Chapter 137 Chapter 137

Chapter 137 Chapter 137


Day before court case. Tension thick in mansion. Everyone nervous, worried, waiting for tomorrow.

Lora found Sienna in bedroom, resting, still healing from injuries, from trauma, from everything.

“Get up,” Lora said, cheerful, forceful almost. “We’re going out.”

Sienna looked at her, confused. “What?”

“Double date,” Lora announced, grinning, determined. “You, Landon, me, Noah. Tonight. No arguments.”

“Lora, I don’t know if—”

“No,” Lora interrupted, firm, decided already. “Tomorrow is court. Tomorrow is heavy, serious, scary. Tonight we need normal. We need fun. We need to remember life exists outside Isabella.”

Sienna considered this, understanding logic, needing distraction, needing break from thinking about tomorrow.

“Okay,” she agreed, small smile forming. “Where?”

“Dinner, then maybe walk in park. Simple, easy. Just us four bonding.”

“Us four,” Sienna repeated, liking sound of it. Family growing, love multiplying.

Hours later. Restaurant nice one, but not fancy. Comfortable, warm, intimate.

Private booth in corner, away from other diners. Security guards nearby but discreet, giving space but staying alert.

Sienna wore dress, soft blue one, hiding bandages underneath, covering bruises still fading. Makeup helping too, looking almost normal, almost herself again.

Landon beside her, hand on her thigh under table. Protective, possessive, constant reminder she was safe, was his, was here.

Across from them, Noah and Lora sitting close, also touching, also connected, also in love, obvious to everyone.

“This was good idea,” Sienna said to Lora, meaning it, grateful for push, for normalcy.

“I know,” Lora said, playful, confident, different from weeks ago. Love changing her, healing her.

They ordered food, wine for Landon and Noah, juice for Sienna because baby, because careful now, always careful.

Conversation started slow, awkward almost. Four people who knew each other but not like this, not together like this.

Then Lora asked question, simple one, breaking ice.

“Noah, tell Sienna about time you tried to cook for me.”

Noah groaned, covering face with hands. “Do we have to?”

“Yes!” Lora insisted, laughing already. “It’s hilarious.”

“What happened?” Sienna asked, curious, amused, seeing Noah embarrassed.

“He tried to make pasta,” Lora explained, grinning wide. “From scratch. Homemade everything.”

“Sounds nice,” Landon said, encouraging brother.

“It would have been,” Noah said, rueful, “if kitchen hadn’t almost burned down.”

Sienna gasped, laughing. “What?”

“I left pot on stove too long,” Noah admitted, sheepish. “Water boiled over, started small fire. Smoke everywhere.”

“Smoke alarm going off,” Lora added, demonstrating with hands. “Noah running around with towel trying to fan it, me laughing so hard I cried.”

“And the pasta?” Sienna asked.

“Ruined,” Noah said flat, defeated. “Completely ruined. We ordered pizza instead.”

They all laughed together, easy, natural, tension breaking, walls coming down.

Food arrived, smelling amazing, looking beautiful, tasting even better.

Sienna ate slowly, carefully, stomach still adjusting after days of starvation, of trauma, but enjoying it, savoring normalcy.

“Remember our first date?” Landon asked her quietly, intimate, just for them.

“At restaurant like this,” Sienna said, remembering, smiling at memory. “You were so nervous.”

“I was not,” Landon protested, lying obviously.

“You were,” Sienna insisted, teasing gently. “Hands shaking when you ordered wine.”

“Because you were most beautiful woman I’d ever seen,” Landon said, honest, looking at her like still true, still most beautiful, always.

Sienna blushed, reaching for his hand, squeezing. “Still nervous around me?”

“Always,” Landon admitted. “In best way.”

Across table, Noah watched brother with Sienna, seeing love there, real, deep, true, understanding why he let her go, why it was right.

“What about you two?” Noah asked, turning to Lora. “What was your first real date?”

“This is it,” Lora said, simple, true. “Our first official date as couple.”

“Really?” Sienna asked, surprised, happy for them.

“We spent time together before,” Noah explained. “Gala. Garden. Hospital. But never official date until now.”

“Then we better make it good,” Landon said, raising glass. “To first dates and new beginnings.”

“To first dates,” they echoed, glasses clinking together, celebrating moment, celebrating them, celebrating life.

Dinner continued, stories flowing, laughter coming easy, barriers disappearing completely.

Sienna told story about childhood, about Victoria teaching her to bake, about flour everywhere, about love in every cookie.

Lora shared memory too, rare one of parents before they died, before everything changed. Happy memory, precious one.

Noah talked about growing up with Landon, brothers always fighting sometimes, but loving always, protecting each other no matter what.

Landon opened up about Lila, first time in long time, talking about her without pain, just remembering, just honoring memory.

“She would have liked you,” Landon said to Sienna, certain of it. “Both of you,” looking at Lora too.

“I wish I’d met her,” Sienna said, meaning it, wanting to know person who shaped Landon, who taught him love.

“Me too,” Lora agreed, understanding loss, understanding missing someone never met.

They finished eating, paid bill, left restaurant into night air, cool, refreshing, alive.

“Walk?” Lora suggested, pointing at park across street, lit by streetlights, safe, beautiful, perfect.

“Walk,” they agreed.

Park quiet this time of night, few people around, just them. Guards following at distance, giving privacy.

Two couples walking together side by side, talking, laughing, being young, being in love, being alive.

Sienna leaned against Landon, tired but happy, feeling normal for first time since kidnapping, since nightmare, since everything.

“Thank you,” she whispered to Lora, walking ahead with Noah.

Lora turned, smiling. “For what?”

“For this. For making us do this. For reminding us life is still good, still worth living, still beautiful.”

“That’s what family does,” Lora said, simple, true, beautiful.

They found bench, sitting together, all four looking at stars above, at sky endless, at possibilities infinite.

“Tomorrow is going to be hard,” Noah said, acknowledging elephant everyone thinking about.

“Yes,” Landon agreed. “But we’ll get through it together.”

“All of us,” Sienna added, looking at each person, at family chosen and made.

“All of us,” they repeated. Promise. Pact. Truth.

They sat in silence for while, comfortable one, just being together, just existing, same moment, same space, same love.

Then Lora stood, pulling Noah up. “Dance with me.”

“There’s no music,” Noah said, logical, practical.

“So?” Lora challenged, already swaying, already moving.

Noah laughed, pulling her close, dancing to music only they could hear, to rhythm of hearts beating together.

Sienna watched them, smiling, seeing joy there, seeing future there, seeing hope.

“We should too,” Landon said, standing, offering hand.

“I’m still hurt,” Sienna protested, weak, not really meaning it.

“I’ll be gentle,” Landon promised, pulling her up carefully, holding her like precious, which she was.

They danced too. Slow. Careful. Perfect.

Four people in park at night, dancing without music, loving without limits, living without fear for moment, just moment.

Tomorrow would bring court, would bring Isabella, would bring everything hard.

But tonight was theirs. Was beautiful. Was exactly what they needed.

Bonding complete. Family solid. Love winning.

Always.