Page 223 of Sinful Lies

“I’ve always wanted forever with you, Jade.”

My chest squeezed.

I’ve always wanted forever with you.

God, how did I get so lucky?

“Yes, Angelo,” I said, overly excited. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”

He slid the ring onto my finger, his movements quick and sure. I giggled, feeling like the happiest woman alive, and in one smooth motion, he swept me into his arms, spinning us in joyful circles. Our laughter danced through the air.

When he set me down, his lips found mine in a kiss that made the world fall away. As our lips parted, the sky erupted in a blaze of fireworks—each burst of color painting the night. Reds, blues, golds—flowers of light blossomed in the sky above us, lighting up the towering skyscrapers of New York, the city humming with love around us.

“Not too lame, huh?”

“No,” I breathed out, my heart soaring, “Not even a bit.”

We stood there, the fireworks exploding above us, colors bursting in the sky as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. My arms rested over his, and I felt him, solid and warm, tucked behind me with his face buried in the crook of my neck.

There was something calming, something right about this moment, and I couldn’t help but smile.

As we watched the sky light up, my heart settled into this peaceful rhythm.

And that’s when it hit me.

The greatest blessing in life was often hiding in plain sight.

We spend so much time running from our pain, from loss, from the pieces of ourselves we think we can’t face. We wear masks to survive, trying to protect ourselves from the world, but also from the truth.

We lie—to get what we want, to shield ourselves, to fit into something we think we’re supposed to be.

But sometimes, if we’re lucky, we meet someone who sees past all that.

Someone who sees the scars, not as flaws, but as part of who we are.

Someone who doesn’t just see our lies, but understands them, even loves them.

And there, in Angelo’s arms, under the fireworks and stars, I made myself a promise.

I would never lie to myself again.

I would hold on to the people who saw me for who I truly was—who saw the good and the bad, the messy and the beautiful—and never let me go.

And, in my heart, I would always hope that the people I loved could feel just how much they meant to me, how deeply I cared for them, just as they had always done for me.

In a way, I was grateful.

My sinful lies had become the twisted path to my redemption, guiding me back to a part of myself I’d thought I would never see again—to the happiness I’d thought I had lost forever.

Epilogue

“Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway.”

?Sade Andria Zabala

Angelo

Detective McLauren sank into the chair at the far end of the table, her eyes narrowing as she brought her cup of coffee to her lips, still suspicious, but there was a flicker there—something more than just professionalism.

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