Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Xander
Tell me about it, Captain. I was hoping my Cecy would get bored by now, but she’s planning to marry the lizard.
Aiden
You took said lizard on a fishing trip, just the two of you. Just admit that you like Jeremy just like Levi loves that tattooed guy.
Levi
His name is Nikolai, peasant. And he’s more tolerable than his cousin.
Xander
I was forced into that bonding trip with Jeremy for my daughter’s sake. I totally did NOT enjoy it.
Ronan
Sorry I’m late. I know you miss me. Hey @Cole.Nash, please roll out the red carpet and thank your lucky stars. My beautiful catch of a son, Remi, wants to marry that hellion daughter of yours, Ari. I accept dowry in the form of a few buildings.
Over my dead fucking body.
Aiden
Told you it was coming. RIP.
Xander
*brings popcorn*
Levi
What can I say? Our children take after us.
43
AVA
THREE MONTHS LATER
“Happy Birthday!”
A playful burst of vibrant pink confetti explodes into the air, filling the space with its whimsical tendrils that lightly tickle my cheeks and settle on my dress.
My parents' elegant reception area is adorned with cascades of white and pink balloons as if this is my sixteenth birthday.
In the middle of it all stands a towering cake decorated with fluffy candy floss toppings, serving as the centerpiece for this special occasion. It feels as if I’ve stepped into a dream world and I’m surrounded by my favorite people.
Today is my twenty-fourth birthday, but it’s also the day I’m officially discharged from the clinic.
Not because I asked or because Papa put pressure on the doctors, but because Dr. Blaine decided I could function properly in society without posing a threat to either myself or others.
Apparently, I exceeded her expectations with the experimental therapy. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. I felt like giving up on multiple occasions, and I cried myself to sleep more than I’d like to admit, mainly because it got so lonely and I was missing a certain Tin Man.
And while I’ll never live medication-free, my episodes are under control and can be managed. I haven’t had one in two months, and I feel reborn.
Like I can tackle the moon and hug the stars.
I can pursue cello professionally if I choose to. Sure, I’m slightly petrified at the thought of standing on stage in front of an audience and judges, but all this progress will be for nothing if I don’t take control of my life and make the best of it.
“Thanks, everyone!” I smile, accepting a massive pink dahlia bouquet from Papa and Mama.
Ari and Cecy strangle me with a hug.
Glyn pushes them away to hug me and I think I hear her sniffling in my neck. Then it’s Anni’s turn. She squeals. “I love the dress, girl!”
“Yours is stunning!” I touch the fluffy tulle material. “Why is the bow undone, though?”
She blushes.
“My bad.” Creigh pulls her toward him with a hand on her hip.
“Seriously, control yourself.” I roll my eyes. “It’s my birthday.”
“And?” he asks with a poker face.
“Creigh!” Anni scolds softly, her face still red, then she blurts, “We’re moving here permanently, so we’ll get a lot of shopping done. I can’t wait!”
“Finally, girl!”
“I’ll move back, too. Eventually.” Lan grabs Creigh by the shoulders. “No need to throw roses at my feet or be overly excited.”
“Excited?” Remi breathes heavily. “More like horrified. I can only imagine the drama you’ll bring and the lives you’ll ruin.”
“Maybe I’ll start with yours, Rems. How about that?”
Remi puts his phone to his ear. “Mum, come pick me up.”
“Cut it out, Lan.” Ari stands beside Remi and wraps an arm around his waist. “Or I’ll knock your teeth out.”
“Shaking in my boots as we speak,” Lan says in a dispassionate tone.
I can see Papa narrowing his eyes on Ari even as Remi attempts to disengage from her hold. Pretty sure they’ve become an item over the past couple of months, considering Ari’s changing mood.
My sister and I not only have synchronized periods but also, apparently, synchronized heartbreaks.
Though she seems to have found her happy ending recently, while I’m still attempting to put up a brave front.
Even now, as I’m surrounded by my friends and family and feeling loved, appreciated, and so damn lucky to have them, I can’t chase away the black pit that’s been growing in my chest.
I believed I’d get over him with time. Maybe not right away but eventually.
Surely there’d be a day when I’d go to sleep and not think about his warmth enveloping me. When I’d wake up and not picture myself snuggling impossibly closer to him or being served breakfast in bed.
I can’t take a bath anymore, can’t sleep, watch my films, or even read my romance books without thinking of him. He’s the hero of all my novels. I think he has been for a long time.
Hell, I’ve been dreaming about him reading those books to me as I lay my head on his lap. In the dream, Eli will stroke my cheeks, kiss my forehead, and tell me in a deep, soothing voice, “Sleep tight.”