The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 188

She glanced at the clock by her bed. It was 6:00 PM. She had practically slept for four hours.

Work had been utterly exhausting lately. Her body had absorbed so much stress that she desperately needed a deep reset just to function.

Lavinia slipped out of bed and opened her door. To her surprise, the sizzling sound of something frying drifted up from the kitchen downstairs.

She hurried halfway down the stairs, only to spot Charley standing perfectly naturally at the stove, pan-searing a steak.

He hadn't gone home? He had stayed here all afternoon?

Charley looked up, their eyes meeting instantly.

"I was worried he might come back, so I stuck around. I planned to leave once you woke up, but you slept way longer than I expected. Figured I might as well make dinner while I waited."

His tone was so casual and matter-of-fact that it completely disarmed her.

Lavinia immediately felt guilty. "Charley, I keep causing you so much trouble. I'm really sorry."

"Do you want meat sauce or white sauce for the pasta?" he asked smoothly.

"White sauce, please," she replied.

Dinner was far too decadent, stretching out into a leisurely meal that took almost an hour. After they finished, he spent another thirty minutes scrubbing down her kitchen until every last surface gleamed.

Lavinia felt even worse about monopolizing his time.

Once he finally dried his hands, she assumed it was time to send him home so he could rest.

Instead, he said, "Let's go walk the dog together."

Lavinia froze. Was he seriously planning to stretch this out into an all-day affair?

"Do you not want to?" he asked, looking right at her.

How could she possibly say no? "No, let's go. A walk will help digest all that food anyway," she quickly agreed.

Saturday evenings were always the most relaxing. Having rested all day with another full day off ahead, the sheer comfort of the moment felt like absolute perfection.

Lavinia held Nemo's leash as she walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Charley.

He told her stories about early expats pioneering businesses in Brazil, and she listened intently. Without realizing it, she drifted closer until their arms occasionally brushed against each other.

Every now and then, reckless electric scooters would zip past them. Whenever one got too close, he would stop, gently grip her arm, and pull her safely behind him.

They took a massive loop around the neighborhood, only returning home a little past nine at night.

He walked her all the way to her door, waiting until she was safely inside before finally turning to leave.

Lavinia had barely kicked off her shoes when her phone rang. It was Saul.

"Hey, did you go to Penbrook for a business trip? Are you super busy right now?" Lavinia asked.

"Penbrook? Who told you I went to Penbrook?" Saul replied in utter confusion.

"Lavinia, look up."

"What?"

"Me."

Charley's cryptic little riddle suddenly flooded her mind, impossible to shake away.

When he had said that single word, his voice had been incredibly low, almost as if it were a secret meant strictly for her.

Her thoughts bobbed like ships on a dark ocean, endless and turbulent.

Then, suddenly, a beam of light pierced through the heavy clouds, illuminating the water below.

*Look up. See me.*

Lavinia slowly opened her eyes. The faint glow of the streetlamp filtered through the gap in her curtains, casting a thin, glowing white line across her pillow.

Could the answer to his riddle have been him all along?

He wanted her to finally *see* him.

Her heart began to pound a heavy, rhythmic beat against her ribs.

Could that really be true?