Page 174 of The Devil's Fire

“Well, I am trying to get drunk to forget. Do you want to remember the words that came out of her mouth?” Arianna glared at Cara, to which she returned with an innocent smile.

“You’re right.” My mother raised her glass. “Salute.”

The longer we sat in the living room, the more drinks they had. They were drunk to the point that they laughed at every single meaningless thing. But I was happy to see my mother happily chatting with Arianna.

“Are you also attending the wedding?” Arianna asked. My mother scoffed and shook her head.

“No. I’m not going anywhere near those bastards.” She gulped down the rest of her wine.

“Bad blood with your ex-husband?” Arianna casually asked, leaving me taken aback. I kept quiet, curious to see if my mother would tell us anything.

My mother remained silent, frowning a bit as it looked like she was remembering back to those days with my father.

“…We didn’t exactly end on good terms.” She answered.

“What happened?” I asked. It was something I have been dying to know, but it was something we never talked about because she refused to, and I learned to let it go.

She let out a sigh, staring at the fireplace with a distant look.

“It was an arranged marriage. We never loved each other.”

My brows raised. I had no idea their marriage was arranged.

“But you always looked happy together?”

“We had to make it work for the sake of our families. My father married me off because he didn’t have a male heir to take over. It’s a ‘man’s world’ as he put it.” She laughed bitterly as her expression turned cold. “It’s all about power, and of course, your father accepted. That’s what it’s all about in the end. Power.”

We were all at a loss for words, feeling sad for her that she was married off to someone she didn’t care for.

“There’s no one like lunnyy svet…” She muttered quietly under her breath. Her expression softened while lost in her thoughts, then vigorously shook her head and abruptly rose from the couch.

“Don’t mind me, girls, I’m talking nonsense. I had a bit too much to drink.” She let out a chuckle. “I’m heading in now. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, mamá.” My heart squeezed at the look of sadness that washed over her face.

fifty-five

Althaia

“So, pregnant, huh?” Arianna started, spinning around in my desk chair. After my mother called it a night, we headed upstairs to my room so we wouldn’t disturb her.

“Yeah, I know. I can barely believe it myself.” I smiled, changing into the t-shirt I had stolen from Damiano.

“Were you not on the pill?” Cara asked, coming out of the bathroom.

“Yes, but I forgot to take them with me. I thought I would be fine since I was only supposed to stay for a week, anyway. It was not like I was expecting to, uh, mess around with anyone during my stay.” I explained, feeling my cheeks get warm.

“Really?” Cara shot me a mischievous look. “I thought you would hook up with Michael since the two of you were constantly flirting.” Cara chuckled, making Arianna look at me with a raised brow.

“You were flirting with someone else?”

“No!” I exclaimed. “Okay, yes, but it was before I even got with Damiano.” I admitted and glared at Cara for opening her big mouth. She was completely oblivious to it and flopped onto the bed.

“Michael as in your childhood friend? Does my brother know?”

“Why would I tell him about my past relationships and flirting?” I asked. “If he asks, I will tell him. Just like I’m not pressuring him to tell me about his past relationships, even though I know he was engaged at some point in his life.”

Arianna whipped her head to face me so fast I was afraid she would break her neck. She looked at me for a long time with furrowed brows, and even Cara sat up on the bed with a shocked expression.

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