Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth

Chapter 0050 Hannah

Dinner was every bit as awkward and tension-filled as had anticipated-and then some.

Zoe sat across from me, her posture rigid and her gaze fixed resolutely on her plate as she nibbled at her food in silence. It was clear from the tight purse of her lips and the furrow in her brow that she wanted to be anywhere but here. Why had she even accepted Drake's invitation, I thought to myself? She could have said no. But then again, so could we.

On my left, Noah nursed a glass of whiskey, his free hand toying with the silverware in a way that made the metal clink sharply against the china every few minutes. His eyes kept flicking from me to Drake with thinly-veiled disdain, as though he couldn't quite decide which one of us he despised more in that moment.

And Drake... Drake simply smiled that easy, charming smile of his, seemingly unbothered by the blistering awkwardness that hung thick in the air around us. He made idle small talk, commenting on the exceptional wine selection and quality of the restaurant's interior design. I could barely bring myself to eat, my stomach tied up in anxious knots. Every time I lifted my fork to my mouth, I felt the weight of Noah's stare boring into me, silently judging and assessing my every move. It made me want to shrink into myself, to disappear from view entirely. "So," Drake said, cutting his steak as he spoke. "Noah. I must say, I'm very grateful that you and Hannah accepted Zoe back into Nightcrest so willingly; it's nice to see her in a safe, familiar place during our little break."

Zoe snorted softly into her glass of wine. I froze, glancing over at Noah.

"Break?" Noah asked. "From what I gathered, you're divorcing. Not simply taking a break."

"Yes, well..." Drake popped a piece of steak into his mouth, chewed slowly and swallowed before continuing. "Love endures." He flicked his gaze between me and Noah, clearly implying something that I didn't want to delve into at the moment. Love, I thought to myself as I glanced over at Zoe. She didn't seem like a woman in love. She seemed like she didn't want to be here. Same as myself.

Noah stared down into his glass, but didn't bother arguing further. We lapsed back into strained silence after that, broken only by the soft clink of silverware on china and the low hum of classical music in the background.

It was torture, pure and simple. I wished more than anything that I could simply disappear, or wake up from this hellish nightmare of an evening

Anything to escape the simmering hostility and Zoe's penetrating stare that seemed to bore straight through me every time our eyes met. Did she know about my arrangement with Drake?

Finally, just when I thought I might snap from the tension, Drake set his napkin aside with a decisive flourish and sat back in his chair.

"Well, this has certainly been a delightful little dinner party," he announced in a tone that suggested the exact opposite. "But I don't know about the rest of you... I was rather hoping we might do a bit more than simply eat this evening. I frowned, sharing a confused look with Noah. "What did you have in mind?" I asked.

A slow smile curved Drake's lips as his gaze swept over to me. "If memory serves from our tour the other day, Hannah, Nightcrest is in possession of a rather famous haunted attraction, isn't it? What was it called again? The Emily House?"

My brows hiked upward as realization dawned on me, the Emily House was an attraction in Nightcrest seated at the top of a tall hill; an old mansion that was said to have been haunted by a spirit named Emily. Supposedly, a family had stayed there in the 80s and were terrorized by Emily until they ultimately just upped and left in the night, leaving all of their belongings behind,Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Now, it was nothing more than a tourist attraction. During the daytime, visitors could tour the home and hear about all of the spooky history behind it. On Friday nights, however, the place was turned into a real haunted house attraction-actors in masks and flickering lights to boot.

It was an attraction for edgy teenagers, nothing more.

"You can't be serious," I managed with a laugh.