Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
“Hello,” Raya calls, then I hear her say, “Oh wow, that’s such a bad photo of me.”
She comes out of the hallway, and seeing me, a grin spreads over her face. “Hey, bestie.”
I give her a hug, saying, “Welcome to my new home.”
She glances around, then comments, “I love seeing your things all over the place. It gives it a lot more warmth.” She hooks her arm through mine as we walk to the kitchen. “Soooo, how does it feel being married to Christiano?”
“Surprisingly amazing.” I gesture for her to sit at the island, and ask, “What would you like to drink?”
“What are my choices?”
I open the fridge and take a look. “We have San Pellegrino. Blood orange, pomegranate and orange. There’s also lemonade and flavored water.”
“I’ll have the blood orange.”
I take out a can and pour it into a glass for her. Helping myself to a sparkling juice as well, I sit down on one of the stools. “I made sandwiches. Avocado, tomato, and cheese.” I gesture at the row of small triangles nearest to her. “But these have salami on for you.”
“You know me so well.” She picks up one and takes a bite. “Mmm, so good.” Giving me an expectant look, she says, “You’ve been so busy. Tell me everything. Start with what changed your mind about being with Christiano.”
I let out a chuckle, and pulling my phone closer, I unlock the screen and check the app showing me his vitals. The screen is green, and the color brings me a sense of peace. Rosie developed it so it will turn red if something happens to Christiano.
“He didn’t give me a choice,” I answer honestly. “Either I agreed to marry him, or he would’ve torn the families apart.”
Raya almost chokes and clears her throat while her eyes go wide as saucers. “Oh my God, Sienna! Do your dad and Augusto know?”
I shake my head. “You’re the only one who knows, and I trust you to keep it a secret.”
A worried frown forms on her forehead, and she reaches for my arm, giving it a squeeze. “But…he forced you. Jesus, Sienna. Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
I give her a reassuring smile. “There’s much more to the story.”
“What else has he done?” she gasps.
I take a deep breath, then blurt it all out, “I have thanatophobia. It’s a phobia of death, but I don’t fear dying. It terrifies me thinking I can lose a loved one, but especially Christiano. The day of our engagement party, when he got shot, I thought he died, and it…it broke me.”
Raya’s expression turns sad, and she grips my hand tightly. “Oh, Sienna. I didn’t know.”
“Since then, I’ve been on medication to help manage my phobia, and I thought keeping my distance from Christiano would be the best thing for both of us. But, he wouldn’t give up, and the day after we got married, he found out about my phobia.”
“God,” she whispers. “What did he do?”
“He made so many changes to help me cope better.” My chin begins to quiver as I’m overcome with my love for him. I unlock my phone again and show her the app. “This way I can see he’s okay while he’s at work.” I give Raya’s fingers a squeeze. “Even though I fought Christiano, he was right. Everything is a million times better now that we’re married and he knows about my phobia. Honestly, he does more to alleviate my fears than the medication ever could.”
Just like with Christiano, Raya gets up and gives me a hug. “Jesus, Sienna. I wish you’d told me sooner. I could’ve helped.”
“I was scared you’d all lose respect for me,” I admit. “I didn’t want people to look at me differently.”
She pulls back and scowls. “I’m your best friend and love you to the moon and back. I’d never treat you differently, no matter what.”
“I know, but I couldn’t help feeling that way. You’re all so strong, and then there’s me, who freezes in the face of danger and can’t handle the thought of losing a loved one. I felt weak.”
“You’re not weak, you just love and feel things more intensely. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I hug her again and whisper, “Thanks for saying that.”
When we pull apart a few seconds later, she sits down again and wags her eyebrows at me. “Now tell me about married life. Are you in love? Does Christiano spoil you rotten?” She scrunches her nose, then whispers as if he’s near and she doesn’t want him to hear. “What’s it like living with him?”
Laughter bursts from me. “I’ve loved Christiano for close to a decade, Raya. I never stopped, and yes, I feel spoiled rotten. He’s so sweet and caring, and he makes me feel special.”
She lets out a snort. “Those are words I never thought I’d hear.”