Page 36 of Dark Consequences

“No one, Mom,” Gabriella calls over her shoulder. She turns back to Evie and says, “I’m just exhausted and don’t need any alcohol helping that along.”

Evie shrugs and then tops her glass off with the amount she poured for Gabriella.

“Hi! I’m Mei, and you’re really pretty,” my daughter announces as she literally pops up next to the table.

Gabriella smiles at Mei, leaning down to get eye level with her. “Well, hello there, Mei. I’m Gabriella, Raphael and Michael’s little sister, and thank you for the compliment. You are very gorgeous yourself.”

“Thanks! Bye!” she chirps and runs off back to the counter where Alice waits. From the looks of it, my daughter has been taking advantage of the free cookies and is now on a sugar high. Which means she’s going to crash and crash hard soon. Hopefully, by then, I’ll know where we’re staying too.

“Oh, my gosh…I love her,” Gabriella gushes, watching her bounce away. “You’d never know, looking at her…”

“That she’s Xiao’s daughter?” I finish her thought.

Gabriella looks at me, horrified. “Oh no. I didn’t mean it like that.”

I know she didn’t, but that doesn’t make it any less true. “It’s okay. He’s just her sperm donor.”

Rose snorts, still finding the line funny even though she’s heard it before.

“Well, look, he only makes up half of who she is. And she has a fierce mama bear protecting the other half of her.”

“Thanks, Gabriella.”

“A bangin’-hot mama,” Evie compliments with a heavy English accent. I have an idea. The boys will be gone all day, and I’ve been dying for a spa day. I’m talking about hair, nails, facials…the whole nine yards. We need it, ladies.”

Rose sighs, picking Liam up to burp the baby over her shoulder. “I guess it would be nice.”

Gabriella shrugs and looks around with a half smile. “I’m not against it. I’ve had a hard few days at the hospital.”

The offer is tempting, but I can’t shake my hesitation to get close to any of them while Xiao remains a threat. His presence is like a dark cloud hanging over my excitement. And I want to get close to them. I really do. But if I do... if I open that door and let them in, the thought of losing them and being dragged back into that unbearable hell feels like a death sentence. Not just for me but for Mei, too.

“What do you say, Lily?” Rose asks, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

I gaze around the room, catching on each of their expectant faces. Even Alice meets my eyes with an encouraging smile. Raphael’s words echo through my mind, reminding me I’m safe here. Reminding me to fight for the girl buried beneath the lingering pain and layers of scars. And the only way I can do that is to stop living in the past and focus on the future. One day, one step, one new memory at a time.

“Well, I have had a rough six years,” I say, enjoying how each of their faces falls in surprise before I crack a smile and laugh. “Do you think there’s a facial that can erase that amount of time?”

“…and so the girl opened the window and stared out at the grand forest like she’s done so many times before. Only now was she about to see it from below. She gathered her long lock of golden hair and threw it out the window and over a hook before watching it fall to the green ground below. She climbed up on the railing, took one giant breath, and jumped—”

“Like this, Mommy?” Mei asks, demonstrating the book scene as best she can. She takes a deep breath and jumps on the bed, collapsing in a fit of laughter next to me.

“Just like that! Good job.” I praise her. She often likes to act out scenes from her stories, and I encourage her imagination. “Now get back here, wiggle worm, and listen to the rest.”

Mei settles in for the rest of her story, and before the secret princess even reaches the castle, my own little princess is fast asleep. I make sure she’s tucked in and kiss her forehead, whispering sweet dreams before sliding off the bed. My bruised ribs feel better each day and only twinge painfully when I twist a certain way.

I turn to the door and nearly have a heart attack, slamming my hand over my mouth to buffer the scream from escaping. Raphael leans against the doorjamb with one shoulder, his arms crossed over his chest. He runs his eyes over my body in a lazy motion with a teasing half smile.

I take him in too, blaming the ache it causes between my legs on the ridiculous amount of drinks this afternoon into dinner.

“I like the new haircut,” he admires as I walk closer.

I shift my hair to the side, exposing the light pink highlights underneath. “Really? I don’t know about the color. Gabriella suggested it, and then Rose insisted, and then Evie guilt-tripped me, and then…” I sigh hard, looking down at the color. “And then they got Mei involved. And how can I say no to my daughter? She even got a haircut and has some cute pink extensions.”

“I think it looks great.” Raphael’s deep timbre sends a shiver down my spine, forcing me to look up into his face. His eyes blaze in the shadows his hair creates around his face. I watch him lift his hand in my periphery but don’t break contact with his eyes as it draws closer. His hand brushes down my hair, snagging a lock of the pink strands around his fingers. The hitch of my breath turns his eyes from a bright hazel to a dark amber. He gazes at me with a distant look as if grappling with his thoughts, uncertain of his next step or words to utter.

“Thank you.” My whispered gratitude breaks the moment between us.

Raphael drops his hand and steps back, clearing his throat as he does.

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