As she lays the dress down gently on the bed she smiles at me.
“She’s a fucking control freak.”
I giggle, but I also feel sad that we never told one another things about our families or childhood; we could have found comfort in each other over our losses.
“Will you help me into it?”
I smile with a nod before assisting her into the stunning gown. As I am tying the ribbon at the back, she side-eyes me.
“How are you feeling about seeing Reign?”
I draw a deep breath before I answer, tightening the bow around her waist.
“I’m okay. I am sure he has moved on with his life.”
She scoffs before facing forward.
“Yeah right.”
My eyebrows furrow slightly as I lean down, lifting the bottom of her dress, allowing it to cascade perfectly behind her.
“Charley, that man is still madly in love with you. His family and other Mafia families are pressuring him to find a wife now he is head of the Bratva, but he won’t; it’s as if he is waiting for you to return to him.”
I stay silent while standing upright, and she turns to face me.
“Are you returning for him?”
I think about her words carefully, remembering the numerous times I had to resist the urge to return to New York and reunite with him. But despite the temptation and craving to be close to him, I didn’t because I knew I had no desire to become a Bratva Queen, I couldn’t, considering the circumstances I was facing. I had to put my own love aside and think about what was important.
Perhaps if things were different, I would have stayed with him, but deep down, I understood that being with Reign meant accepting a role that had already shattered me, even when I had no interest in it. If I embraced it willingly, what more damagecould it do? I lean down to the bed, clutching her bouquet of beautiful white and black roses before I pass them to her.
“I don’t think so, Luce. Unfortunately, too much has happened.”
She shakes her head once as she takes them from my hands.
“Above all, you and Reign need one another. Everything that has happened has forged you both into an unbreakable bond. Together, Chaos lives on.”
My eyes close as I face away, her words resonating with truth and my heart throbs.
“Open your heart, Charley. Forget about everything else that has happened. Do not live in the past anymore. Live for now. Ask yourself, what do you really want? Who makes you genuinely happy? Do not live with regrets. Life is too short for that.”
I ponder for a moment, taking in her wise words until she gasps.
“Shit, I have five minutes!”
I gaze at her with a smile, and I reach out, fixing her hair.
“You’re going to knock his fucking socks off.”
She giggles and I hold my arms out for a hug. As we embrace, I speak into her ear.
“Your parents would be extremely proud of you, Luce.”
As we pull apart, her eyes are soft and glassy with tears, and we hold hands as I take steps backward.
“And so would yours.”
I smile in return and when we release each other's hands, I head for the door and shout back.
