EllaLeonard’s face was a tapestry of smug delight, every wrinkle and crease accentuating his satisfaction.“Well, well, Miss Ella. I must say, I’m delighted,” he drawled, leaning casually against the tall table behind him. “I look forward to the grand occasion of meeting my soon-to-be in-laws.”
LoganThe thrum of music and the ripples of conversations were deafening, but all I could focus on was Ella, standing defiantly across the patio.Her impromptu declaration of the engagement party had left me stunned. It felt like something she had concocted on a whim, yet her performance suggested otherwise. Was Ella this good an actress or had she been mulling this over for a while?
EllaThe atmosphere of the restaurant was alive with a cacophony of murmurs and a symphony of glassware clinking, but my focus was narrowed to the drink that I was nursing in the wake of Marina’s presence. I wasn’t alone for long, though, before I glanced over to see that Logan had silently appeared beside me.“I have something to show you,” he insisted, his eyes shrouded in
EllaOur breaths intertwined in the small room, mixing with the scent of moth balls and old memories, as we quickly smoothed down our clothes and stepped apart. Logan looked as if he had something to say, but quickly shut his mouth after a glare from me.Then, just as we had managed to create a facade of innocence, the door swung open, revealing the intruders: Marina and Harry.
EllaLogan’s blue eyes finally met mine, filled with an emotion that I couldn’t fully read. Remorse, maybe. And pain.“Ella, it’s not—”“Save it,” I cut him off, a sudden surge of anger bursting through my veins. “Just save your breath, Logan.”
EllaA charged silence fell between us as we finally reached the safety of the car. Somehow, we had managed to make our way out of the party with little trouble, although Leonard had asked questions; a quick “My stomach hurts” on my part, however, was enough to make the man leave us be.Logan slid behind the wheel as I climbed into the passenger seat. As the engine hummed to life, he tu
EllaThe silence of my apartment was a loud contrast to the charged atmosphere in the car ride home.Logan’s proposition still lingered in my mind, accompanied by an unwavering feeling of dread.Soon, Logan might have to meet my parents. This wasn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t what I had planned. And
LoganI could barely focus on the objects around me, my mind still echoing with the remnants of the day, but it was the mask in my hand, the last piece of evidence from the fight in the empty warehouse, that rang the loudest.“Garrett, was there really nothing else?” I asked, my voice terse as I tried to suppress the rising anxiety inside of me.