Chapter 70 Beautiful
Melissa’s POV
We emerged from the hidden room looking like we’d been through a storm.
My hair was messed up, my lips were swollen, and I was pretty sure my face was still flushed. Gavin looked more composed, but there was a softness around his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
He straightened his shirt, ran a hand through his hair, and gave me one last look before we headed back to the kitchen. I went to my room and arranged myself properly before going into the kitchen.
The entire family was awake now.
Mom sat at the counter in her robe, looking refreshed. Jason leaned against the fridge with a glass of orange juice, watching something on his phone.
“There you are,” Mom said brightly.
I slid onto a stool at the counter, trying to act normal. Trying not to think about what just happened. I pushed aside my lingering guilt.
Gavin plated the pasta…apparently he’d made enough for everyone…and set dishes in front of Mom and me.
Mom took one bite and moaned.Exactly like I had.
The sound made me choke slightly on my water.
“Gavin, you cooked this?” Mom’s eyes were wide with delight. “This is incredible. Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“Italy,” he said simply, taking his own seat. “I spent some time there when I was younger.”
Jason snorted into his orange juice but said nothing.
We ate in relative silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being forks against plates and Mom’s occasional sounds of appreciation.
“This is so good,” she said again, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “Melissa, isn’t this amazing?”
“It is,” I agreed, not meeting Gavin’s eyes. Because if I looked at him right now, everyone would know. They would see the love burning for him.
“So!” Mom set down her fork with excitement. “Today is finally Christmas Eve. Can you believe it?”
“Time flies,” Jason muttered.
“Tomorrow is the Christmas party,” Mom continued, her enthusiasm undimmed. “The big one. All the dignitaries, business partners, board members…everyone will be there.” She looked between me and Jason. “You two need to look your absolute best. First impressions matter.”
“I always look my best,” Jason said with his usual cocky grin.
Mom rolled her eyes fondly, then turned to me. “Melissa, honey, do you have a date for the party? Since you and Troy are no longer together…”
I choked on my pasta.Coughing and sputtering while my face turned red.
Jason rushed to me, his hand was immediately on my back, rubbing in slow circles. His other hand grabbed a napkin and gently wiped my mouth. “Careful, Warrior Girl.”
The casual intimacy of the gesture made me blush even harder.
“I’m fine,” I managed, my voice hoarse. “Just… went down wrong.”
After a few moments had passed and I thought I had dodged that bullet.
“So?” Mom pressed, oblivious to my discomfort. “Do you have a date?”
“Ah, yes, well…” I fumbled for words. “I don’t have a date exactly. But soon, Ma.”
“Soon?” She frowned slightly. “Sweetheart, you know you’re not getting any younger. You should be thinking about these things.”
I was twenty-two. Barely out of college. But Mom had always been traditional about relationships and marriage.
“I know, Mom. I just…” My phone buzzed loudly on the counter. “Oh! I got a call. I should take this.”
I practically leaped off my stool, grabbing my phone without even looking at who was calling.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled, fleeing toward my room.
Behind me, I heard Jason laugh softly and Mom sigh.
……-
I closed my bedroom door and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath.
That was close. Too close.
I looked at my phone. There was no actual call. Just a notification from my writing app.
It was the perfect excuse.
I crossed to my desk and opened my laptop, pulling up my novel document. The blank page from this morning stared back at me, but now… now I had something to write.
My fingers flew over the keyboard.
Chapter Title: Mafia Panda
He stood there with a spoon in his mouth, looking like the most dangerous man alive , but he was still the cutest. A mafia panda, I thought. Deadly and adorable all at once.
“What?” I asked, my face heating under his stare.
He didn’t answer. Just looked at me like I was the answer to a question he’d been asking his whole life…
I wrote and wrote, channeling everything from the last few hours into the story. The hidden room. The confession about his twin. The way he’d dropped to his knees. The vows that sounded like promises.
I changed enough details to keep it fiction. Made it fantasy instead of reality. But the emotion…the raw, devastating emotion…that was all real.
When I finally posted the chapter, I sat back and watched the notifications start rolling in immediately.
NightOwl_Reader: FINALLY! We’ve been DYING!
RomanceAddict47: MAFIA PANDA IM SCREAMING
MidnightReader: The way he worships her… I’m not okay
Reader_BookLover: Author you’re killing us. This is the most romantic thing I’ve ever read
Lottie: I’m literally crying. This is perfect. HE’S perfect.
RomanceJunkie_88: The twin reveal?! The hidden room?! I CANNOT
I smiled, feeling warmth spread through my chest. My readers. My community. They understood. They felt what I felt. And I loved all my readers with all my heart, I wish they felt it. And there was a particular reader that caught my eye recently. Lottie. My readers are the cutest.
For a few minutes, I just read through the comments, responding to a few, liking others, obsessing over my fans. This was my safe space. My place to process everything that was too big to hold inside.
Then a new notification popped up. But it was a private message on my number.
I clicked on it without thinking.
And the color drained from my face.
My hands started trembling. My breath came in short, sharp gasps.
I stumbled to my feet, knocking my chair backward. My laptop screen blurred as tears filled my eyes.
I barely made it to the bathroom before I was sick, my body heaving over the toilet, my whole body shaking with fear so intense I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but shake.
When there was nothing left, I slumped against the bathroom wall, hugging my knees to my chest.
My phone was still in my hand.
The message was still there.And everything had just changed.