A sigh escaped my mouth and I got up from my seat and walked towards my bedroom. As I sat on my bed, somebody knocked on my door and I stood up.

　　"Is it Zachary? I thought he has already left. Why is he knocking?" I whispered to myself as I walked to the door and opened it only to reveal Kiara.


　　"Kiara!" I smiled and took a step aside letting her walk in.

　　"Am I disturbing you?" she asked as she walked to the chair and sat on it.

　　"Nope! Not all!" I said and took the other seat, sitting before her.


　　"I just came here to apologize once again. Juliette trust me, I was a coward. I saw guns and blood and when you called some of Mr. Sullivan's man were around me keeping their eyes on my move. I was scared and that was the reason why I..You know behaved as if I didn't know you. I am really sorry" she said and I could see the regret in her eyes.

　　"You can't believe, what I have been through. I was traumatic losing you like that. But then I believe my pain must be nothing before yours. Juliette," she stood up ad knelt before me keeping her hands on my thigh.


　　"Tell me, how are you? I got to know everything about that Emmett being Nicholas recently and I have been told that you know it too" she asked and I nodded pursing my lips I held her hands in mine.

　　"I am fine now. Honestly, I was broken both from outside and inside knowing that the person whom I loved the most cheated me, betrayed me. I was loving an unreal person and that is what hurts me the most" I sighed and she squeezed my hands.

　　"I am sorry for failing as a friend. I should have been there for you but look at me. I am such a coward" she put her head on my thigh sobbing.

　　"Kiara! Please stop blaming yourself. I understand and honestly, I don't blame you. It's okay. I'm all over it now and I have got nothing to do with him anymore," as I said that she looked up at me.

　　"And what about Mr. Sullivan?" she asked and I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

　　"How does he treat you? Did he hurt you or did he tor-" I cut her off.

　　"Kiara!" I said and she halted in mid-sentence. "Look around! Do you see any bruise or sadness in my face? I am free in this big house and nobody has ever tortured or hurt me. Zachary has always saved me from every problem and the only one who has ever tried to hurt me is Nicholas" I said his name with distaste.

　　"Kiara, do you know this? He wants to kill me and he is after my m-" this time she cut me off "Your money."

　　"You know?" I asked shocked and she nodded "Your father told me and Jace everything."

　　"Truthfully I believed that in all this, Mr. Sullivan is the villain until I got to know about that jerk, Nicholas" she said and I nodded smiling a little.

　　"And yeah! It is also your fault!" she said raising her tone all of a sudden scolding me.

　　"What?"

　　"Yes, when we all told you that we don't like him, you chose to ignore us. See what happened" she said and got up but then stopped when her eyes fell on the region just below my neck.

　　"I see bruises" she sand and sat on the chair.

　　"What?" I hid the damn hickey marks with my cardigan and shifted on my seat.

　　"When you asked me if I can see any bruises on your skin, I do! I can clearly see it" she had a smug look on her face which I wanted to slap away.

　　"No, it isn't what you think" I tried to explain but she shook her head mocking me.

　　"Kiara!"

　　"Kiara, stop!"

　　"I will kill you!" like kids we were running inside the room. I chased her while she laughed and I missed her when she ran circling the chair. When we were near the bed, I grabbed a bolster and threw it on her. The bolster hit her on her face and she tumbled on the bed and I joined her and tickled her until the point where tears streamed down her face.

　　"Okay! Okay, I'm sorry. I won't tease" she said and then I let her go and lay down next to her.

　　"Do you like him?" she asked all of a sudden looking my way.

　　"What? No! No, I mean I don't know" I sighed and then looked up all of a saddened and confused by my own feelings.

　　"What do you mean by you don't know? What is this love bites then? Was it not in mutua-" she asked and I looked at her.

　　"I was drunk last night!" I said and watched as her eyes grew big to the size of a saucer.

　　"What? Does this mean he forced himself on y-"

　　"Kiara!" I snapped.

　　"Then?" she asked.

　　"As much I remembered..." I licked my lips feeling little ashamed and awkward to tell her that.

　　"I-I kind of forced myself on him" I completed and she jumped off the bed looking at me astonished.

　　"What? Oh my goodness!" and then she was laughing.

　　"Kiara!" I threw the pillow on her.

　　"Yes, I agree. You can actually do that when you are drunk" she said and I got up in a crouching position on the bed. "Really?" I asked and she nodded.

　　"You just lose it when you're drunk. Your emotions reflect from within you and guessing from what you just told me, I think" she halted.

　　"You think what?" I asked urging her to speak up.

　　"I think that you, my friend, are in love" she sang and I rolled my eyes at her even though I felt my cheeks burning. I fell on the bed from my side and hid my face using the pillow.

　　"No, are you mad? It's nothing like that!" I argued.

　　"Oh stop denying it," she said in a singsong tone.

　　"Stop it, Kiara!" I groaned.

　　"Fine! Tell me does he know this? Did you tell him that you at least like him?" she asked all of a sudden curious.

　　"No, he doesn't know. And what will he even know? I don't love him!" I argued.

　　"Okay! You don't even like him?" she asked.

　　"No!"

　　"Okay!" she said and lied down next to me.

　　"You know he is handsome and he is rich. If you have no interest in him, can I take him?" before she could finish I jolted up from the bed and snapped "Kiara!"

　　"What?"

　　"Don't even think of that! Do you understand?" I snapped and felt anger boiling up my blood.

　　"Why? What is your problem? He may like me asw-"

　　"He.is.mine" I said enunciating each word. As soon as I said that the room fell into a silence and she just stood there staring at me and then all of a sudden burst out laughing.

　　"Gotcha!" she said in between laughs.

　　"What?" I asked and sighed pinching the bridge of my nose.

　　"Do you remember when I told you I don't like Emmett and even told you that I just put a finger on what I felt odd in him?" she asked and I looked at her.

　　"It's his behavior and the way he treated you. It was as if he always wanted to keep you wrapped around his finger. Juliette, listen to me" she said and all of a sudden became serious as she walked up to me.

　　"Listen to me. I think Zachary Udolf Sullivan is the right choice for you. Do you know why I am saying this to you?" she asked and I waited for her to complete.

　　"Because he came to me and lectured me for being a coward friend. He told me that if you were in my place then you would have never acted the way I did, in fact, you would have done anything in your capability to reach me. He asked me to come to you and not to leave you alone. Juliette, he completely thinks about you. And I think he likes you too and yes, he is the right choice for you. Don't deny it" she said.

　　"What? he told you all this?" I asked and she nodded.

　　"He told me that he is going to a meeting and I should mend the relationship between us," she said and smiled at the end.

　　"Juliette, listen to me. Accept him and the feelings that feel for him before anyone enters and tried to create misunderstanding between you two. Accept it now else, unfortunately, I have to tell you this," she kept her hand on my cheeks "you will have to go through that pain and suffering again which you went through because of Nicholas. Trust me, challenge your feelings and accept it before its too late. And even let him know this" she said and again for the third time of the day, her words left me in deep thoughts.