!" he ordered.
I rolled my eyes. "No. What's the matter?" I asked firmly, refusing to budge.
"I'll tell you, get in first!" he replied, his voice impatient.
I hesitated, thinking of an excuse. Maybe he couldn't get out of the car and wanted to talk to me inside. I sighed and hopped in. The car drove off the moment I closed the door.