MasukALINA'S POVEvery word he said, every time he shook his head, every time he closed his eyes, and every time his voice grew louder, I felt my heart clench.So much pain. So much hurt his mother had caused him. And instead of making things better, I'd only reopened his old wounds.I closed my eyes, shame and disappointment filling me.Through all the times my mother had abused me, through all the times she'd chosen Aria over me, Edrick had stood by my side. And now, it was my turn to stand by his side. I was ready to do that, no matter what it cost me.I inched closer, wrapping my arms around him. His hand instinctively wrapped around my wrist as he pulled me closer.I waited until his breathing had steadied before leaning back a little."I'm sorry, Edrick," I said."You didn't do anything," he finally said."No, I did. I knew you weren't on good terms with her, even though I didn't know the whole story. I feel terrible, Edrick. I just... I ruined everything for you.""You didn't know t
Edrick's POVMaybe I overreacted. Maybe I got too angry. Maybe she only did it because I never gave her the story. I never told her who Vanessa really was.“It's not Mary. It's Vanessa,” I said.She looked more confused than I'd ever seen her.“That's her real name. She started answering to Mary after she ruined our lives,” I added. Then I turned back to face the sea..Alina inched closer, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.“We never knew what a happy home was like,” I began. “She was always out doing one thing or another to ruin my father's reputation. She was a drunk, an alcoholic who went out, got drunk, then came home and did nothing but yell and break things. The next morning, we'd wake up and go to school. We'd come back, and we wouldn't see her again until nighttime, when she'd return home drunk. Then the cycle would repeat.”“Anna and I never knew what peace was growing up.”“Oh, my Edrick,” Alina said softly.I shook my head. I didn't want sympathy. I didn't want pity. I
Alina's POVI hated it.I hated that I had just ruined the most beautiful moment for Edrick, and I hated that I had put him in this position. I hated that I had put Mary and everyone else in this position, too.It took everything in me to speak. I was too scared to say anything, especially with the tension growing heavier by the second. Edrick looked like he could unleash all his anger at any moment, and I knew I had to stop it before things got worse."I told her to come," I said, my voice trembling.Edrick finally looked away from her, his eyes settling on me with what I could only describe as confusion and a hint of betrayal.I gulped."I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean to show up. I didn't know," Mary stammered. "I didn't know this would happen.""Get out. Get out of here!" Edrick snapped.She gave a quick nod, glanced at Clover one last time, then turned and began walking away."Edrick, please," I said, reaching for him. "She just wanted to say goodbye to Clover. I didn't know all
Edrick’s POVSince the court hearing, I had been focused on two things. Two things I could not afford to mess up.First, finding out who had bribed the judge on Aria’s behalf, because I refused to believe she had paid that money herself.Finding that out was hard enough, especially with all the work I had to do at Vale Enterprise and the fact that whoever was behind it had a very strong hold. Because how on earth had the person sent money that could not be traced?I had tried everything, and the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became.My second task, however, was much more soothing and fulfilling than the first.Proposing to Alina.I had thought about it for a while. I had never had the time to consider it while we were chasing Aria, not with all the chaos in our lives. But finally, I could sit down and peacefully think about how to propose to my woman, how to make Alina my wife, and how to make her Mrs. Vale.Because she deserved it.She is Mrs. Vale. No one else.She
Alina's POVThe beach was beautiful. There weren't many people around, just a few couples, and an even lower number of families chilling. It gave the place a cozy vibe that I couldn't explain. The air smelled so fresh, so relaxing, and even with my shoes on, the squishy feel of the sand beneath made me want to just lay and get absorbed in the cool ocean. An ice cream stand stood a few feet from the banks of the ocean. Jaime and Clover raced to the stand while we trailed behind. Edrick handled the order while I took a step back to check my phone. No call or text from Mary. At that moment, I felt like cancelling would be my best bet. But Mary's disappointment was something I didn't think I could handle. "Come on. I have something to show you." Edrick said, handing me my ice cream. That was a fast purchase. I tried to hide my disappointment. I checked my phone again. "Come on," he repeated, taking my hand.The kids followed behind us as Edrick led forward and we only stopped at
Alina's POVThe weekend was approaching, and I still didn't know how to bring up Mary's request to Edrick.By Friday, I had decided I wouldn't ask him. I honestly didn't want to ruin the soft spot we had already found with each other. I didn't want any frowns or unpleasant emotions, and I understood that he had problems with his mother.But Clover was like a granddaughter to Mary. Heck, she was Mary's granddaughter.And aside from Mary's relationship with Edrick, she had literally helped raise Clover.I couldn't ignore her request to see Clover one last time before returning to Tarrytown.It was already Friday evening. So, I decided I would take Clover to see Mary behind Edric's back.But then, it seemed as though the universe had already informed Edrick of what I was planning because, throughout the day, he refused to leave us alone.First, he refused to go to work. He stayed around me and the kids, not leaving us for even a second.Even when he had work to do, he brought his laptop







