𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒊𝒓𝒆 » 𝐀. 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒

❝𝒙𝒗𝒊.❞

Why must he complicate everything?

Just with his presence alone, Alfie Solomons can do anything but keep Nora sane. She'd been able to suppress it so far, especially since she and Alfie had an unspoken deal to not speak of the incident many years ago. But here he was, still pining after her, even after she tried to kill him. The pull, the magnetism, it all felt much more powerful than it ever did before. She let her guard down when he begged her not to leave. She couldn't believe that his vulnerability still had that power to make her shake. His kiss had the power to make her melt, his domineering tone had the power to...consider submission.

And she was engaged to another man. Another man who was granting her the perfect opportunity she'd dream of to escape and erase the life she had and start over in a land where no one knew her. Where she could be the person she always wanted to be. Given the fact that she murdered her biological father, it would be smart to take that option, and her mind was made up as she was packing her bags the following morning, but her heart ached at the thought of the events of the night before. Her heart was weighed down with desire and guilt for having that desire.

"I just have to get to Australia...this will all fade once I'm there."

Nora would spend the first half of her day training and supervising the transition of roles from one subordinate to another. She was going to miss these girls, they were the true definition of family, and they had made a lot of progress in the views of women and their ability to live in a man's world. The thought of leaving them would fall to the hardest thing that she'd be doing, next to leaving the Shelby's.

Nora would spend the rest of the day traveling to Arrow House to prepare for her wedding. The dress was all last minute but she didn't necessarily mind; as long as she was surrounded by her family, biological and chosen alike, it would be all well for her. Knowing that she killed the patriarch of this family has made things a bit more tense for Nora as she surrounds herself around the family but again, "I just have to get to Australia..." that was what she would repeat to herself every time she got nervous about anything. The path to her redemption was so close to an end, she just had to make it there.

Nora took it upon herself to check in with Thomas. While she didn't really want to and the estate was big enough to keep her distance, Nora knew it was best to upkeep normal behaviors as if everything was okay with her. The housemaid announced her presence in the study and Thomas let her in.

"How're the eh.. wedding preparations going?" Nora smiles softly as she lets herself roam further into the room, "Wonderful actually, thank you again, for being so accommodating. I'm actually here to make sure you're alright. You know, with everything."

Thomas downs a glass of whiskey and pours another glass for himself and Nora. "Nora, I think you're making a terrible mistake." Her face falls and she shakes her head, "Wh- I don't understand. Elliot is a good man, you said it yourself-"

"Moving that far away, it's not good for you, it's not good for the family." "The family." The family. "There are other good men, and let's be honest Nora you don't love that man-" "I love him!" "You're forgetting that I've seen you in love before Nora."

Nora inhales sharply as she downs her whiskey, "I'm not appreciating what you're insinuating, Thomas. I love Elliot very much." Thomas takes a good look at her and shrugs, "Think about the family Nora. Not the business, the family. Who's going to take care of Polly, your mum?" "She has Michael now, her blood. I'm not her blood."

The words came out sharp, and they cut her deep. Processing the fact that she is Shelby by blood hasn't been easy, and it was a secret she intended to take to her grave. There was no need to involve anybody else in the mess she had made.