Chapter 152 Peace and Pretend
LEITANA
I wiped the towel over my damp hair as I stepped out of the bathroom. The moment I pulled it off my head, my heart nearly stopped.
“Aish! Yu nearly startled me to death,” I gasped, clutching my chest. Celeste stood just a few feet away from the door, a soft smile lighting up her face.
She floated forward gently. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I sighed in relief and nodded, but then frowned. She was still here?
“Mi thought you left already?”
“Well, I just couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you first. That would have been wrong.” Her smile widened, warm and grateful. “You helped me, Leitana. You’re the reason the whole world now knows what happened to me.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest at her words. “Yu no deserve what happened to you,” I said softly. “Mi hope you find your peace now.”
She nodded, but her expression grew a little more serious. “Though it doesn’t end here, I guess. I still have judgment to face before I truly find peace.”
“Judgment?” I frowned, tilting my head.
“Don’t worry about that.” She shook her head gently. “I also meant to tell you… there are a couple of other people like me waiting. It’s time for me to go now.”
Before I could respond, she reached forward and took my hand. My eyes widened. Her touch was ice-cold, yet the fact that she could touch me at all sent a shock through me.
“Thank you so much, Leitana,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I will never forget you. Hopefully one day… we’ll meet again.”
Tears prickled at the back of my eyes, but I held them back and simply nodded. My throat felt too tight to speak. I watched as she slowly drifted backward, her form growing fainter and fainter until she faded away completely, leaving only empty air where she had stood.
I looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. “Yu did good, Leitana,” I whispered to myself. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I walked over to the bed and sat down.
Just then, the bedroom door opened. Avery walked in, but she didn’t look at me right away. Her eyes darted around the room as if searching for something—or someone.
Then she turned to me. “Wait… who were you talking to just now?” She moved closer and sat beside me on the bed.
“Celeste,” I replied. “Mi was talking to Celeste.”
She blinked at me, then glanced around the room again. “She’s gone,” I added softly. “She found her peace now.”
“Um… of course,” Avery said, though she still looked a little unsettled.
She shook her head quickly, as if pushing the thought away. “Anyway, I’m here to apologize.”
I turned fully toward her, crossing my legs on the bed. “Why?”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Well… Charles is here, and we all have to pretend. You’ll have to leave your bedroom and I'll have to stay with Ravial for the week.”
I nodded slowly, biting my lip. I hated the idea of not being close to mi Ravial for an entire week, but if it helped Avery and Leroy’s family, I would do it. And, Ravial had promised we would visit them tomorrow. How I would sneak away with my father watching… I pushed the worrying thought aside.
I reached out and took Avery’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t stress too much, Avery. We’ll find a way.” A cheeky smile tugged at my lips. “And want to know a secret?”
She frowned curiously, then nodded.
“Mi Ravial doesn’t like this pretense, yu know,” I whispered, grinning. “He no like being away from mi. Mi giddy just thinking how he’ll sleep without me. He might even sneak into my room at night.”
The thought sent a little thrill through me, Ravial restless and unable to stay away. I couldn’t help the full, playful grin that spread across my face.
Avery shook her head, looking at me like I was ridiculous. “Only you, Leitana, would find joy in something so scary and sad.”
I leaned forward and gently pressed our foreheads together. “Mi no like dwelling in sadness… and yu should not either.”
Avery stared at me for a moment, then glanced down at our joined hands and nodded. “Yeah… I guess.” She paused, her cheeks turning a soft pink. “But I don’t even want to pretend to sleep with your husband. He’s scary, and… well, I’ve not told you before, me and Matteo are kind of a thing now.”
My eyes widened. I had suspected they were growing closer, but hearing “kind of a thing” from Avery especially after everything she’d lost meant she really liked him and wanted something real.
I pulled back, beaming. “Ahhh, mi so happy for you! That’s so good!”
She shrugged, but the pink on her cheeks deepened. “I guess…”
“The thing is,” she continued with a tired sigh, “I’ve been having nightmares when I sleep alone. For the past week, I’ve been staying in his cabin. Now with this new arrangement… how am I supposed to see him?”
I studied her worried face for a moment, then lifted her chin gently. “We’ll find a way, Avery. Don’t worry. You’ll get to be with him too, we just have to be careful.”
Her eyes filled with hope as she pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged her back just as fiercely.
“I hope this plan works, Leitana,” she murmured against my shoulder. “And we can finally put that man behind bars where he belongs.”
“It will work,” I said firmly.
“I hope so. It’s only the first day and it already feels like Ravial’s patience might snap.”
I pulled back, tilting my head. “What yu mean?”
She just smiled mysteriously. “Nothing. Now come on, get dressed. I’m starving. I want to have dinner now so I don’t have to sit with that demon of a man we call Father.”
I nodded and stood up, but her words about Ravial lingered in my mind like a quiet warning.