Chapter 210
Chapter 210:
“It wasn’t your fault,” Zal whispered low enough that only I could hear.
“But p>
“Trust me p>
Those two words were enough to make me relent. I nodded, and he kissed my temple gently.
“Zal, welcome to the family,” my sister said with a soft smile. “Mom’s still in shock. Give her a couple of weeks to process everything p>
It was Rena who bravely stepped forward and shook Zal’s hand. “Brother, I’m sorry for not being there for you.” She paused, glancing at the closeness between Zal and me. “You know how Dad was, and I’m not… well, you know how he could be.” She hugged me, and once again, memories of our childhood resurfaced. We had once been so close, but as we grew older, we had drifted apart, with Dad pulling me closer to him.
“I love you, Rena,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
“I know you do, and I have no doubt that you’ll take care of us,” she replied, hugging and kissing my cheek before returning to our mom’s side. Rena gently guided our mom to sit and wrapped her arm around her.
Zal kissed my temple and told me to sit with them. “Go ahead, I’ll let you spend some time with them. I’ll be outside. We need to leave soon. Chip will have our men on them twenty-four-seven while we’re out of town.
They should be safe p>
“Thank you p>
“He seemed nice,” Rena commented as soon as I sat beside her.
“He is. Are you okay with that? With me being gay?” I asked, needing to know her feelings.
“I have friends who are gay. I don’t live in the past.” She didn’t need to say more; I knew exactly who she was referring to—our father.
“Thank you. It means a lot that you’re okay with Zal and me. Do you think Mom would…” I whispered the last part, not wanting our mom to hear.
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“I think she would be fine now that Dad’s gone. I’m still not sure about the closed casket. Felicity won’t tell me. Do you know if this was Dad’s last wish p>
Zal and I had talked about this as well, and he suggested that the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
That included my mom and sister. Newest update provided by.net
“I spoke with our lawyer, and he confirmed it.
The ER doctor said it was a pulmonary embolism. We were having a meeting when Dad had trouble breathing. When I asked Felicity to call an ambulance, Dad fainted.” I hated lying to my family, but I didn’t want them to know what Dad had tried to do to me. It was better this way—Zal said so, and I trusted him.
An hour later, Zal had one of his men drive Mom and Rena back to the house. We said our goodbyes, assuring them that I would be waiting for them to move back into our family home permanently.
“Are you ready?” Zal asked as his hand rested on the small of my back. I leaned into his shoulder, watching the car drive away with my sister and mother. I wasn’t sure how I felt; I felt numb. My dad had just died, and now I was about to run away with my new husband.
“Always, when I’m with you.” I turned to face Zal, my hand caressing his jawline before pulling him close for a gentle kiss.
There was no doubt in my mind about where we were going. I knew I would be safe as long as I was with him.