Chapter 431 Hollow Place Inside Here Has Already Been Filled
Tilda lifted the bottle of wine she’d prepared and poured a little for herself and Jude.
“Mm.”
“Cheers!”
Their glasses clinked, and both of them smiled.
Jude swirled his glass slowly, letting the aroma breathe before taking a sip. The red slid across his tongue like some strange, perfect chemical reaction – so good it was intoxicating. By the time he finished the glass, a faint blush had risen across his cheeks. His eyes carried a dazed, almost dreamlike glint.
Wine was precious, sure. But Jude? The man had downed the rarest vintages in the world more times than he could count. Yet tonight… this one tasted impossibly sweet, too tempting to resist.
When he looked at Tilda, a trace of wine still lingered at the corner of her lips. On impulse – and with a little alcohol pushing him forward – he reached out, brushing her mouth with his fingertips. The unexpected, feather-light pressure made her freeze.
She never imagined he’d do that.
Before she could react, Jude lifted the finger that had just grazed her lips and touched it to his own, tasting the faint smear of wine left behind.
“Jude…” Tilda’s face burned. God, why does every domineering man have to break character and do something so reckless? This was so embarrassing! She wanted to crawl under the table.
“Tastes even sweeter this way. Don’t you like it?” He leaned closer, his voice low, roughened by wine, every word wrapped in that intoxicating scent. Her heart stuttered. She’d seen his face countless times, but right now – with his eyes darkened and rimmed with heat, his beauty magnified by that faint blush – he looked devastating.
Even Tilda’s heartbeat skipped half a beat. She’d seen this face so often she should be used to it, yet a careless glance still felt like a beauty killshot. It could slay even Tilda, who prided herself on iron self-control and an immunity forged by seeing countless pretty faces, leaving her thoughts straying.
Yeah, she was a sucker for a beautiful face. Who doesn’t love a beautiful face? Her pulse thudded in her ears. She could almost hear her own heart tipping into dangerous territory. More than that… Tilda could hear the sound of her own heart stirring.
“Jude, are you… not even a little embarrassed?”
“Not at all. If anything, I kind of want to taste even more.” Jude dipped his chin, one arm on the table, pale, slender fingers tapping lightly on the surface. Every small move carried an elegance so sharp it was almost dangerous. Even his eyes – dark as a black hole – were filled entirely with her. They were pulling her in, like there was no way out. Tilda’s breath quickened.
Damn the old saying about femme fatales – men could be just as lethal. It was sometimes worse than women.
“Uh… here! Try this stuffed zucchini, I made it myself – it’s really good.” Nerves got the better of her, so she shoved food onto his plate just to break the tension, because the way he was looking at her right now was way too dangerous. His stare was direct, predatory, with no attempt to hide it. And she – two lives lived, yet still a “normal” woman who’d never actually been in love. How the hell was she supposed to fight against this tidal wave of male intensity? God, please. Let nothing happen tonight. With Jude’s pull, she honestly wasn’t sure she could stop herself.
“Alright,” he said smoothly.
So, the two of them settled into eating. The two of them fell into an easy rhythm, swapping old stories, laughing, drinking. And slowly, Tilda relaxed. His gaze didn’t feel so intense anymore. She dug into the food, gulped wine like it was water, and let herself relax. Life, for this brief window, felt simple and satisfying. And hey – she never gained weight anyway.
After a few rounds of drinks, even Tilda was feeling tipsy. Most of the food on the table was gone.
“Jude, you know… we’re actually pretty similar. In the Bells, you only ever felt warmth from one person. And me… I only made it because my mentor picked me up and taught me how to survive. The Jensons threw me away for nineteen years. When they finally found me, they were nothing but wolves in human skin – cold, cruel, humiliating, dismissive. Honestly, those days nearly broke me. I wanted to die. But when life shuts one door, it opens another. We had talent. We grew up. Now we get to own our lives and live the way we want. That’s what really matters, isn’t it?”
Even Tilda surprised herself. Her voice was so light, like she was talking about someone else. It was like she was mentioning the weather. She was calm, almost detached. And it wasn’t just the wine. It was more than that. For the first time, she could step back and look at her own mess of a life like an outsider. It didn’t feel like she was the girl burned alive, reborn with nothing but a heart full of vengeance. It was a good sign.
And she knew why.
That hollow place inside her had already been filled. By Una, Andy, Jude, Dane, and Mystro…