Chapter 114: In the dark

NANCY’S POV

My heart was in my throat the entire time I was waiting for Diana’s text.

Our conversation over the phone had been very short.

She hadn’t even let me get a word in, and all she had said to me was, “I’ll text you.”

Right after that, she hung up, and I could only stare at my phone, hoping she would call back.

She didn’t, nor did I receive the text she’d mentioned until about two hours later when my phone rang.

I picked it up immediately, swiping it open with urgency.

The text was just as short as the phone call from earlier.

“Meet me at Ocean’s cave by 12:00 pm. We have a lot to discuss.”

For reasons I didn’t know, tears sprang to my eyes the moment I saw that text. Wiping it off, I hurried to the bathroom quickly to freshen up, grabbed whatever was in sight to wear, then rushed out of the house without bothering to brush my hair or fix my face.

Fixing my relationship with my best friend was more important than my appearance.

“Faster, please,” I urged the taxi driver driving me to the location, unable to sit still.

“Miss, I can’t go past the speed limit,” he responded, glancing at me through the rear-view mirror.

I stared right back at him, wishing I could take control of the wheel myself even though I couldn’t drive.

Finally, after a drive that felt like hours long, I arrived at the coffee shop Diana had specifically requested we meet at.

It wasn’t my first time here. I’d been here once, with her, Chloe, and…Mason.

The memory of that day felt like so long ago.

A bitter smile crossed my lips, but I didn’t linger and began to walk quickly towards the shop.

I spotted Diana instantly.

She was seated by the window, with a cup of what seemed like matcha in her hand. As I approached, she took a light sip then set it down.

My feet slowed unwittingly, and with every step I took towards her, my heart pounded harder.

I finally got to her, and the first thing I noticed was how tired she looked, like she had been through hell and back.

Seeing that made me feel worse than I already felt, and a fresh wave of guilt hit me.

“Diana…” I called out, choking up.

Before she could see, I blinked my tears away quickly, watching as she raised her head.

Our eyes met, and time seemed to stop.

The air between us turned fragile, like it would shatter if I moved.

“Sit,” she said quietly, nudging her head to the empty seat before her.

I stared at her a second longer then nodded, sliding into the seat as quietly as I could.

We hadn’t even spoken yet, and the silence between us was already intolerable.

More than once, I moved to breach the silence, but I held myself back and folded my hands into fists instead.

It was only right that she opened the conversation.

However, she still didn’t speak, and the silence fell.

I squirmed multiple times in my seat and readjusted my position even more. It felt like I was a prisoner about to be sentenced to life in prison, and I was as anxious as an ant over a hot stove.

Diana still didn’t seem like she was in a hurry to speak; instead, her gaze ran over me.

Finally, when I could no longer bear the silence, she spoke.

“You look terrible.”

Her lips curled into a smile, but I couldn’t smile.

My lips were stiff, and I couldn’t form one.

“I guess that’s only right. You don’t deserve to sleep peacefully after what you did.”

My hands tightened.

I don’t know what it was, but somehow, a tiny part of me imagined that time would have softened her somewhat.

It hadn’t.

She was still just as mad as when she found out.

“Well, I suppose it’s only fair that you look worse for the wear. I’m guessing you didn’t get to pick anything either before the house was attacked.”

I blinked at that.

She knew?

It was only for a brief moment before I got over my surprise. Of course, she knew the house had suffered a hit. She lived there, and it would be surprising if she hadn’t returned home.

Another curious question that rose in my mind was if she knew what had happened to cause the house to look like that, and if she was aware that her Dad was a mafia Don, but I didn’t ask.

It didn’t matter now, and I wasn’t here to question her. I was here to salvage what was left of our relationship, if there were even any pieces left to pick up.

She looked away for a moment, then returned her gaze to me.

“Why aren’t you asking me?”

“Why am I not asking you what…” I asked carefully, swallowing.

Was there something I was missing?

She shed light on it a second later, stunning me into silence.

“My Dad is a Mafia Don. Why aren’t you asking me about that?”

I stared at her blankly as her words fell.

I’d been curious indeed, but what I wasn’t expecting was that she would say it so freely, as if it were a conversation about the weather.

That surprised me more than the fact that she was aware.

“Oh, don’t look so shocked,” she waved her hand. “I figured you knew already since you weren’t at the house.”

“Moreover, the attack happened when you were at home. Surely, my dad must have told you something…considering your relationship with him.”

The last of her words was a jab at me.

It stung, but I took it, shuffling in my seat.

I cleared my throat, “Yes, he…he did tell me.”

“I…I…just didn’t think you…you knew.”

“I do know. I’ve always known.”

Okay, that was one other thing I wasn’t expecting, and my eyes widened.

It was safe to say I was the only one in the dark all along.