“I do,” he said quietly.
“Then why waste years apart,” she added, “when we could spend that time together?”
Silence dropped over the table like someone had cut the power. Even the kids went still.
Then Mariya declared, lifting her glass, “I like her! Welcome to the sisterhood, Sienna.”
The women raised their glasses.
“To the sisterhood!”
Their laughter broke the tension.
From there, the conversation drifted to the Hearth, the last few pieces Ninel decided to add to her art gallery opening, shopping, then places the women wanted to vacation now that the faction was no longer under attack.
As I watched her, I saw Sienna settling in bit by bit—her shoulders loosening, her voice warming as she spoke with my sisters about her studies, campus life, and Mandy.
When dinner was cleared, and dessert was being brought out, I rested my hand on Sienna’s lower back and leaned in.
“Are you okay? Need to escape?”
She smiled and shook her head. “I’m okay.”
The longer I watched her with my family, the deeper the ache in my chest grew. I kept thinking how different things could’ve been if I had met her at that damn café, book in hand, and we’d had a real marriage. Not this arrangement born from necessity to keep her safe.
I wanted to shield her from Jasper, from the shit that would eventually hit the fan. But after all that…what then?
Was I supposed to just walk away? Cut ties and hand her back her old life like we'd never met?
The thought hit me so hard it felt like the air was sucked straight out of the room.
Because I knew that my life wouldn’t go back to what it was before Sienna.
And the idea of returning to that emptiness made something inside me shatter.
Chapter 8 - Sienna
I stood by the door watching Avit say his final farewells to his siblings and in-laws. His family definitely wasn’t what I expected. There was an aura about the men—friendly and laughing on the surface, except for Marten—but beneath it, I had no doubt that if anyone barged into the house uninvited, they’d switch from doting husbands to cold-blooded killers in a heartbeat.
The women surprised me, too. They weren’t snobbish at all, even though they wore thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry and, I was almost certain, designer clothing. I recognized a few pieces because they looked similar to what Avit had bought me…clothes I still hadn’t worn because they just weren’t me. Not that I went anywhere besides campus anyway.
The kids were adorable. I guess I just didn’t picture mafia men juggling toddlers and family life. I expected scenes straight out of TV shows—men placing guns on tables, puffing Cuban cigars, women catering to their every whim or being degraded—but there wasn’t any of that. Instead, I saw love on the spouses’ faces, playful teasing between the siblings, the men helping with the kids.
Maybe I shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover, but I couldn’t imagine choosing to be the wife of a criminal.
But one thing stood out above everything else: Avit was definitely hiding the real reason we got married. And I let him, because I intended to use his little secret as leverage.
When the last vehicle exited the estate, Avit strode back toward the house. I headed into the living room, and when I heard the front door close, I turned to face him. I needed answers.
“Why didn't you tell your family we were married? Why don’t they know who I am or who my father is? Is it so that you could kill my father and no one would be the wiser?” I snapped.
Avit sighed, but he didn’t answer. He sank into one of the sofas, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. As much as I wanted to demand a response, I forced myself to wait. I sat on the other end of the sofa, watching him.
After a few moments, he spoke softly, still not moving. “All my brothers forced their wives into marriage. I despised it. I hated that they went that route, especially when in our faction, we value our women, one of the few factions that do. I swore I’d never be like that…and yet I ended up doing the same to you.”
Wait…those women, who seemed to have their men wrapped around their fingers, were forced into marriage? But they looked so happy.
Before I could dwell on it further, Avit finally opened his eyes, and for the first time since meeting him, I saw uncertainty there.
