To get through a heartache after the sudden breakup, Arabella moves to New York City to start another chapter of her life.
Driven by the hope to make Adrian Castle, the man who left her broken to pieces with an excuse of protecting her against his w...
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“You gotta tell me all the juicy parts,” Sally goes on over the loudspeaker of my phone as I pull more clothes from the wardrobe back at Camilla's loft.
Mario was understanding enough to stay with the kids and let me drive his sexy, Tesla Model 3 all by myself here. Of course, him allowing me to leave the penthouse unescorted was too good to be true; I spotted a tail the minute I left the parking lot and it was the supposedly vigilant bodyguard. I'm positive he is positioned somewhere around here now, waiting for me in his black sedan.
“Well, that's it. Nothing happened and nothing will!” I tell Sally while filling some of my most favorite outfits inside the huge suitcase lying on my bed. “Honestly, I'm only staying at his place for the sake of the kids. If it were just me, I wouldn't do shit. In fact, we would be in a very different league right now, relationshipwise, but I gotta swallow my pride and think about Isla and Jake's safety, and Reece now that she's here, because they all come above any difference he and I have.” I pause to take a sigh, standing upright facing the window mindfully.
“Hmm, okay. I see your point there. So you think it was just a petty burglary?” Sally quizzes about the recent break-in I told her about, taking the matter more seriously now.
But I'm not ready to dive into details, because that will entail everything about who Adrian Castle is and what he used to be once upon a time and all the gray lines bordering us.
“Yeah, but we can never be too careful so…” I trail off, bending over the bed once again to collect the rest of my stuff and proceed with packing. “I only hope Jake will understand. He'll be here tomorrow and we both know what his take on Adrian Castle is, don't we?” I stifle a laugh at the mere thought of it.
How will Jake Lincoln react to this, seriously?
“Damn right! That boy surely knows how to hold a grudge,” Sally agrees. The sound of a baby wailing on her line makes me break into a smile as she quickly says, “I gotta go, Ara. Duty calls. I had something to tell you but I think it can wait.”
“Well, color me intrigued but if you say so I've no choice but to wait. Give him a kiss for me, will you?” I remark dreamingly, marveling at her little angel’s cute face and puffy cheeks; I really miss little Jonathan, and I miss Sally too, and Josh even more. “And take care, maybe I'll visit you in Paris someday soon,” I tease, but it's not that improbable either.
I want to live my life to the fullest, traveling being part of the bucket list. I can't let this life of hiding and evanescent protection become my normal just because Adrian thinks it's the road to safety. And then what next? No, I need more than that, and being a responsible sister and a woman scorned can't be all there is to me. Right?
“I'll be eagerly waiting!” Sally remarks sassily, interrupting my thoughts. “You too take care and don't be too hard on yourself, you hear me? You deserve a break, you earned it, and I don't know why you're even working for that Elington guy while this was supposed to be your major vacation,” she admonishes. That was truly the plan—to rest, not to work. “Anyways, say hi to Isla. Tell her I miss her.”
