Chapter 360 Little Victories

Ella

Sitting alone in my hotel room, surrounded by plush furniture and golden accents that gleamed in the soft lighting, I felt a pang of homesickness. The luxuriousness of the room was stifling in an odd way, as though constantly reminding me of my charade with a mobster.

Shaking off the momentary melancholy, I decided to call Moana to calm my frayed nerves.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I dialed her number and waited for the ring to connect. The familiar sound of her voice, warm and comforting as always, came through within moments.

“Ella, my love! How was your flight? Did you make it to the hotel?”

“We did,” I said, faking a sense of enthusiasm in my voice. “The place is…well, it’s something.”

“Where is your fiance?” Moana asked. “I’d like to say hello, if you don’t mind.”

The word ‘fiance’ made my body stiffen. I glanced at the empty space next to me, where Logan would have been if we were an actual couple. But we weren’t. He was in a room of his own, doing his own thing.

I couldn’t quite decide if I preferred it that way or not, the logical lawyer part of me knew that it was for the best, but the sleepy, scared-of-flying Ella with the yellow stuffed duck almost missed his company already.

“He’s… in the shower,” I stammered, hoping that Moana bought my lie.

“Well,I hope you know that we’re all excited to meet him tomorrow,” Moana said, blissfully unaware of the tension her question had sparked.

“I’m looking forward to it too,” I said, though in truth, I wished that tomorrow would never come. Meeting my family, particularly my discerning father, would be the make-or-break moment for this intricate lie that Logan and I had entangled ourselves in.

broke through my thoughts, her soft voice brimming

smile, even though she couldn’t see it. “Yeah, Mom,

stuffed duck perched on my bed-the gift Moana had given me when I was a little girl. I held it up in the frame, so she could see it over our video call.

little duck would turn

not the duck that’s precious, Mom. It’s you,” I said, my voice filled with emotion for reasons I couldn’t explain. “I’m so glad you came into

bit when she spoke again. “I can’t wait to see my

either,” I said, my own eyes misting over. I cleared my throat before adding, “Oh, and tell Dad thanks

make sure his baby girl had a nice ride to the hotel. Even if I

way of snooping, making sure everything

you know Edrick,” Moana laughed. “And this hotel you’re staying at,

suddenly feeling self-conscious. So they had snooped, just as I expected.

“You’ve always been so down-to-earth. It must be strange

a world that clashed with everything

my hunger. “I’ll see you

too, Ella. Can’t wait

the opulence that suddenly felt so incongruent with who I was. And

essentials and started browsing the room service menu on the nightstand, I heard a knock on my

up and smoothed down my casual clothes, thinking maybe room service was preemptively delivering something delightful. Maybe Logan had purchased some sort of package that included special treatment, which I figured wouldn’t be out of

it was Logan, leaning against the frame,

said

look like it,” I quipped back, my eyes meeting his

Ella. But I’ve got no idea where to

casualness of his tone. Was he really just asking for recommendations? Or was this an invitation? My wolf whined at the possibility,

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