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          "Shit!" I cussed breathlessly, slamming on the brakes, but the bumper of my car still scraped the back of the Audi ahead of me.

          "Fuck." Ashton took a deep breath, his nails digging into my arm. "You deadass gave me a heart attack."

          "Bitch!" A woman's voice bellowed as I jerked off Ashton's hold on me. Presumedly, she was the Audi's owner.

          "She sounds really mad," Ashton glowered at me, sinking low in his seat. "Go sort this out now."

          "Get out of your motherfucking car," the woman's scream got louder when her door shot open. "You stupid ass hoe."

          "This bitch!" I hastily removed my seatbelt in anger. "The damage isn't even that big and she's trying to come at me." Stepping out of my car, I slammed the door shut behind me and stormed forward, ready to face the raging woman, but my feet halted abruptly upon seeing the familiar face.

          "You're paying big time," she yelled before her eyes finally met mine, compelling her jaw to drop. "Bitch?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it somehow still sent chills up my spine. "Bitch!" She squealed in excitement and bolted towards me, ignoring all the traffic behind us to trap my body in her arms.

          "Sophie," I spoke softly, still awestruck by her presence, unable to blanket her in my arms.

          "Oh my God!" Her hold tightened around me. "I thought I'd never see you again."

          "Hi!" I pulled away and smiled meekly, her teary eyes rather elated to see me. Shaking my own tears away, I cleared my throat and looked at her car. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I'll pay for the damage."

          "Give me a break," she scoffed, a laugh escaping her lips. "I can very much afford to fix it myself. I just need to know where the fuck you've been."

          "I..."

          "Save it," she interrupted and placed her hands on her hips. "You and I are going to have a very long chat right now."

          "Right now?"

          "Yes, right now," she declared and looked around. "Park your car to the side. We're going to grab a pizza. Pepperoni sounds good?"

"Pepperoni sounds amazing," I chuckled, nodding my head. "We're going to have company though."

"Boyfriend?" She wiggled her brows, and before I could correct her, she spoke up again. "I'll meet you in there."

She strutted away and parked her car while I did the same. "It's pizza time," I smiled at Ashton who whined like a child. "It's only Sophie, and I don't think paparazzi will be waiting for you in the restaurant."

"Soph is going to whoop my ass," he knitted his brows and unbuckled his seatbelt before sliding on some black shades.

"Why?"

"You'll know soon." That's all he said before pulling the hood over his head and exiting the car. I followed his lead and entered the restaurant to find Sophie walking towards us.

"Hey, Soph!" Ashton smiled wide through his façade. "How you been?"

Scoffing, she cheekily slammed her foot onto Ashton's, forcing him to stifle his whimper. "So, now you remember me?"

"Fuck," Ashton whimpered, his lips pulled into a thin line. "It hurts."

She huffed and removed her foot from his before walking to a booth like nothing happened. Looking at my brother, I cocked a brow, urging him to spill the beans, but he shrugged me off and sat in the booth opposite her while I scooted next to him.

"What was that all about?" My eyes darted between the two as Sophie continued to glare at Ashton.

          "You don't know?" She asked rather surprised before letting out a bark of laughter. "Two years back, I attended one of his games. With my contacts, I got in the locker room because I wanted to know about your whereabouts, but this bitch pretended like he didn't know me and asked his bodyguards to escort me out."

          "Seriously?" I questioned Ashton in bafflement.

          "Don't give me that, Arie," he rolled his eyes at me. "You're the one who decided to move and lose contact with everyone we knew back in Queens. I was in no position to tell Soph about your whereabouts when you didn't want to be found and still don't want to be found by anyone that we knew back there."

          "Why did you cut me off?" Soph asked, grasping my attention. Sadness swirled in her eyes and constricted her voice. "Was I really that shitty of a friend?"

          "No," I squeezed her hands across the table, reassuring her. "I just wanted to get away from everyone and everything after we buried Aunt Wendy's casket." I sensed Ashton stiffen beside me, shifting in his seat at the mention of her name.

          "I can't begin to imagine how much you both must be hurting, but you could have confided in me. I have always been there for you and for you to cut me off like that really pisses me off."

          "Sorry," I apologized, rather ashamed.

She was my best friend, the girl who always knew how to make me laugh at the worst moments and the girl who was always there when I needed her, but things went downhill after Astor violently shook up my world. I could have trusted her with all that I did and went through. But my stupid heart was too weak to tell anyone.

          "It has been more than four years. Let bygones be bygones now," she chirped up as two trays of pizza were placed on the table. "Tell me what all has changed. I want to know everything."

          "Well, I'm a medical intern at Kennedy Memorial right now," I began my tale. "I own the Noelle Clark Hospital here."

          "Quit taking all the credit," Ashton mumbled, not wasting a second to shove a slice of pizza in his mouth while I took a bite of mine. "We own it."

          "God damn," Soph proudly looked between the two of us. "You guys must be millionaires now."

          "Damn right," Ashton laughed while I shook my head.

          "Talk about transformations," Soph commented, chuckling to herself before biting into her pizza. "You guys went from the cracked streets of Queens to being one of the millionaires in LA. I guess the move did you guys really good."

          "It did," I nodded, sighing. "I wanted to run from everything that held bad memories and I ran as fast as I could. I'm not going to lie, it was really hard at first, but in the long run, it turned out to be amazing. I do have a few regrets, but I'm happy where I am now."

          "Arie, if you would have included me in your escaping plan, I could have helped you."

          "You were pregnant and recently got married to Rob," I tried to reason with her with lies in order to conceal the real reasoning I couldn't allow anyone we knew in Queens to know anything about us leaving. The secret that I kept under the covers for years could never be revealed unless it was time to do so. It would break trust, hearts, and probably even get me killed by the man it pertained to the most and I couldn't allow that.

          "Soph, you were happy. You cut your honeymoon short to come to the funeral and I didn't want to burden you with my grief."

          Rolling her eyes, she groaned in annoyance. "Well, it didn't work out anyways."

          "What do you mean?"

          "Rob and I aren't together," she explained briefly, but I knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.

          "Why?" Ashton butted in, his mouth stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey.

          Sighing deeply, a look of trauma and despair engulfed her features. "He put his hands on me."

          "What?" Ashton and I shouted in unison.

          "Keep it down," she whisper-yelled. "Jeez!"

          "My bad," Ashton swallowed the chunk of pizza that hung in his mouth.

          "A couple months after you fell off the grid, I was in the mansion my dad had gifted us in upstate New York. One night, Rob came home drunk as shit with a fucking girl on his arm. Like bitch, hell to the motherfucking no," she tapped the table in anger, fuming. "He had the nerve to bring a slut home while his wife was pregnant. I lost it and got up in his face after throwing that skank out. We were both screaming at each other and in the heat of the moment, I slapped him right across his stupid face."

          Suddenly, her hands began shaking from the memory before she immediately curled them into tight fists. Deep breaths left and entered her body as she closed her eyes trying to compose herself and the erratic thundering of her heart. Frowning at her sudden state, I brushed my palms over her fists to calm her.

          "Thank you," she cleared her throat and pulled her hands away from mine before continuing, her voice cracking. "He got really mad and slapped me back before pushing me. He didn't realize that we were by the stairs until I tumbled down them like a ball," she wiped the tear that toppled over her lid hurriedly. "I lost the child."

          "Sophie," I frowned, my heart saddening before I went over to her side to embrace the hurting woman. "I'm so sorry."

          "You better tell me he's in jail, or else I'm going to kill him," Ashton fumed, banging his fist on the table. "I swear to fucking God, that motherfucker will be catching these hands."

"Don't worry about that," Soph chuckled through her pain and pulled away from my embrace. "My dad took care of him."

"Took care?" I inquired.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "That's what he said. Maybe Rob is in prison, or rotting at the bottom of a basement, suffering. I could care less about that asshole. He killed our baby. I'd be happy if he's in hell."

"That's my girl!" Ashton high-fived her in contentment.

She giggled, changing the topic. "So, relationships. I already know about you. Models and celebrities, huh?"

"I've dated quite a lot," he smirked smugly. "They all want some of this."

Groaning in disgust, I shook my head at him. "Can't blame them. Even I wanted some of you at a point in my life," Soph revealed, nonchalantly.

"Are you single?" He leaned forward and grinned like an idiot.

"Stop it!" I glared at them. "Jesus!"

"Tell me about you," Soph laughed and turned to me. "Any boys?"

"Freddie Guzman," Ashton answered for me. "They are really tight."

"That hottie?" Soph's eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face. "You lucky bitch. How good is he in bed?"

"Fuck my life!" Ashton growled and shoved his fingers into his ears.

          "He's really good in bed," I laughed to myself. "He's an amazing guy, Soph. He treats me with respect and handles me with care. He's humble, kind, funny, and everything a girl ever wants."

          "You seem really happy with him."

          "I am," I smiled before a frown clung onto my brows. "But we are taking a break right now."

"What?" Ashton gasped, bewildered. "You guys were all mushy-gushy this morning. What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything wrong," I reassured him and sighed. "He's too perfect and I need some time to wrap my head around it."

          "So, did you guys have breakup sex?" Soph smirked, forcing Ashton to groan once again. I forgot how forward she was with the topic of sex and just how much I missed this girl.

          "It's not like a serious breakup. I'm just taking some time for myself, but in the long run I know that I want to spend my life with him. He's amazing with the kids."

          "Kids?" She gasped.

          "Yeah," I laughed. "I have two. A five-year old and a three-year old."

          "Adopted?"

          "They're both my babies," I stated. "Blood or not, they're both equal to me and they're my life."

          "Damn bitch," she giggled. "You're all set. Rich with a family already."

          "She'd do anything for Lucian and Ana," Ashton commented, grabbing another slice of pizza. "They're literally her life. I bet she'd cut a bitch up for them."

          "Well, a mother can't help it now," Soph smiled weakly, her eyes getting misty over the thought of kids before she shook them away and cleared her throat. "So, I got some news for you guys. I'm getting married."

          "Again?" Ashton shouted.

          "Shut up!" I glared at him, kicking his shin under the table. "You have a new girl in your bed every week, do you hear me saying again? Dumbass!"

          "Yeah, again," Soph chided, rolling her eyes. "I was actually rushing to catch a flight right now to Queens to see if I could catch you guys there for once. You have no idea how many times I went back to your house over the years in hopes of seeing you, Arie, and I was going to try one last time today because I need my best friend by my side."

          "Sophie," I squeezed her hands, flashing a meek smile. "I'm here now."

          "And I need you to be my maid of honor again," she squeezed back harder to emphasize what this meant to her before looking at Ashton. "I've been planning this wedding for a year now. The last one was a shotgun wedding with bitches as my bridesmaids. Ashton didn't attend and my best friend left in the middle of the reception if I remember correctly," she narrowed her eyes at me and laughed. "This one will be prefect with my favorite people and in the most beautiful place."

          "You want me to be your maid of honor even though we've been out of touch for years?"

          "Yes, because you're my bestie and I haven't made many friends either," she chuckled. "The wedding is in two weeks. You're both coming to Italy for those two weeks because there will be parties and other festivities."

          "That's lovely, but I can't leave the kids alone at home," I tried to reason, for I didn't want to go to Italy. Leo promised to take me there himself and going there doesn't quite instill a warm feeling in my chest.

          "C'mon, Arie," Ashton kicked me under the table. "For once I have a month off to do anything and Italy sounds good, away from the paparazzi. And weddings are always fun, especially a destination one."

          "More like going back to the roots of our ancestors," she shrugged. "My dad said that I've lost touch with my Italian roots and my fiancé's family is very Italian anyways. Dad wanted to set me and him up years ago, but I married Rob. He wasn't happy about it. Nevertheless, he supported my decision. When he found out that it was a shotgun wedding, he called me a shame."

          "Your dad sounds like a straight up dick," Ashton commented. "Arranged marriage and then called you a shame."

          "Yeah," she sighed. "After I mentally recovered from the trauma of losing my child, he arranged for me to meet that man again who was a complete dick at first. Everyone in his family is a cocky asshole, especially his sisters. They're real bitches."

          "Sounds like a fun time," I snickered, sarcasm rolling off my tongue.

          "It's alright. My man keeps me grounded and I love him. I have to thank my dad for forcing me to meet him."

          "Is it like a business deal or something?" I queried in curiosity.

          "Sort of."

          "Are you for real?" Ashton asked, astounded.

          "It isn't that bad," she whispered meekly, taking a bite of her pizza. "My father gets some business perks in some parts of this country and in Italy considering my future grandmother-in-law is the president of Italy. They're one powerful family," she scrunched her nose, flashing her teeth.

"President?" I chuckled. "Well shit!"

"Dad will be passing the business down to me and Cornelia one day, so it doesn't suck. I got engaged because of my dad and I fell in love later on." Sighing rather audibly, she added, "and we have bed breaking sex."

          "Disgusting!" Ashton and I gagged in unison.

          "So, you guys are coming to the pre-wedding party tomorrow and to Italy the day after," she declared with a wide smile.

          "I can't leave my kids alone for two weeks," I shook my head, rebelling her decision.

          "Harry would love to have them for two weeks," Ashton said, batting his lashes at me. "Please, Arie. It's only two weeks."

          "Who'll look after them when she's at work."

          "Her mom can," he squeezed my hand. " Simi Aunty adores Lucian and Ana."

          "The kids wouldn't want me to go."

          "Bring the kids along then. I'd love to meet my little niece and nephew," Sophie suggested. "Wait, never mind. Don't bring them along. They wouldn't want to be in that environment."

          "They have school anyways," Ashton informed her before turning back to me. "Ask the kids. Luci is a strong boy, he'll take care of Ana."

          "Fine," I agreed. "I'll ask, but I'm not keeping any promises of coming to Italy."

          "You'll be coming to the party tomorrow, right?"

          "We'll be there," Ashton smiled, sneakily picking up another piece of pizza. "What?" He shoved it into his mouth when I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's my cheat day."

"Whatever," I shrugged him off and looked back at Sophie. "What's your fiancé's name anyways?"

"You'll know when you meet him tomorrow."

***

          "Yes!" Lucian and Ana screamed in unison, running around like little ants while I was left baffled at their answer.

          Ashton cackled like a retarded horse on crack. "They don't care about you. They're happy to stay with Harry and Simi Aunty."

"I want Nani's butter chicken," Lucian covered his watering mouth and giggled.

I couldn't disagree though. Harry's mom was the closest person that came to a mother. Always taking care of us and feeding us with her amazing Indian food. We became a part of her amazing family and she welcomed us with open arms every time we went over. She got the kids to even call her Nani which meant grandma in Punjabi.

"Can we go to Nani's house right now?" Ana fumbled, tugging on my mermaid costume that she insisted I wore when Ashton and I took them trick-or-treating earlier.

"It's late, Ana," I scooped her up into my arms and grabbed Lucian's wrist, taking them upstairs towards their room. "Nani is probably sleeping right now. I will drop you guys off at Aunt Harry's house the day after tomorrow. It's past your bedtime."

"But, I'm not sleepy," Lucian whined before running to his bed and jumping on it. "I want to play."

          Ana wiggled out of my arms and joined Lucian in attempts to break the damn bed. "Ashton!" I yelled for the idiot's help and within a second, he was by the door, gawking at the kids as if they were some circus monkeys.

          "Kids on sugar high," he huffed and got to work by grabbing Ana and swirling her around like a doll. After an hour of running around the kids and finally putting them to sleep, we left their room in nimble steps.

"Holy shit!" Ashton whispered and tip-toed down the hall behind me. "They're a handful."

"They're like this every other day," I sighed and sauntered down the steps, making my way towards the kitchen. "I'm accustomed to it."

Retrieving a tub of cookie dough ice-cream from the freezer, I set it on the island with two spoons. "So, we're going to Italy?"

"I'm not sure," I shook my head and shoved a spoonful of the frozen delicacy into my mouth. "I don't want to leave them alone."

"Arie, they're going to be with Harry and her mom. They're family."

"I know, but still."

"You need to give yourself a break from them and enjoy yourself." He pushed the tub of ice-cream aside and forced me to look at him. "You haven't had a day off in years. For some reason, you keep punishing and stressing yourself out, and you won't even tell me the reason."

"It's nothing," I tried to brush him off. "Kids and medical school tends to tire you out."

"It's not about the kids or school," he scoffed. "Every single day after we buried that fucking casket, you've worked yourself to death with no remorse. The moving, the constant hospital trips. Even before Ana was born, you were killing yourself with the stress of keeping us safe." His hand brushed over mine softly as he laid his Captain Hook hat on the island. "I know you blame yourself for what happened to Aunt Wendy. It wasn't your fault."

"You weren't there, Ashton," I slowly ripped my hands away from him. "I saw it all happen in front of my damn eyes. I remember how she cried, how Astor injected her, and how she wanted me to take care of you. She got pulled into that shit because of me. I saw her go limp right before me."

          "But that wasn't your fault, Arie. Quit fucking punishing yourself for it," he screamed, slamming his fist on the island. "After Ana was born, you spent the nights by her incubator, literally sleeping on the chair even during your finals. Every single day you spend running around the kids. Your entire life revolves around them."

          My life did revolve around them. They're a crucial part of my life and seeing myself without them was something I never liked to think of. It all started when Ana was in the womb. Her condition was severe which is why they had to perform a C-section to save her life even though her chances of surviving were minimal, however, it was also a damn miracle considering the months she stayed in the womb under the crazy situation. Something like this had never happened before in the medical field, so she was my little miracle. My little rockstar.

          And Lucian, my little lion, hence the name. Lucian Leonardo Noelle, named after the lion I loved and knew. Always so caring and protective of Ana from the moment I brought him home. They both literally lit up my somber world and the mere thought of Ana being taken away from me one day, crushes my soul.

          "Give yourself a break and live a little," Ashton pulled me out of my daze softly. "Harry is like another mother to them and they adore her, so don't worry. I've talked to Simi Aunty and she's happy to take them in for two weeks."

          I sighed and nodded. "Okay." It's only two weeks. What could possible go wrong in a foreign country with my brother and a best friend I haven't seen in years. Every-fucking-thing!

***

          A long black dress hugged my body tightly, a slit between my breasts traveling down my midriff which showed off my cleavage a bit too much. Everything was in place. The black heels were strapped to my feet, bracelets adorning my wrists, and my hair pinned up. The only thing I was missing was Leo's locket. Pulling that beautiful ornament out from the wooden jewelry box, I fastened it around my neck and glanced at my appearance in the large mirror one last time before grabbing my clutch and sauntering into the kids' room.

          "Wow!" The kids gasped, averting their gaze from Melissa who was reciting their favorite story. "You look pretty," Ana giggled, sitting up on the bed next to Lucian.

"Yes," Lucian backed her up as I walked towards them and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you," I smiled. "Mamma is going out, so I need you guys to be good kids to Melissa and sleep as soon as the story is over. Okay?"

"Okay, okay, okay," Ana chanted, wiggling on the bed.

"Good night!" I kissed Ana's head, and then Lucian's while my finger lightly brushed over the small scar on his temple that he attainted before I ever met him. Turning to Melissa, I smiled in gratitude. "Thank you for looking over them for the night. If anything happens, call me immediately."

"I'm surprised you're going out for once," the middle aged teased before squeezing my hand. "Go have fun. I'll look after the kids, dear."

          Glancing at the kids one last time, I walked out of the house and sat in the passenger's seat of Ashton's red Aston Martin that he adored more than anything.

          "What took you so long?" Ashton scolded, roaring his baby to life. "Viper here was getting very pissy."

          "How about I break Viper's headlights?" I wiggled my brows, flashing a wicked smile. "Or just roll her off a hill. That'd be more efficient."

          He laughed in annoyance, driving out of the driveway. "And I'll throw you off a hill too." Like a weirdo, he pecked the steering wheel and caressed it. "Viper, you'll be fine. My baby."

          I shook my head, laughing before looking at the full moon brightening up the night sky. Shunning the blaring music, I got lost in my thoughts as usual. The idea of going to Italy still bothered me even after the lecture Ashton screamed into my ears yesterday and all day today, forcing me to pack dresses, shoes, and all the other essentials which were now shoved in two suitcases sitting in my room, ready  to be taken to Italy. The queasiness at the pit of my stomach and my shaking heart told me a different story of dread coming my way, and I really wanted to ignore that silly thought, but I couldn't help it.

          After being stuck in the traffic for almost an hour with constant phone calls from Sophie, we finally arrived at her dad's hotel where the pre-wedding party was taking place. Luxurious cars were being parked by the valet before we exited ours. Ashton threatened the poor boy as he handed him the keys before walking up the shiny steps beside me. The place was heavily guarded with black suited men who had wires stuck to their ears for orders.

          Stepping into the large lobby, all the guests were directed towards a banquet hall off to the side and like good kids, we followed the couple in front of us who lead us into the large room with soft music whisking around.

          "They're so many people here," Ashton commented, looking around the room. Famous entities mingled around the room and if I was seeing correctly, a bunch of Ashton's exes were also enjoying themselves. "Motherfucker!" He groaned and turned to me with a look of horror on his face. "Beth is here."

          "Beth is a sweetheart," I tapped his arm and snickered to myself. "I'm more worried about your other exes that are staring right at us."

          "Finally!" I heard Soph's voice huff behind us. Turning at the sound of her, my blood ran cold at the sight of the man standing right beside her. His hair was slicked back with not a single strand on his face. Those eyes widened upon seeing me as his lips slightly parted rather dumbfounded at my presence. "This is my fiancé."

          My heart immediately shrunk in my chest, my hands trembling. Unconsciously, I gripped Ashton's arm to hold on because I knew my knees would buckle any moment now. This couldn't be real. Not again.

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I know this chapter was long and a bit boring. I'm sorry. I probably lost some of you half way through, but I wanted to insert it all in here. Was it yay or nay?

What circumstances do you think Ana was born in?

Who do you think is Sophie's fiancé?

Much love ❤️
~Reet