I felt stupid as hell, and as I stared down at the bikini still on my body, I suddenly wanted to rip it off, cause after all what Marco said, I didn’t feel good in it anymore. Although, I was very certain he was more than mistaken when he said that the other guys had been eye fucking me.


    I let out a sigh as I stepped out of the kitchen, minutes after Marco had left as well, and I stumbled to a stop at the sight of Marco and Aisha kissing by the curve of the kitchen. Lead settled in my stomach, and I felt bile gather in my throat as I quickly turned away from the sight and ran up the stairs.


    Once in my room, as I mmed the door shut and leaned against the door, I was feeling a little dizzy as after abd disgust swan through ms in waves.


    A part of what Marco said in the kitchen resurfaced in my mind, and I exhaled, feeling sick at the reminder that he saw me as a friend and nothing more. When he began to berate me in the kitchen, I had hoped that it was because he was jealous of me and not because he was looking out for me as a freaking friend!


    The sight of this bikini just pissed me off even more and I pulled then off before going into the bathroom to go shower, while still feeling hurt and pained as hell.


    After taking a shower, Iid in bed, clutching the pillow to my chest as I tried not to let myself wallow in self pity too much, cause it was clearly not gonna change my situation.


    Zane was yet toe back, and I was waiting for him, cause I nned to tell him that I wasn’t interested in doing this anymore, and then I’ll leave for him today. Screw this wedding, screw everything<b>, </b>cause meing here <b>was </b>clearly pointless. The sight of Marco and Aisha together was hurting <b>me </b>even more, it wasn’t getting better, it was getting even worst, so I think it’s best that I leave today, before I end up doing something stupid like bursting into tears on their wedding day in the presence of everyone, or objecting to the union when the priest asks if anyone in the congregation is against <b>the </b>couple getting joined together.


    At that very moment, a call came into my phone and after checking the screen, I was surprised to see that it was one of my elder brothers.


    In the next moment, I tensed up, cause I had a feeling I already knew why he was calling me.


    I chewed on my bottom lip, feeling anxious and contemting ignoring the call. But at the end of the day, I decided against that cause that would only drag this confrontation out even more.


    11:47 Wed, <b>3 </b>Sept


    Chapter 11.


    “Heyyyy, Hugo…” I breathed out as cheerily as I could after epting the call.


    BK 47% &


    “Addison, please tell me you’re not in Italy right now because of your ex’s wedding.” He demanded, cutting straight to the chase and I winced, biting at the inside of my mouth as I struggled toe up with a response.


    “Don’t bother trying to lie right now, we just heard from mother that you’re there.” He pointed out and I winced again.


    Of course mother ratted me out!


    I asked her not to tell my elder siblings about this, and she promised not to. But of course she went against her words after they probably just asked if she had heard from me.


    I didn’t tell my older siblings about meing here, cause I already knew they’d all be vehemently against it. After all, they saw how broken I was after the breakup five years ago, and if they had known that I wasing here, they’d havee over to physically stop me from leaving the house.


    “I just came to support my friend<b>, </b>what’s so bad about that?” I demanded in a firm voice, and augh echoed in the background of the phone before my sister’s voice was filling my ear.


    “Didi, cut the bullshit. We know you’re not over the bastard yet and that’s why you went over, not because you wanna support his fuck ass wedding.” My elder sister, Raven, said into the phone, cutting straight through my bullshit and hitting the nail right on the head.


    Ouch.


    Embarrassment rippled through my entire body as <b>I </b>listened to my siblings start to argue over how much I care about Marco, and how bad I’ve got it, despite the fact that I was listening to them right


    now.


    <b>“</b>Guys, stop it. I’m really over him.” I <b>insisted </b>in a voice I hoped came out firm, but it sounded feeble to


    my ears.


    “Liar” Raven sing songed and I felt my <b>face </b>heat up in embarrassment even though they were not here right now.


    “You know we just care <b>about </b>you <b>too </b>much as our baby sister, that’s why we’re worried. If you return from this <b>wedding </b>worse than <b>you </b>were when you left, that would really crush us. You were barely hanging on before this damn wedding, you never dated, never had fun, you only lost yourself to work and nothing else.” Tristan, my oldest brother spoke this time, his voice calm and soothing.


    11:47 Wed, 3 Sept


    I swallowed the lump in my throat before struggling for <b>what </b>to say.


    3


    “Guys, I–I’m really over him, I promise! And I’ve dated before, I’m just too busy with work”


    “You call what you did with those guys dating? We know you never gave them a chance. They were responsible men who were genuinely interested in you.” Hugo spoke this time and I sighed.


    “That’s a lie, most of them were after my body.” I muttered and my brothers cursed in the background and threatened to rip off the head of those men while Raven wrestled the phone from them.


    “Honey,


    . promise me that you’ll take care of yourself and not let yourself fall into another dark hole.” She prompted, her voice filled with care and worry, and I sighed, feeling shitty that i was worrying my siblings at my grown as fuck age.


    “I promise, guys, and I’m really over him.” I affirmed.


    “Oh, yeah? So, you have a date with you over there?” Hugo drawled and I scoffed.


    “Of course I do.” I responded before I could stop myself.


    “Really?”


    “Who??”


    “So you guys are like, dating?”


    They all spoke at the same time, and I badly want to take that word back and tell them the truth, but I really want them to rx and stop worrying about me for once, and to trust me that I was handling myself just fine, which was why I responded with a, “yes, <b>we’re </b>dating.”


    “Then you have to bring him over right after the wedding! How could you keep this from us, Addison??” Raven cried out, then there was the sound of the phone being wrestled for again.


    “How long has this rtionship being <b>going </b>on?” <b>Tristan </b><b>asked </b><b>and </b>I swallowed emptily.


    At this point, it was toote to go <b>back</b>.


    “Two years” I mumbled.


    “Why didn’t you tell us anything?” He asked and I shrugged, not wanting to <b>make </b>them think they were the reason I kept my supposed boyfriend a secret from them.


    “I–I <b>was </b>waiting for him to get serious” Hinally breathed out.


    “<b>So</b>… this means you’ll bring him over toe see us after the <b>wedding</b>, yes?” He continued and I


    11:47 Wed, 3 Sept A


    sighed underneath my breath.


    “<b>Yes</b>.<b>” </b>


    K.47%&


    “Good. We’ll be expecting you.” He informed me, before my other siblings managed to get the phone. again, but I tuned the rest of the phone call out and then I was flopping against the bed and letting out a loud groan after the call ended.


    What the fuck was that?


    The door got opened in that moment and Zane stepped in and closed the door after him. He was still shirtless, and my eyes briefly wandered over his shoulders and abs before I nced away as soon as my mouth went dry.


    “You good?” He asked leisurely as he sauntered over to the bed, his presence taking up all the space in the room, and making me feel weirdly breathless as I cleared my throat and sat up, then I shook my


    head.


    “I–I don’t think our n is still onboard.” I informed him and his eyes narrowed as he cocked his head.


    “What? Why? You changed your mind?”


    I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face. “Well, Marco said that was cheap of me, about the bikini 1 had on, and that he expected better of me cause usually I’m not one to reveal my body. So, he was disappointed in me… and I don’t like making him feel disappointed.” I muttered, my chest feeling tight and my heart sinking into my stomach as that encounter resurfaced in my mind.


    Zane let out a sigh, then he was sitting on the bed before me and reaching for my shoulders.


    “That’s because he knows exactly what to say to get to you. He knows what to say to break your spirit,” He pointed out before giving me an unimpressed look. “And why didn’t you listen to me? You were supposed to refuse when hees to you asking if you can both speak privately.”


    He paused before continuing. “I know your feelings for him are intense, but to achieve the goal you’re aiming for, you’d need to fight against your feelings really hard till you’ve gotten him where you want.”


    I nced away from him, feeling ashamed that my feelings were getting called out once again like this, merely minutes after that embarrassing phone call from my family.


    11:48 Wed, 3 SeptA