Chapter 14

He wasn't the type to go out of his way to please women-not his style at all. Always big on privacy too, never let anyone into his place. Those pajamas? Probably bought them himself and dropped them off when she wasn't around. It didn't make sense. If he hated her, why would he pull something this... intimate? Ariella could feel that awful tightness in her chest again, sour and heavy. "Come on, Ariella. Fine, you're stuck with him physically. Happens. But don't let your head go there too." No matter what he did, the fact was, he had other women in his arms. End of story. Back in the bedroom, her phone was blaring some pop song. She closed the closet door, padded over barefoot, and picked up. Fiona. She swore under her breath for the hundredth time before answering. "Fiona!" "Ariella, why do you keep pushing Ryan away? He's not like what people say." "I just... don't wanna get caught up with someone that high-profile." "Silly girl, he's still a person, no matter the background. I can tell he really likes you. Give it a shot, won't hurt. Imagine-if you married into the Sterlings, we'd be under the same roof again every day, we could... mmm..." The last word trailed off into a breathy, not-so-PG sound. "What's going on?" Ariella asked, a little stunned. "Ahh..." There it was again. "I gotta go, talk later-ugh, stop it..." Fiona mumbled quickly before cutting the line, leaving the aftersound hanging awkwardly. The final note of that moan still echoed in Ariella's ear. She wasn't some naïve little girl. She knew exactly what kind of sound that was. Her hand, still holding the phone, suddenly stiffened. Lucian seriously had no off switch, huh? Didn't he ever worry about overdoing it and wrecking his kidneys? Her stomach churned at the thought. An hour later, Fiona called back, voice soft and relaxed, like a cat fresh off a nap. "Sorry about before..." she said sheepishly. "Fiona, are you... happy?" Ariella asked out of nowhere. Been biting her tongue on that one forever. "Huh? Of course. He treats me so well-I feel really lucky." The answer she should've wanted to hear. And yet, that one word-lucky-hit wrong. Like it covered everything. Body and soul. "Then I'm glad. As long as you're happy, I'm good." Ariella made up her mind right then: Fiona would never, ever know about Lucian's betrayal. She'd protect her from that truth, no matter what. Even if the happiness was fake, as long as Fiona didn't look too hard... maybe it could still feel real. "Why're you talking like some old lady?" Fiona teased gently. "Just saying." "Oh right, I'm heading off to the Aegean Sea with Lucian tomorrow for our honeymoon. Anything you want me to bring back?" They were going on their honeymoon. How perfect. Ariella thought silently, maybe this trip would bring them even closer, maybe after a month, Lucian would finally let her go. "Let me think about it. I'll text you if I come up with something, okay?" Fiona loved buying her gifts. If Ariella turned her down, she'd be all mopey about it. "Okay, don't forget! Ryan-" "Fiona, Ryan's really not my type. Can we stop trying to force it?" "I've been so tied up with the wedding, barely got time to see you. Ariella, are you hiding something from me?" Ariella flinched, instinctively pressing her hand to her chest, trying to calm the chaos surging within. No, Fiona couldn't know about her and Lucian. No way. "Me? When have I ever kept secrets from you?" Her tone was steady now, cool even. "You've been acting all over the place lately. It's got that ‘someone's-in-love' vibe. Come on, spill it." "If I really had fallen for someone, you'd be the first to know, wouldn't you?" "True. We did promise we'd be besties for life-no lies, no secrets." That sentence hit Ariella like a ton of bricks. Her breath caught, and she squeezed her eyes shut as if that could block out the guilt breaking her apart. All she could say was, "Yeah." ‘I'm sorry, Fiona. Not telling you isn't just about sparing your feelings. There's so much you don't know... and Lucian is just part of it.' Two years ago, things went south fast for the Rios family. Fiona was studying abroad then, and Ariella had reached out to Mr. Ross. He turned his back on her, didn't lift a finger. That was when she realized-people only cared when it served them. But she never blamed Fiona for it, which is why she never brought it up. "Fiona, I need to head out now." There was nothing left in her, no strength for one more forced word. "Alright then. Take care of yourself, okay? Don't make me worry." Fiona's voice was soft as always. "Okay." Ariella held back her tears and ended the call. ‘Fiona, I... I'm not worthy of the faith you place in me. If there's any justice in the universe, let me live with this loneliness as my punishment.' She tossed her phone on the bed and nearly ran to the bathroom. Cold showers were a no-go for her-she always ended up sick. But tonight? Getting sick was exactly the point. Lucian wasn't going to show up, not with his honeymoon starting in the morning. She'd spend the night trapped in pain, shivering alone in this apartment. That was what she wanted. To burn, to ache, to suffer until the guilt swallowed her whole.