Justified

Ciara jolted awake by the unexpected buzzing of her phone. Somehow, she had managed to doze off after Samuel left the penthouse. He hadn’t said anything to her after their eyes met, and for a second, Ciara thought he was going to storm into the room and strangle her.

Instead, he had walked out of the penthouse completely.

“Hello, Ciara Summers on the line,” Ciara said drowsily. She did not even bother to check who was calling before picking. She had just jolted awake and reached for the ringing gadget.

“Dear, are you alright? I have been worried sick about you,” Aunt Mary’s voice filtered into Ciara’s ears.

“Yes, Aunt Mary, I am alright,” it wasn’t true, but Ciara did not want to put the woman through another bout of panic. Besides, she already had her health to worry about.

“Aunt Mary was during the prison days, Ciara. I am your mother-in-law now,” Aunt Mary scolded lightly. Ciara could hear her chuckle in the background.

Tears welled up in Ciara’s eyes. She would never understand wh