Chapter 26

Amara's POV:

Two years had passed by now, and things went perfectly fine—but not for everyone.

Tessa sadly lost the baby. Their daughter wasn’t planned, but everyone was excited to meet her. Arlo stayed by her side and tried his best to be there for her in every way he could. Zavier gave her three months off from work and gave her the option to take more if needed, even though she refused at first until he showed her the rules for maternity leave. Tessa decided to get some therapy to help with the loss of their child, and it did help. She hadn't returned to the old her, but instead, she turned into an even better and stronger woman. Just last year, she and Arlo got married.

There were small fights between Zavier and me, but we both agreed that communication was important, so we always resolved our issues—maybe not on the same day, but it would get done in the end.

Zavier was someone who did want a family, but he told me that at some point, he lost sight of that dream until Sebastian and I came into his life. Now, we were his everything. The very same man who always prioritized work had no issue taking a free day now.

Tonight was a special night. He took me out on a date just like the first one we ever had as a fake couple. Zavier seemed slightly nervous. His hand was sweaty, and he kept getting distracted.

He suddenly stopped walking when we reached a well-decorated vacant building and turned me around to face him.

“Everything okay?” I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest as I looked up at him.

“More than okay,” Zavier answered, smiling and moving to take my hands in his. “I love you.”

“I love you too, silly,” I replied, slightly frowning. Why was he stopping in the middle of nowhere to do this?

“More than those special pans of yours?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Hmm, tough question…you’re close enough,” I teased, squeezing his hands before he let go of mine.

“Guess I’ll have to accept that.” He sighed.

Zavier pulled his pants up a little before sinking to one knee, pulling out a red velvet box from his pocket, and opening it up. The box contained a ring with a rose-cut fire opal stone in the middle. It was exactly the ring I wanted. Though he bought me a lot of jewelry, rings were the one type he never got me.

“Amara Reid, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” Zavier asked, sweat forming on his forehead. His hands were shaking a little.

“Zavier—” I gasped, hands over my mouth as I looked at him and the ring. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“A yes or no, perhaps?” Zavier chuckled awkwardly as he still waited to be answered.

“Yes! Oh my god,” I finally answered. Zavier inhaled sharply, and he quickly slid the ring onto my finger and got up immediately to pull me in for a kiss.

“I have a surprise for you,” Zavier told me, holding me in his embrace.

“There’s more?” I asked, frowning.

“Of course, there is. See this as your gift.”

“But I didn’t get you one.” I sighed. He always got me gifts randomly, and although he kept saying he didn’t need one back, I still felt a little guilty.

“That’s fine…” He shrugged. “So, remember how we kept talking about your own restaurant, but you somehow put off searching for a place?”

“Yes? What did you do?” I raised a brow at him, wondering what he was up to this time.

“I sure hope you like this place because the papers are already signed.” Zavier handed me a set of keys and turned me to face the building we were in front of.

“Zavier. I’m—wow. I’m speechless…I—” I looked at the place with my mouth hanging open. “Is this really mine?” I had always wanted this but was too scared of taking such a huge step.

“It sure is.” Zavier smiled and pulled me by his side. “If you’re not too sure, I can always help with the money. That way, if things go south, you still have yours,” he explained. He sounded unsure, as if he were scared of how I would feel about everything.

“No, no, that won’t be necessary at all,” I replied, turning to face him and pulling him closer to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Come on, let’s go inside…” Zavier smiled and laced his fingers with mine.

~~~

Four months later…

Today was the day of my wedding. Both Zavi and I were excited and nervous at the same time. I paced around, taking deep breaths as I kept overthinking everything. At this point, the only difference this made for our relationship was that by law, we'd be bound to each other till death do us part or until a divorce.

I eyed myself in the mirror, loving how the blush-colored mermaid dress fit me perfectly. It was a special Fuentes piece. The V-cut wasn’t too deep, but it managed to show off the necklace Zavier had gifted me years ago. I adjusted the fallen off-the-shoulder straps then turned around to see if everything else fit perfectly, and it did. I looked incredible; it wasn’t just Zavier who’d love the dress.

I heard the door opening and turned around to see who it was. Nicole, Amelia, and Tessa stepped in. I looked down at Tessa’s stomach that poked through her dress. This time, she was pregnant with twins! Everyone was excited to meet her and Arlo’s children. No doubt, they’d be mischievous. I was pregnant too, just not as far along as Tessa, and no one knew yet. I’d tell Zavier today.

“Are you ready?” Amelia asked, walking to me and helping adjust the necklace.

“I-I think so,” I replied, looking at her in the reflection of the mirror.

“Go get your billionaire, girl,” Nicole joked, making us all laugh.

“You look amazing. Zavier couldn’t have gotten luckier,” Tessa said, resting her hands on my shoulders as she looked at me. I could understand why she was so happy: Tessa never got to grow up with any siblings, so Zavier was the closest person she had to one. For Tessa, this wedding was like seeing her brother getting married.

“Thank you. It means a lot coming from you.” I smiled and took a deep breath.

“Of course. We should get going; the wedding will start soon,” Tessa replied and looked at the others, waiting to follow them out.

I walked over to the window and peeked out; the garden was set up perfectly. Tiffany’s flowers were all blooming, and the fountains were all shiny. The arch was made of blush and white-colored roses, just as I wanted. Everyone was already seated, and Zavier stood at the altar, waiting for his bride and looking dashing as always.

~~~

Grace's POV:

I was late. I knew I had already missed my opportunity, but that didn’t stop me. I managed to sneak my way into the wedding. I deserved everything Zavier and Amara had—especially Amara. Today should've been my special day!

When Charlotte posted that video proving Andrea wasn't Zavier's daughter, Andrea’s real father found out he had a daughter and did a DNA test to confirm his suspicions. Once the results proved she was his daughter, he filed for and won full custody. My parents cut me off after they found out what happened. I lost everything—my daughter, my Zavier, my money.

Today was the day I’d get revenge.

I saw Amara dancing with her husband, the two smiling like crazy as they gazed into each other’s eyes. It infuriated me. I pulled out the gun from my purse and aimed at the bride. Without thinking twice, I pulled the trigger, only for others to get up at that exact moment and get on the dance floor. As a result, the bullet intended for Amara pierced through Tessa’s shoulder blade.

Everyone started panicking, and security caught up to me, forcing me down on the ground. "No!" I screamed. My plan had failed, and I'd only had one chance. “Let go of me! Let me kill the bitch!” I yelled as I tried breaking free from the guard's hold. “You took everything from me!”

~~~

Arlo's POV:

It hadn’t taken long for paramedics and the police to show up. There was so much going on, and no one knew what to focus on. I helped my wife to the ambulance and went with her to the hospital while the others were forced to stay at the scene a little longer and give their statements. When I was in the waiting room, Zavier called me with details. No one saw a single thing. The only thing that helped was the security footage. The only reason Grace knew how to get in without being spotted was that she had lived there before and knew exactly where the blind spots were located in the mansion garden.

A few hours passed, and the whole family got to the hospital, waiting for the doctor to return with hopefully good news.

“Arlo, please sit down,” Mom said. I had been pacing ever since Tessa entered the operating room. I let out a sigh and sat down, my leg bouncing.

“What if something bad happens? They’re taking too long, right? Maybe I should go ask,” I said, getting up again, but Zavier pulled me down.

“Please, don’t do that. They’re busy right now. Let them do their job,” Zavier said, rubbing my back. I opened up my mouth to say something, but just at that moment, the doctor stepped out.

“Who’s the husband?” the doctor asked, removing his gloves.

“I am. How are they? Are they okay?” I asked, jumping up.

“Your wife’s wound has been taken care of. She got lucky. The bullet didn’t do much damage. As for the babies, there have been some complications since she fell, so we had to do an emergency C-section. Congratulations, Mr. Fuentes,” the doctor explained. Everyone was quiet as they took in the information they were given.

“So, they’re all fine?” I raised a brow at the doctor and looked into the room.

“Your wife will need a lot of time to recover, and your children have been placed in an incubator,” he explained. “Would you like to meet your son and daughter?” he asked me, but I couldn't even answer. I went straight into the room to check on my wife and meet our children for the first time.