Bonds

Chapter 13

“So,” Natalia drawled, stretching out the word like t a f y, “he dropped to one knee, right there in the middle of the street?” Her voice hold a mixture of amusement and disbelief, but underneath I could sense the genuine excitement bubbling up.

I couldn’t help but c r a c k a smile, twirling the simple pearl ring on my finger, “Exactly,” I confirmed, my voice tinged with disbelief. “The minute we were arguing about his sister being a grade one b**h, the next he’s proposing under the streetlights.”

Natalia leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with something akin to mischief. “So, you’re officially over Alex then? Like, completely wiped from your emotional hard drive?”

A groan escaped my lips. “Nat, can we please not go there? For one blissful hour, can just bask in the crazy, unexpected reality of my new fiancé without dissecting the Alex shaped elephant in the room?”

She squeezed my hand, her playful expression softening “Okay, okay, truce. But as your friend, I gotta do my due diligence. This Ivan guy seems…” she hesitated, searching for the right word, “perfect. Almost too good to be true,”

Panic fluttered in my stomach. It was exactly the thought that had been gnawing at me ever since the adrenaline of the proposal had faded, “I know but maybe this is my reward for all the s**t I’ve suffered,” forced a casual tone, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me.

Her gaze softened. “I’m not trying to paint him as a bad guy but I would be wrong if I didn’t speak my mind. Alex is the father of your children who doesn’t know he has children. You have a mating mark that van does not know about, not to mention he does not know that you were married to Alex, who is his crazy sister’s fiancé now. Wow, I just realized that that is a whole lot. Don’t even let me get s t a ed on your asshole father”

Her words were like an avalanche, burying me under the weight of unspoken truths. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the chaos in my mind. Why couldn’t things ever be simple?

“Natalia, for goodness sake, we just had a moment,” I mumbled, burying my face in the pillow. The image of Ivan’s hopeful smile flashed before my eyes, and a pang of guilt stabbed at me. “He already asked if anything happened between us. I can’t just ruin everything now by confessing Ilied.”

But deep down, I knew Natalia was right. The longer I kept the truth hidden, the bigger the potential fallout. The thought of losing Ivan, of seeing his trust shatter, was a terrifying prospect. It felt like teetering on the edge of a cliff, one misstep away from freefall.

“It’s not just about ruining the moment, Maya,” Natalia’s voice softened, laced with genuine concern. “What about you? Can you live with this secret gnawing at you? What happens when he finds out on his own? How will that make you feel?”

A tear escaped, tracing a warm path down my cheek. The reality of the situation hit me like a tidal wave. I couldn’t keep hiding. The burden was already suffocating, and the longer I waited, the more painful the inevitable reveal would be.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I met Natalia’s gaze. My voice trembled, but there was a newfound resolve in it. “You’re right,” i admitted, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “I can’t do this anymore. I need to tell him everything. The truth, the whole messy truth.”

Natalia gave me a smile that was both sad and supportive. “It won’t be easy, Maya, but trust me, facing it head on is the only way to build a real future with him. A future built on honesty, not secrets.”

Her words resonated within me, offering a sliver of hope amidst the storm of fear.

“Mum?” Ivy’s little voice cut in as she came into the room, rubbing her eyes.

My hand instinctively reached out, and her tiny figure melted into my embrace, Ivy, with her sleep-mussed hair and the familiar scent of sunshine and bubblegum, instantly calmed the storm raging within me. “My little angel,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Looking into her big, blue eyes, it felt like staring into a mirror reflecting Alex back at me. A pang off guilt pierced my heart, quickly followed by a wave of fierce protectiveness. Ivy was my haven, my anchor in the swirling sea of emotions. Her soft whisper, “Nathan… mean… sleep,” brought a chuckle to my lips. Unlike her, Nathan, was a whirlwind of boundless energy, currently terrorizing Nato, in some unknown corner of the house.

Chapter 13

Natalia’s gaze filled with warmth and understanding. “What?” I asked, the

her lips twitching with anusement. “Just

I will tell Ivan, everything. But for now, just for a little while, I want to savor this moment, this fragile

you can,” she said, her

curiosity sparking in my eyes. “What

“Now that you are back, I know you would rather eat dirt that sit on your s s doing nothing so I already sent in your details and everything. They

battling within me. If I hadn’t already loved Natalia with the ferocity of a thousand suns, this act of unwavering support would have cemented her place forever in my heart. “Natalia, you are truly the best friend a

joy. “The best friend in the world, you mean?” she teased, nudging me playfully. “And if you want to repay me, nail that interview,” she winked, her confidence in me a balm to

the tremor of anxiety still lingering in my chest. “Thank you, really. Thank

heart. This moment, this fragile peace with my daughter and my best friend, felt precious, almost sacred, in the face of

phone shattered the tranquility, yanking me back to the harsh reality of my situation. A glance at the screen sent a wave of dread washing over me- it

“Ignore it,” Natalia whispered.

raised my head, a shaky laugh escaping my

the concern in her eyes was unmistakable. “He probably wants to yell about something you haven’t even done

to be met with the insistent ringing again. My father rarely called twice unless

answer the first time?” his voice snapped as soon

calm into

to hear

home last night? And what in the world is this I hear about you getting married on the street, with

felt like physical blows, each accusation chipping away at the fragile peace I’d managed to build. A guttural growl ripped from my throat before I

his voice, tinged with

wanted me married to Ivan, and I am. I don’t owe you an explanation

strength and finding it reflected back in her unwavering

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Chapter 13

to consume

I asked, hoping to cut through the tension and get to

voice, softer this time, almost hesitant and I instantly knew

you were busy getting married on the streets, there was an

an icy

he choked out, the admission laced with something rare for him-fear. “And I’m…

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Chapter 14

lips. “Yes. Would you have gotten hare so fast otherwise? You may have behaved yourself for the past four years, but I know you, Amaya. You’ve as stubborn as they

signed.”

disbelief and