Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth!-Chapter 163: You’ve Been Stalking Me?

Hearing that, Claire stiffened, the words hitting her like a cold gust of wind. Claire's heart skipped, but not in the way it should have.

The way he said it—so casual, yet so intense—made her pulse quicken. She knew he had said it hoping it would sound romantic to her but there was nothing romantic about it.

Why does this feel so wrong and so frightful? She mused.

"Oh," she said, forcing herself to stay calm. "That's... a long time. So, haven't you had any girlfriend since you started high school?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I couldn't keep any because you're all I seem to think about even with them. I guess they noticed and decided not to be a shadow of someone else," he said and Claire swallowed nervously.

No matter how hard she was trying to, she couldn't help the prickles she was feeling underneath her skin.

Her feet moved automatically, but her mind was already racing. She tried to focus on the sounds of the night and the distant music from the prom, even the chirping crickets. Anything to ground herself but the more she tried to focus on something else, the more she couldn't.

Mathew's words were echoing over abd over in her head, sending her mind into a chaotic mess.

Mathew tilted his head slightly, studying her. "You're quiet. What's on your mind?" he asked and Claire raised her eyes to meet his.

She quickly adverted it when she saw something she couldn't quite understand or place.

Claire bit her lip, not knowing what to say to his answer. Should she just drop it? Pretend she didn't feel the growing pit in her stomach?

But curiosity gnawed at her and before she could stop herself, she asked, "Do you know why I was available to go to prom with you tonight?"

Mathew's brows furrowed. "No. I was even going to ask because I noticed you were dressed before coming to answer the door. What happened? Were you expecting someone else? Or were you stood up?"

Claire's hands tightened into fists. "Yeah. My prom date canceled at the last minute. He told me he was on his way, then suddenly changed his mind. He didn't even care that I was already dressed."

Mathew's jaw clenched. "Who would do that to you? What kind of idiot cancels on Claire Sterling? Perhaps I should pay whoever he is a visit and let him know no one dares to play with you."

Claire gave him a pointed look, her brows raising in a questioning manner. "Really? You don't know?" she asked and Mathew frowned.

"Am I supposed to know?" he asked and she tilted her head to the side.

"Of course. I mean, you said you've been watching me for over three years so shouldn't you know all the men that has approached me?"

Mathew chuckled, but it sounded forced. "I... don't know him. I might know the other's but not this one," he said, hoping she would t ask him anything else about it.

Thankfully for him, before Claire could respond, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out wanting to see who it was and froze when she saw that it was a text.

It wasn't just a text from just anyone but from Isaac—the boy who had promised to take her to prom and just canceled on her at the last minute.

[Hey, Claire. I'm really sorry for canceling like that. There's this guy who claimed to be your boyfriend. He threatened me. And because I'd seen him around you a couple of times, I thought it was true. Even though you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend, I forgive you. I'm sorry I backed out like that.]

Claire felt her blood turn to ice as she read the text. A boy claiming to be her boyfriend? Who could it be? Does this mean her suspicions were true and someone had been scaring off those boys?

It was and it had to be Mathew. She thought, her eyes flickering to his face.

Her mind whirled, replaying moments she hadn't given a second thought before—boys who had shown interest in her, then vanished. Isaac wasn't the first. There was Abel. Derrick. Lucas. Jake. They had all just... disappeared.

Was it Mathew all along? It couldn't be, right? He looked too innocent to do that to her.

"Claire?" Mathew's voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. "Are you okay?"

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Her breath came in short, shallow bursts. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's nothing," she managed to say.

Mathew didn't look convinced, but he didn't press either.

Claire's thoughts were a chaotic storm. She needed answers—no, she needed to get away. But first, she had to know for sure.

"You mentioned you've been watching me for years. Do you know how many boys have tried to date me? I mean why did you remain in the shadows?"

Mathew's gaze darkened. "I know right. It felt really painful for me seeing different men.... about five...."

Claire's chest tightened. "Five?" she cut in and he nodded, not taking note of how she had stiffened again.

"Yeah," he said, his tone disturbingly casual. "The first was Abel. When he started showing interest in you, I thought I'd never get a chance seeing how you seemed to really like him. But then he suddenly backed off. Made me wonder why, though."

He paused. "Then there was Derrick. Same thing. And Lucas. Then Jake. And Isaac, of course. Then maybe the one that canceled on you. What's his name?" he asked, pretending not to know.

Claire stopped walking. Her entire body felt like stone. "How do you know all their names?" she whispered. "And how do you know the exact order they came in?"

Mathew's smile faltered as it immediately dawned on him that he had said more than he was supposed to say. How could he have been so carried away?

"Claire, it's not what you think....."

"And how do you know what I'm thinking?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "Mathew... have you been the one scaring them off?"

Mathew's expression hardened. "No, of course not."

Claire took a shaky step back. "You don't want to admit it? Fine. I'm going home," she said but Mathew held her back, stopping her from moving.

Mathew's grip on Claire tightened as his thoughts raced. No. She can't leave. Not like this. Not when I'm so close.

His mind replayed every moment from the past three years—the times he had followed her home, watched her from a distance, and scared away anyone who dared show interest. He had done it all for her. For them.

Why doesn't she understand?

When Abel started talking to Claire three years ago, Mathew had felt the first sting of jealousy. The boy wasn't good enough for her. None of them were. So, he had found Abel after school, cornered him behind the gym, and made it clear that if he valued his safety, he'd stay away from Claire. The boy had left town a week later.

Derrick had been next. Mathew had followed him to the park where he and Claire were supposed to meet and told him he knew where his family lived.

Derrick hadn't even shown up that day and after then, had avoided her like a plague. Then there was Lucas—who didn't even last two conversations with Claire before Mathew got to him.

Every time, Mathew felt justified. He wasn't hurting Claire. He was protecting her. Keeping her safe from boys who would only break her heart. He had watched her smile from a distance, imagining the day she would finally notice him, choose him.

And now, here she was. With him. Finally.

But something had gone wrong. Claire was scared—of him. And that was unacceptable. He needed to correct that impression of him to her.

She just doesn't understand yet. I have to make her see.

"Mathew," Claire's voice trembled as she tried to pull away. "Let me go, you liar. How could you?"

"No," Mathew said, panic threading his voice. "You don't get it. I did this for you. All of it—for us."

Claire's eyes widened. "Mathew, what are you talking about? So, you really did this? How could you? What did I ever do? If you knew you loved me that much, you should've fucking approached me!"

"I was scared but they weren't. I couldn't let them have you!" he burst out. "Abel didn't deserve you. Neither did Derrick or Lucas or Jake. They were all wrong for you. They didn't see you the way I do," he said not understanding why she just couldn't understand and see things from his own perspective.

If he had been man enough to ask her, then he wouldn't have done all he did. To think they were that quick to tell her about their feelings but couldn't even stand him.

They had cowered and left her at the slightest discomfort showing that they wouldn't have been able to take care of her.

Though she was upset now, he knew she'd understand him sooner