“Mr. Donati,” Midge greets me, her hand offered, and I accept. We shake on it, and I feel like this is a woman I can get used to. She’s older, possibly in her late forties, but she comes across as someone who’s still got her youth waiting to be explored.
“Thank you for seeing me,” I tell her as she ushers me inside. “I don’t want to stay long in the event that Arabella gets home early.”
“Don’t you worry about my niece.” She waves her hand in the air as if this is just a normal occurrence in her world. She leads me into the living room I’m almost sure has been styled by a team of designers. The cream colors with pops of purple and blue in the cushion fabrics, along with the throw rug, show off a professional eye to the room. “So, have a seat and tell me what’s going on.”
I settle in, and I’m not sure I want to tell this woman I shot her sister. I didn’t check if Pandora actually died, but I did walk out, leaving her bleeding. The cleanup crew confirmed two bodies, but knowing Pandora, she probably had someone take her place. That is, if she survived my shot.
I breathe deeply before I start. “I wanted to know if I even have a chance at forgiveness from Arabella if I spoke to her. If I were to explain why I did what I did, perhaps she’d see it my way.”
“My niece is stubborn, and I have a feeling you’re the same,” Midge muses, her smile brightening her face. “But I think if you dropped to your knees to apologize for your lies, she’ll come around.”
“I made a mistake. I dealt with her as if she were a pawn in a game, and at first, she was.” Even as the words leave my mouth, I can hear just how bad that sounds. “I’ve done some terrible things in my life, but this was by far the worst.”
“Even after killing my sister?” she challenges, giving me pause. “You’re a good shot, Mr. Donati,” Midge informs me. “I’ve always had a tail on her. My business calls for being careful of people, especially family.”
“I—”
“Please, don’t apologize. That woman got everything that’s been coming to her. Sending her daughter away, bartering her life was nothing compared to what I’ve witnessed. Too bad you didn’t get Adam while you were at it,” she tells me with a grin on her face that shocks me silent.
All this time, I thought she was just an older woman running a business. I didn’t realize she was so in tune with what’s been going on in her family. Living in Black Mountain isolates you from the rest of the world.
“I’m making Arabella go to the prom,” Midge tells me. “I would recommend you make an appearance, and you can show her what you feel. Telling that girl will not change her mind. She’s too fucking stubborn. But if you show her, then she may just give you a chance.”
Her advice slowly sinks in, but even as she tells me what to do, I’m still of two minds about this. Going to a senior prom isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I chose to do this, but if I’m going to get my girl, then I’m going to have to sacrifice my pride and do anything to get her back. Because I will do anything for her.
“You know, Elian,” Midge says. “When I first noticed her smiling all the time, and her excited exploits, I was worried she’d end up in the same situation she was in back home. But she’s not the same. She’s changed, grown up. It was only when she spent the past few days indoors and her friend Marleigh came to me and told me about you and her, that’s when I realized the truth.”
“What truth is that?”
“My niece is in love with you,” Midge informs me nonchalantly as if it’s normal for her to say something like that. Her words cause me to still in shock. “And I have a feeling you’re in love with her, or you wouldn’t be here.”
I nod slowly. “I am. I haven’t told her yet. I haven’t even gotten myself to believe it.” And I still don’t. Even when I told Ahren, it was merely to get him off my back, but now that I look at the older woman staring at me with a piercing gaze, I realize I’m going to have to give Arabella everything.
If she’s going to forgive me, I’m going to have to admit how I feel about her. And that means I’m going to have to say those three words to her.
“Are you ready for this?” Midge’s question lingers in my mind before she says, “Because you have to ask yourself, if you’re not willing to open up to her, you won’t get her back, and it would be best to walk away.”
That causes me to snap my gaze to hers. “I can’t walk away from Arabella.” That’s not a lie. I tried. She told me to leave, and I did, but I didn’t go far.
“Then you know what you need to do.”
I nod.
I do.
I’m going to get my little deviant back.
39
Arabella
I feel out of place.
But I know I belong.
For the first time in my life, I truly belong. The problem is, he’s not here. When I walked into history class and didn’t see Elian at his desk, my stomach dropping to my feet. Not that I expected him to return to Black Mountain after everything that happened, but deep down, I thought he would at least say goodbye. Even if he was angry, all I wanted was an explanation.
Why save me when all he ever wanted was to hurt me?
“Christ almighty.” Marleigh’s overexcited voice startles me. I turn to
