Chapter 7

•SLOAN•

It was just one of those days when I was feeling miserable. After having coffee with Ripley and going to see my Uncle Fin, I thought I would start to feel better.

But it had only made me feel worse.

When Renato and I first began our relationship, Ripley was the first of his family to know. And she had her brother's back and welcomed me with open arms. She made me feel like I had a sister.

And somehow through everything, I turned my back on her which left me feeling guilty.

How could I have been such a terrible friend? And what was worse was that if Fin hadn't asked me about her, I probably never would have reached out again.

I was a horrible person for that and I began to wonder if Gianni's dislike for me was maybe a little bit of karma.

I needed Renato.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket as I opened the front door of my apartment, but I gasped and stood frozen in my spot.

The living room was filled with balloons, along the floor and the ceiling.

In the middle of it,