Chapter 34 Don't Apologise

• L A N A
• We make our way into the dining room, and the first thing I notice is how much food has been laid out across the table, more than enough for a full gathering even though it is just the two of us, plates arranged neatly with pastries, fruit, warm dishes, and drinks already prepared as if this had all been planned long before I even agreed to sit down, and I pause near the chair for a second, unsure of where to start or even how to act in a setting that feels far too refined for someone who, just hours ago, was on the floor of her apartment crying over her life falling apart.
• Dante steps ahead of me without saying anything at first, his movements smooth as he reaches for the chair near the head of the table and pulls it back for me, waiting until I actually sit before he gently pushes it in, the gesture catching me off guard immediately. I quietly thank him while lowering myself into the seat, my hands resting awkwardly in my lap for a moment as I glance up at him, unable to ignore the comparison forming in my mind. In all the time I spent with Tyler, not once did he do even this small thing for me, not once did he pause to make me feel considered...