Chapter 210: Two Nights Apart
When the plane landed in Astoria, the couple made their way toward the vehicle already waiting for them on the tarmac.
As they approached the car, Aliana’s footsteps came to a sudden halt as when a familiar figure stepped out with a broad grin plastered across his face.
"Welcome back, lovebirds. Good to see you both in one piece. How did the pre-honeymoon go?" Cillian’s cheerful voice rang through the air as he strode towards them.
His brown eyes briefly swept over the ever-stoic Gavriel before settling on Aliana, giving her a playful wink that immediately brought a faint blush to her cheeks at the mention of their "pre-honeymoon."
Clearing her throat, she offered him a small smile. "Cillian, I didn’t know you were coming to receive us."
"How incredibly sweet of me, right? Well, as you must already know, your future husband is a very demanding man."
Aliana turned her eyes in surprise from Cillian to look at Gavriel. He was already watching her intently, and once again she found herself drowning in those deep pools of blue.
"Alright, lovebirds, let’s get moving. It looks like it is going to rain again," Cillian noted cheerfully. "How was the trip? Did anything interesting happen?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the light in Aliana’s eyes dimmed. She lowered her gaze almost immediately, breaking eye contact with Gavriel, while his jaw tightened ever so slightly.
The silence that followed was enough for Cillian’s smile to falter as he read the room. Instantly realising trouble in paradise.
He quietly cleared his throat.
"Right... shall we?" he said, gesturing towards the car, where their luggage had already been loaded from the aircraft.
Aliana only gave a small nod before walking towards the car and quickly climbing into the back seat, as though she were running away from any more questions that might be thrown her way.
Cillian watched her disappear inside the car before turning his curious gaze back to Gavriel, who still wore a grim expression. "I hope you didn’t manage to scare your bride, Gavriel. It looked as though she was running away from you."
Gavriel directed a sharp glare at him, prompting Cillian to raise his hands and chuckle. "It was just a joke."
Without uttering a single word, the brooding devil walked to the car and stepped inside.
Left alone, Cillian sighed toward the sky. "Ah... I should brace myself for the emotional damage I’m about to suffer in that car."
With a quick click of his tongue, he walked toward the driver’s seat.
....
Once the car was on the main road, Cillian tapped his fingers against the steering wheel before glancing at the couple through his rearview mirror.
He wondered what on earth had happened to make them project such a tragic Romeo and Juliet vibe. The atmosphere was incredibly gloomy, which was the exact opposite of what Cillian had expected.
After all, before they left for the trip, they had been practically undressing each other with their eyes alone.
Releasing a quiet sigh, he knew he had to break the news that Jade had passed along to him. Since the mood was bound to stay miserable anyway, he figured he might as well get it out of his system.
Clearing his throat, Cillian spoke up. "So... Aliana... your parents passed on a request since they were unable to get in touch with you while you were on the flight."
This immediately pulled the attention of both to him.
"What is it?" Aliana asked, her brows pulling together slightly
Cillian continued tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he navigated through the traffic. "They want you to stay with them today and tomorrow before the wedding."
"Why?" Gavriel demanded, his expression already twisting into deep displeasure.
"Well... they want to spend some quality time with their daughter before she gets married." Cillian replied honestly, repeating exactly what he had heard from Jade.
Silence settled over the car for a brief moment.
Cillian had been certain they would both reject the request immediately.
Instead, their answers came at exactly the same time.
"Alright."
"No."
Causing Cillian to immediately pull the car over to the side of the road and hit the brakes. His head turned back, only to find the couple already staring at each other with matching frowns on their faces.
Gavriel’s expression tightened, and he spoke in a low, controlled voice.
"Ana-"
But Aliana cut him off.
"Gav, they are my parents. They would be hurt if I rejected their request."
As they held each other’s gaze, Cillian could see just how much Gavriel was holding back his emotions by the sheer tension radiating from his frame. Bloody hell... Cillian never thought he would see the day where Gavriel struggled this hard to restrain himself for anyone.
When his eyes darted to Aliana, he was amazed to find her turning into an ice queen as she held Gavriel’s gaze fearlessly. And thought she was truly the only woman capable of managing such a feat.
Just then, Gavriel’s voice came out dangerously low. "It is not safe for you, Ana."
Aliana’s eyes softened, knowing exactly where he was coming from, and the thought that he was thinking only of her safety squeezed her heart painfully.
Yet, in her mind, she knew the current threat... Jacob was gone because she had already.... killed him. The fact sat like a dagger piercing her chest. Never in her life had she imagined she would turn into a murderer.
On top of that, the guilt of committing such a crime while keeping it a secret from Gavriel was slowly eating her alive from the inside.
She knew he deserved to know the truth. He deserved to know exactly what kind of a monstrous, filthy woman he was marrying.
Every act of kindness from him, every gentle word and soft touch he showed her, only added to the suffocating burden of guilt she carried in her heart.
So she thought.... perhaps some time away from him would give her a chance to think more clearly.
Their wedding was the day after tomorrow, and she knew she had to confess to him before then.
For that, she needed one day away from him.
Just one day to think this through, even though she knew everything could fall apart the moment the truth left her lips.
It took everything in her not to break down again and replied in a soft voice, "I’ll be fine, Gav. It’s just... two nights."
Her fingers slowly curled into tight fists until her knuckles turned white.
"The two people who posed a threat and were responsible for the previous incident are... not there anymore. Besides..." Her gaze lowered, and her voice grew quieter. "...it’s my parents. They deserve at least this much after everything they’ve done to raise me and bring me into this world."
When Alian put it that way, both Cillian and Gavriel understood where she was coming from because Aliana’s parents were not horrible people who had ever mistreated her.
In fact, they had raised her like a precious princess, and asking for just two nights with their daughter was not an unreasonable request.
The only problem was that Aliana’s situation had become far too complicated when it came to her safety, making the thought of leaving her without Gavriel’s protection a dangerous one.
Cillian’s eyes drifted back to Gavriel, and he could tell the man was already thinking ten steps ahead.
As the seconds stretched into minutes, Gavriel finally conceded. "Fine. If that is what you wish."
Aliana lifted her eyes to meet his and was momentarily taken aback by the intensity with which he was looking at her.
"But promise me you will not step outside the house for these two nights."
Aliana nodded softly. "Okay. I won’t."
A cold mask slipped back over his handsome face before he shifted his gaze to meet Cillian’s eyes.
"To the Vanderbilt Estate."