The Mafia Queen's Husband

Chapter twenty-five

___________________
✨ And I hope you know ✨
If all of the stars align in the sky
Then, I would be yours and you would be mine
But not in this life, it's not the right time
✨ It's not you and I ✨
___________________

Eva

It's been a week since the last time I have seen or heard from Sebastian. I have been going stir crazy trying to give him space and time so he can process everything that happened. It's not easy, especially since the last thing I want is to be away from him.

He has been staying at his old dorm room with Cole, a place I have passed by many nights this week in an attempt to be just a little closer to him. Pathetic. I know.

I had prepared myself not to hear from him for at least another month, but I was pleasantly surprised when he texted to meet. At a small cafe near his college.

That was yesterday.

Now, I am at the said cafe, waiting for him to finish his last class. I know his schedule by heart, so he didn't even bother to mention a time. Just the place.

My heart beats faster every time the bell over the door chimes when someone walks in. I don't even try to calm myself down. It's hopeless when it comes to him.

"What can I get for you?" The waitress asks. I hadn't even noticed her.

"I'm waiting for someone." I say just as the bell chimes again, and when I look again, I see him standing there, staring at me as I gaze back at him.

I'm not sure why he asked me here, he just said he wanted to talk. But as I watch his stoic face coming closer to my table, I know it is not good news.

He does not look good. There are bags under his eyes, his hair is unkempt, and his clothes and backpack are rumpled. He does not smile once, not even when the waitress welcomes him. My heart clenches. When we first met, I was annoyed how he was always smiling. No matter the circumstance, or if the person deserved his kindness. He always smiled at them.

I need him to smile again.

"Hi." I say after a moment of silence when he sits down across from me.

"Hey." His eyes have not left my face for even one second. Anyone else would find it unnerving, but I can't complain when I am doing the same.

"Are you okay?" I ask after another long moment. The question is absurd. Rude, even. Of course he is not okay. His world was upended a week ago by the people he trusted the most, and here I am, asking if he is okay.

Maybe, the same thoughts pass through his mind because he pauses for a beat before answering. "I'm fine." I search his face for lies, but I cannot read him. He is no longer an open book. "I invited you here to thank you."

I blink, surprised. "Thank me?"

"Yes." His voice is soft, but strong. A bit louder than before. "You gave him over to the police. Not in a single piece," His lips twitch at that. "But at least alive. I know that must've been very hard for you to do, so thank you."

It was hard. Not only because I wanted to continue cutting off little pieces of him until there was nothing left, but also because I am now known as the snitch. In our world, you can murder and rape and steal and no one bats an eye. But when you snitch, that's when people stop working with you.

I knew the risks though, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it means giving Sebastian the peace he deserves.

"You don't have to thank me. It's what I should've done the second I started falling for you." I look into his lavender eyes, hoping he can see the sincerity in my words.