Page 54 of Always Been You
I settle Janette into a chair beside me before sitting down myself. Lauren is across from Elisa, with Aria sitting beside Janet and me between Lawliss and Janette. Andrei is at the head of the table with Ines beside him, just like in old times. Dishes pass around the table, the scent of rich spices and roasted meats filling the air. Conversations weave in and out, but Andrei’s question lingers.
“So, they forgave your mother,” Andrei says, more a statement than a question.
I nod again, slower this time.
My mother’s parents had fought her marriage tooth and nail. My father wasn’t what they wanted for their daughter. He was a startup entrepreneur from a middle-income family, and worse—he hadn’t grown up in London, which meant their daughter would eventually have to move. My grandmother had been a judge before she retired, her lineage as prestigious as my grandfather’s, who was set to inherit the Montgomery business. My father, on the other hand, refused to join the Montgomery legacy, choosing instead to build his own. That was the breaking point.
They had made her choose. And she did.
Still, my mother always told me that if anything ever happened, I could go to them. My father had said the same. It made me wonder—maybe they never saw my grandparents as bad people. Just people trapped in archaic beliefs, the kind that left no room for anything outside their carefully constructed world.
“They came around eventually, but never reached out because of their pride,” I say, keeping my tone even. “After the accident, they didn’t have much of a choice.”
Silence stretches over the table, thick and full of things no one dares to say. I don’t like the way it sits between us, so I reach for my glass, taking a slow sip.
“They raised you well,” Ines says finally, breaking through the quiet. I meet her gaze, a little surprised by the warmth there.
“I guess they did,” I murmur.
Across from me, Lawliss watches, her expression unreadable. But I know that look—she’s trying to gauge me to see if I’m unraveling. If this is too much.
I give her a small smile, a silent way of telling her I’m fine.
For now.
At least, until every phone on the table pings at once. One after another, like an unspoken alarm. I glance around as people check their screens, a ripple of reactions moving through the room.
Then Lauren’s phone buzzes.
One notification. Then another.
I follow her gaze before she even turns, already knowing where she’ll look.
Lawliss.
Something sharp and ugly coils in my stomach.
Who do I have to murder?
Chapter Twenty -Four
Lawliss
I sigh, picking up my phone. The way Lauren looks at me—tight-lipped, arms crossed like she is bracing for impact—tells me everything I need to know.
This is bad.
Everything has been going too well. Too easy. Too perfect. A small voice in the back of my mind whispers that it is only a matter of time.
I brace myself and there it is.
Another Dua Gone Wrong
Lawliss Dua Attacks Husband After Being Caught Cheating
Acclaimed Lawyer Caught Cheating on Her Husband
My stomach tightens as I click the first link.
