ARIELLALuca nodded slowly. Maria slipped beside me, pressing a handkerchief into my palm.“Here,” she said.I dabbed my eyes.“Don’t worry, the makeup’s waterproof,” Maria added with a little smile. “You can cry all you want.”That actually made me laugh, a small shaky laugh that broke the tension for a second. But thinking about my dad still hurts. He should have been here.Then Luca said, “Your mom was still mad at you. Asher didn’t know whether to bring her or not. In the end, he decided not to. But if you change your mind, I have a plane ready to bring her here.”I thought about my mother, about how she’d always been against me and Asher, how she always found something to nag about. I didn’t want her to ruin such a beautiful day.“Maybe it’s just better she continues thinking I’m dead,” I said quietly. “Maybe a few weeks, a few months, a few years later, I’ll change my mind. But for now, I just want to be happy.”I told myself the only thing I truly regretted was my dad. I never
ARIELLAMy heart pounded. “Asher…”“Don’t say no,” he said gently, his thumb tracing the corner of my mouth. “You said you always dreamed we’d have a home, the three of us. This, this is how we start it. No more waiting. No more running. Just us.”I covered my mouth, laughing and crying at the same time. “You’re serious?”“Dead serious,” he murmured. “You could say I’ve been planning this since the day I found you again. You’ve said yes to me a thousand times without words. I just need you to say it once out loud.”I looked at him, at the man who’d been through fire and still held me like I was made of something worth saving. And suddenly, there was no doubt left in me.“Yes,” I said softly. “Let’s get married tonight.”His smile broke wide this time, unguarded and real. He pulled me in, kissed my forehead, and whispered,“Then it’s settled. Tonight, you become my wife.”The moment the word yes left my mouth, Asher was already moving. He pulled out his phone, started firing off comman
ARIELLA“I’m sorry. I know how much you loved Dominic,” I say, taking his hand.“It’s fine,” he says. “.... I know it's not fine, but it’s not like there’s anything I can do.”“Yeah, I know,” I murmur, “but I can see it still hurts you, and it pains me to see you like this, to watch you go through this. I want you to know that I wasn’t close to Dominic. I didn’t know him. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.”“Thanks,” he says quietly. His thumb brushes over my knuckles.“The only thing that I keep thinking about…” His voice falters, then steadies. “I loved him enough to have let him be with Dinara....even forever, if he had chosen to. Even if he had wanted to be with her and start q family, maybe I could have found a way for the two of them to be together, if it was real. But he knew Dinara was playing him. I gave him a chance to save himself…”I hold his hand tighter. “If there’s any part of you that feels guilty for his actions, I just want you to know that he was an
ARIELLAI should have known the moment the plane began to descend, the ocean below was too familiar, the curve of the coastline too.The island.The same island Asher had taken me to before.The one where he had built that sprawling, luxurious hotel that rose out of the cliffs like a secret only the sea could keep.And just like last time, it was breathtaking. As we drove up the long, winding path toward the hotel, the salty breeze swept through the open windows, and I caught myself staring out, lost in the beauty of my surroundings.“You still remember this place?” Asher asked, glancing at me as the car slowed near the entrance.“Yeah,” I said softly, smiling faintly. “But I thought it was already taking in guests.... It looks deserted.”He smirked. “No, it’s not deserted. I just reserved it for a few days while we’re here.”“A few days?” I turned to him, surprised.He groaned lightly. “Ah, I ruined the surprise, didn’t I?”“What surprise?” I asked, laughing.“Well,” he said, his voi
ARIELLAWhen Asher arrived, I had already packed my bags. I’d already had that talk with Leon and Maria. I told them we were leaving, that Asher was coming to get us.Leon was super excited, almost too much. Every five minutes, he’d ask, “Is dad coming? Is he here?” and I had to keep telling him to be patient.Maria, on the other hand, said she was going to stay behind a few more days at the house until she decided what to do. I told her we could wait for her, that we could go together, but she just smiled and said she needed a few days to herself. So, I had to let her have her way.When Asher finally arrived, the moment he opened the door, Leon was already there waiting. He had been sitting right in front of it, lunch plate and all, determined not to miss a second.And the moment the door opened, Leon ran straight into him, no hesitation, no pause, just pure, overflowing joy.“Dad! Dad! You came! You came! You didn’t lie!”For a moment, Asher just froze in the doorway, startled. I co
ARIELLALuca shifted uneasily on the couch, his big frame looking strangely out of place in my living room. His jaw worked as if he was chewing on his own words, and for a moment, he stared at the floor before he finally looked up at me.“I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you the last time I was here,” he began, his voice quieter than I’d ever heard it. “I’m sorry for not believing you when you told me that Leon was Ash’s son. I know I threatened you, and I told you to run away… and I should have given you the opportunity to explain youRself.”He exhaled hard, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’ve known you a long time, Ari. I’m not trying to justify my actions. But I want you to know something: Ash is a brother to me. He’s my blood. I don’t know why, but I just thought… I was afraid you were lying to him. I was afraid you were using him.”He shifted forward, elbows on his knees. “After I saw those papers...papers saying you were supposed to marry his dad, not him, I thought maybe the pr