Having lost the man she loved to the cold clutches of suicide, Amara's impulsive decision to join him leads her to accept the marriage proposal of a mysterious stranger she shares a drink with at a bar.
Xelan's weddings were an awful affair, with ea...
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It wasn't until two nights after that Xelan had shown up again. Until his arrival, Amara was left with scarce to do but revisit his room, drawn to the portrait. It was almost as if she looked at it long enough, somehow it would fill in the chasm that existed the period it was made and the present time.
When she grew tired of that, she phoned home later that afternoon, determined not to leave them in the dark as she had the first time. If Carlos had not been too vocal about how he felt about her behaviour of late, her new stunt had been enough to loosen his tongue.
"What the hell, Amara? So now you just up and leave without even so much of a warning?" he had immediately raged without so much of a hello. She sighed, taking her seat on armchair facing the French doors.
"I know, I just... Had something needed to take care of."
The click of his tongue had ensured she knew he wasn't buying her excuses. "I'm worried about you, Amara. We both are. It's been a rough couple of months for you. I just wish you knew you're not alone."
She sighed, looking out the open doors to the greenery outside. She was very well aware of that. Now more than ever. But it couldn't change the fact that there were some secrets that couldn't be shared. Like what the tattoos on her hand meant. Or the deranged brother-in-law that was after her. No, she could never involve them in this.
"I know that. It's just something I had to do. I promise I'll be back soon."
Daya's voice rose in the background, a little miffed. "When she comes back, I'm handcuffing her to her bedpost."
Amara couldn't help but laugh at that statement. "I'm pretty sure that's illegal."
"Illegal but not impossible. And honestly, with your new flighty personality, I'm seriously considering it," Carlos grumbled, making her feel sheepish. Sometimes, it felt like he was a lot older than he was.
"Is there any way I can get you guys to forgive me?"
He paused for a short while, obviously thinking of it. "Depends. Would you be willing to discuss my earlier suggestion?"
She cussed under her breath, disappointed in herself for playing right into his hand. She should have seen this coming. "Carlos..."
"Don't answer, not yet. I'm not trying to force it on you. It's actuallly pretty pointless if it was. Just promise me you'd at least think about it before replying."
She didn't really have much to think about. Her answer remained pretty much the same as it was the last unfortunate encounter she had in her teens. But for Carlos, she swallowed her answer.
"I'll try," she stated simply. She could at least do that much, for them.
"You're patronising me, aren't you?"
She gasped in mock hurt. "I am not."
"Whatever. I'm just going to ask for something else, in case you are playing me."
