Chapter 8

Selena told her friends about the marriage proposal, and they were both appalled by the idea. Well, Katie seemed okay with it, but Claire was completely against it.

Selena couldn't understand how someone could go from admiring a person to completely hating them, so she had to ask Claire what had happened between them. Claire looked at her as though she wanted to kill her on the spot. How could Selena forget everything that self-absorbed jerk had put her through? But Selena only laughed it off, explaining that she wasn't angry with Lucian anymore.

Claire didn't care. She dropped the subject and asked Selena what her decision was.

"I don't know," Selena replied honestly. "I'm confused. I've always wanted to marry someone I love, someone who loves me endlessly in return. But Lucian doesn't love me. He only wants me for the company's sake, and that saddens me. Maybe that's why he's been so nice lately."

Selena noticed that Katie had been unusually quiet. When Claire stepped away to take a call and get their drinks, she turned to her.

"What's wrong, Katie?"

Katie's answer shocked her. "Marry him."

Selena stared at her in confusion. "Why would you suggest that?"

"Because if things start going sideways, there's always the option of getting a divorce." Katie was right. How had Selena never thought of that? She could give the Knights an ultimatum. She would marry Lucian for a few years, and once everything was settled, they would get divorced.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

Katie smiled proudly. "I'm the smart one of this group." Selena chuckled.

Claire returned with their drinks, and the two girls explained their plan to her. She was still unhappy about the idea, but if Selena was determined to go through with it, she would support her.

"Promise me one thing," Claire said. Selena nodded. "You won't get pregnant."

Katie and Selena turned to her with tired expressions.

"Are you sure you hate this guy only because he was a jerk to you?" Katie asked, eyeing her sister suspiciously. Selena joined her in staring at Claire, but to their amazement, Claire didn't flinch.

"I just don't want any of his bad seed inside you," she replied.

Selena chuckled. "I'll mention that tonight and tell them it's your request, boss." Claire hummed in satisfaction.

Selena smiled, but when she turned back to Katie, her expression softened.

"It's been five years, Katie. When exactly do you plan to tell us who Noah's father is?" Katie's mood immediately soured.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell them. She just felt it was already too late and also he was the top most secret and they wouldn't be happy with her.

"I thought we were past that," she said, pretending to be offended.

"Sure, everyone else might be, but we still deserve to know, Katie. We're practically your family." Claire's voice softened with worry.

"What family?" Katie scoffed. "A family consisting of my self-absorbed sister, who always had her eyes on everything I liked and was willing to throw me under the bus just to save herself from our toxic parents? Or an orphan who knows nothing about family or even being a mother?" She picked up her bag and stood. "Stay out of my life. My baby's father is none of your business." With that, she walked away.

Selena and Claire sat in stunned silence. They were hurt, shocked, and saddened by Katie's words, but neither knew what to say. The drive back was painfully quiet.

Selena dropped Claire off, but before her friend could even manage a goodbye, she drove away. She was deeply hurt by what Katie had said. She remembered how far she and Claire had gone to help Katie get what she wanted five years ago. She remembered how devastated they had been when Katie finally allowed them to visit her two years earlier, and how they had continued sending gifts and making time for her and Noah despite the distance. And this was what Katie thought of them?

Selena couldn't understand it. She freshened up and went downstairs for dinner. She wasn't hungry, but she had made her decision. Brandon, Louisa, and Lucian were already at the table when she joined them.

"I have my answer now." Everyone stopped eating except Lucian, who seemed to have already anticipated her response. "I'll marry him, but I have a few conditions." She clasped her hands on the table as though she were about to begin a business meeting.

"First, if I'm no longer comfortable with the arrangement, I'm free to get a divorce." She paused before continuing. "Second, this will not be an open marriage." For the first time, Lucian looked up at her.

"Third, since it's not an open marriage, we're expected to fulfil our duties as a couple at some point, but only on my terms."

An amused expression crossed Lucian's face, but Selena ignored it. "Fourth, we're not having children, at least not within the first three years. Fifth, we maintain our boundaries." She loved him. That much was true. But she had also learned to love herself, and Katie's words that afternoon had made her realise something important: she couldn't keep sacrificing her own happiness for other people.

"That's not an issue, my dear, as long as you accept the proposal," Louisa assured her. Selena thanked them and returned to her room. The moment she closed the door, the tears she'd been holding back finally fell.

She had known Katie struggled with low self-esteem, but she had never realised how much resentment her friend carried, or how deeply her relationship with Claire might have contributed to it.

When Selena first met the sisters in high school, they had been practically inseparable. Claire had always been the louder one, but it had been obvious how much she loved Katie. So where had everything gone wrong? And how had Selena never noticed?

Hearing Katie speak about Claire that way had hurt her, too. She had always believed that, whatever happened, the three of them would remain a family. Now she wasn't so sure. After some time, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called. Louisa entered and sat on the edge of Selena's bed. She had noticed that something was wrong when Selena joined them for dinner. In all the years she had known her, she had rarely seen Selena look so hurt, except when her parents died.

"Hi," Louisa greeted.

"Hi, Mrs Knight," Selena replied, sitting up. She wasn't really in the mood to talk.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Louisa rested her hands on her thighs, gently rubbing them as she waited. Selena looked at her, and Louisa chuckled softly. "I know something is wrong, and it's eating you up inside."

Selena said nothing. She only shook her head. Louisa understood. "All right, then. But I don't know what happened, and if I had to guess, I'd say it has something to do with the sisters. Katie, to be precise." Selena looked up in shock. How did she know?

Louisa laughed at the expression on her face. "I was right, wasn't I? Are you ready to talk now?"

Selena sniffled before bursting into tears. She wrapped her arms around Louisa and poured out everything that had happened at the café: Katie's accusations, the hurtful things she had said about Claire, and the anger and sadness Selena couldn't seem to shake. Louisa simply rubbed her back and let her finish. When Selena finally calmed down, Louisa spoke.

"Call Claire." Selena lifted her head, confused.

"Why? What do you mean?"

"You said Claire wanted to say something to you before you drove away, didn't you? So call her." Selena had been tempted to call Claire herself, but she had restrained herself. A part of her wanted Claire to understand just how hurt she was. Still, she reached for her phone on the nightstand, turned it on, and dialled Claire's number. Then she put it on speaker.

Louisa watched her with a quiet smile. She was happy that Selena trusted her enough to make the call in her presence. For the first time in a long while, the emptiness she sometimes felt because she couldn't have more children seemed less overwhelming. Despite Lucian's difficult temperament, Selena had become like a daughter to her, filling a space in her heart she hadn't realised was still aching. The phone hadn't even rung for long when Claire answered.

Selena glanced at Louisa, who gave her an unmistakable 'I told you so look'. Taking a deep breath, Selena spoke into the phone.

"Come over to the house, please."

"I'm already here." Selena froze.

"What?"

"I've been here since before dinner. I'm in one of the guest bedrooms." Selena stared at her phone before turning slowly to Louisa, who sat with her hands folded, smiling innocently.

Selena narrowed her eyes.

"You're unbelievable." Louisa didn't even attempt to hide from the glare. She met it head-on. Selena ended the call after telling Claire she'd be there in a minute. Then she turned to Louisa about to throw a tantrum but Louisa grabbed her hands, and led her towards the door.

"Where I come from, we don't keep people waiting," Louisa said. Before Selena could respond, Louisa took a deep breath and added, "And give Katie a break. If she wanted to tell you, she would have. She has obviously indicated that the father is someone close to her. Don't force it out of her. Give her time, and she'll tell you when she's ready." With that, Louisa shut Selena's bedroom door in her face.

Selena stood there for a moment before chuckling and shaking her head. Then she headed towards the guest bedroom on the other side of the house. Claire was waiting.

And Selena had a feeling they had a lot to talk about.