Elysia threw her arm around Amara''s shoulders with a carefree grin. "Let''s just sit here and let him do the work. We''d just get in the way if we tried to help, anyway."


    Amara sighed with a helpless smile and plopped down beside Elysia. She gave up on the idea of helping Lucian and instead joined Elysia in lounging under the warm sun, chatting away.


    Lucian was a whirlwind of efficiency, swiftly organizing the massive task all on his


    own.


    Honestly, the trickiest part of a barbecue is prepping the meat and skewers. The grilling itself is straightforward, albeit a bit smoky.


    Amara and Elysia didn''t mind the smoke at all. In fact, they found grilling their own skewers to be quite entertaining. The three of them gathered around the grill,ughing and cooking together.<fnf025> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n Find1Novel</fnf025>


    Elysia and Lucian enjoyed their beers, while Amara stuck to her fruit juice, especially now that she was pregnant.


    They kept the fun going until a little after nine when Elysia''s phone buzzed. The screen read "Hubby."


    Amara and Lucian fell silent. They all knew theplicated situation between Elysia and her husband, Dorian, so they let her handle it. Elysia''s smile faded as she answered the call.


    "Yeah?" she replied coolly. "What''s up?"


    "Where are you?" Dorian''s voice came through, sounding as stormy as ever.


    By now, thekeside had quieted down, and the surrounding area was peaceful. Amara and Lucian could easily overhear Dorian''s voice.


    "I''m out having fun. Why?"


    They hadn''t spoken in days, and Elysia wondered what had prompted Dorian to call her tonight.


    "When are youing home?" His words were sharp.


    "In a few days."


    "How many more days until you''re back?"


    "Yeah, a few. Why?"


    Elysia''s tone was casual, neither confrontational nor overly affectionate-just in and straightforward.


    Dorian seemed to say something else, but a sudden gust of wind drowned out his words. Not wanting to bother asking him again, Elysia ended the call.


    Once she hung up, Elysia''s smile returned. She clinked her beer bottle against Lucian''s.


    By the time eleven rolled around, Elysia and Lucian were still nursing their drinks. They liked to sip and cking breaks between counds, which is why they were still at it.  s


    These two could talk all night drink in hand, but Amara was


    starting to feel the fatigue tha


    waved them off You guys keep at itim heading to bed."


    belongs to s


    "Alright, Ama, let me walk you back," Elysia offered, knowing Amara should avoid staying up toote.


    Amara patted her shoulder. "No


    need, the ce is well-lit, and there are plenty of people around till get back just fine. And don''t drink too much, okay? Wrap it up in half an hour and get some sleep."  s


    "Got it. Text me when you''re in your room."


    Amara headed back, exhaustion taking over. She quickly got ready for bed, and soon, she was fast asleep.


    The trio had rented a three-bedroom suite. The next morning, Amara went to check on Elysia but found her room empty, the bed untouched, and the door ajar.


    Given howte Elysia and Lucian had stayed up drinking, it didn''t seem likely that Elysia would be up and about so early. So where was she?


    Amara nced at Lucian''s closed door, and a bold thought struck her. Her eyes widened in surprise.