Chapter 145

145 POV-

Alex dropped me back at the house his mysterious phone . I kneew still had a lot to talk about and there was still the of my father’s situation something I had to mention to Alex for my mother’s . But I knew deep down he wouldn’t be in helping, not after everything that had happened. The girls and Christian constantly coming and going and when I entered, the girls all in the living room Riley, Natalia, and Sarah. Christian nowhere to be seen, probably busy helping Alex with whatever crisis had unfolded and I couldn‘ heat the twins, I knew they were .

Sarah spotted the ring the moment I walked in. “Well, well, well,” she drawled, a mischievous glint in her . “Someone’s been busy. Nice rock.”

comment instantly grabbed Natalia and Riley’s attention. I groaned, shooting a playful glare. Natalia grabbed me immediately and planted me firmly on a chair. “I leave you for a minute and you come back with a ring. Start talking.”

“Hold on,” Riley added, already on her way to the kitchen. “Bottles and first.”

I gave a look, but she just rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m a mafia princess who ran away from an arranged marriage to become a bartender, and I have baggage with my father even though we’ve put that aside for now. We’re drinking.”

“

, hear!

Sarah chimed in, raising an invisible glass. Natalia’s laughter echoed through the room.

It took only a moment for Riley to return, a tray laden with glasses and three different bottles. Looking ahead, I knew it was going to be a long night. But I settled into the chair with their expectant staring at me, sense of belonging washed over me. These were my people, the ones who understood, the ones who had my back.

“Alright,” Natalia prompted, “we’re getting old, and those bundles of chaos can wake up any minute.”

I chuckled. “Okay, so… Alex proposed again, and I said yes again.

, I know I’m technically still married to Ivan,” saying his name sent a shiver down my spine, “and yes, I know Alex has made a lot of mistakes. But even after everything…” I trailed off, my voice catching slightly. “Even after everything, I still want him. So yeah, said yes.”

smiled at me, “I am really happy for you, Amaya, we all are.”

The other hummed in agreement and then she raised her glass. “To the crazy chaotic love!” she declared.

“To fucked–up love,” Riley added with sly grin.

We all clinked , then everyone turned their attention back to Riley. She shot all a questioning look. “Why are you all staring at me like that?

“

began, “with all the chaos around, we only really know the surface of what happened with you running away and… well dating Christian.”

sighed, pouring another drink. “Yeah, that’s going to need a whole lot more than this , swirling the amber liquid in her before taking a long sip. “In the world I up in arranged marriages common as the blood spilled on the . I didn’t like it but there wasn’t anything could do about it. I knew it would be my fate someday fate both me and sister dreaded. We used to count down the days until adulthood, one a tick closer to a future we didn’t want.”

A a momentary glimpse into the she’d left behind. Natalia reached out, squeezing hand in a silent understanding.

“Then happened.

announced he’d my marriage, and even though I knew it was coming, still hit me like a ton of bricks he told me , like the world stopped spinning.”

She drink, leaned forward, earlier by frown.

“

the devil this earth, he’d be the closest thing ,” Riley continued, her dropping a audible “There no way could that monster.”

filled the , broken only by the clinking .

the –bubbly seemed subdued by the emotion emanating Riley month the wedding Riley continued hint into her “I met Christian. One thing led another, and…

.

only other for , but he like everything my body She looked around the room, meeting of ours in . “Time running she explained. “I knew had to run. There was another thing I was only wanted someone untouched. If he found She the unspoken hanging in the air “So I disappeared she touch of prid lips pursed in a contemplative line.

“I a ,”

said, gesturing around the room.

a job, kept my head down.

looked . Her met mine a flicker of replacing the darkness “Then I met you, Amaya. And discovered there was a whole world out there and all.

the out of me, to be honest, but I’m really glad you walked into that bar.”

genuine smile broke her contrast to the turmoil she’d just described. She raised her glass in a . “Here’s to new beginnings and finding your people We clinked the sound echoing in the comfortable silence.

“So, how did you end up back with Christian?”

asked, the question hanging in the air.

A wishful smile touched her lips. “He gave me this phone when we first met, said his life wasn’t always sque clean, that sometimes he got tangled up with dangerous people. It was not new to me, it kind of added to the thrill. The phone was untraceable, a way for us to have a secret connection. It was the only reminder I had of him when I left so I kept. Every text, all the things he promised to do to me just before we saw each other again there, I didn’t want to let it go and once every week, I would turn it on and there was always a text. He was trying to find me but I never texted back. Then, one night, I was feeling high, feeling lost. Needed some kind of closure, I guess. So I sent a text. Needed to move on, you know? Then fate happened two months later. I was walking home from work one day and a car splashed dirty water all over me then didn’t stop to apologize. I hailed a cab, furious and followed the car, ready to give the jerk a piece of my mind. Imagine my shock when Christian stepped out.”

She blushed a deep crimson, a stark contrast to her usually pale skin. “Well, the rest is history. Except… There’s still a lot to deal with. I might have stood up to my father and made him help but I know there’ll be hell to pay when this all blows over.” Her eyes hardened, a steely glint replacing the vulnerability from moments before. “But nothing will make me Christian.”

A silence descended upon the room, thick with the weight of Riley’s story. Sarah reached for another glass, her earlier teasing demeanor replaced with a quiet contemplation.

“What about your sister?”

finally asked, voicing the question that hung heavy in the air.

Riley’s gaze flickered away, a flicker of guilt clouding her . “My father’s making her take my place ” she whispered, “He’s locked her down, made sure she can’t escape.

sealed her fate, and I’m not sure can ever forgive myself for that.”

The weight of her words settled heavily on us all. The carefree atmosphere of the evening had vanished, replaced by a somber understanding of the burdens Riley carried.

scooted closer to her, my heart aching for her. Without a word, I reached out and wrapped my hands around hers offering silent comfort Sarah and Natalia, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, followed suit. The four of us sat there, a huddle of women, seeking strength in each other’s ..We didn’t need words. The unspoken understanding, the shared determination to face whatever came , hung heavy in the air.

This quiet moment of solidarity was a brief respite before the storm that had been brewing over us finally exploded.

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