Escaping my Mafia Husband

Chapter 6

They’re all here, even Serena, who’s supposed to be on her honeymoon right now. And Jenna.

God, I don’t want to see her.

But I don’t say anything. I just stand there with all four of them: Freya, brown-haired and judgy, arms folded tight across her chest starts first, "And? Where’s the guy?"

I blink at her. "What guy?" Yeah, that won’t fly. When she narrows her eyes at me, I look away."He’s gone."

"Claire, just because of what happened last night, did you really have to do that?" Serena asks.

I expected her to pounce on me for wrecking her reception, but instead she just looks… concerned. Which, depending on the day, feels a little judgy too.

"It’s not about that," I try, but then Jenna opens her mouth. I shoot her a look that shuts her up mid-sentence.

"Why are you even here?" I snap. "Do you think we’re still friends?"

"Claire, " her voice cracks. "It’s really over. Me and Austin, I ended it last night. I’m sorry for what I did. It just… got out of control."

"I don’t want your excuses," I say. "You were screwing him for months. Sneaking around. And the two of you," I jab a finger at Serena and Freya, "you covered it up and laughed like it was a joke."

Serena glances at Freya. "Honestly? I thought you knew,” she said, giving me a look that makes no sense “I figured you were just pretending. I mean, Austin never exactly screamed honesty."

"He sold your car to fund his business," Freya adds, like I forgot.

I rake a hand through my hair and squeeze the back of my neck. When Austin did that, I thought I was done with him. We broke up. Nearly a year passed. But the persistent bastard just wouldn’t leave me alone, and somehow… I forgave him.

"We thought you accepted him," Serena says. "That you’d moved on." She shrugs.

"I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with getting married anyway."

My eyes snap to Freya. "What’s that supposed to mean?" Was she calling me desperate?

Freya breathes in like she’s out of patience. "Face it, Claire. You’re obsessed with getting married."

Serena grabs her arm, trying to shut her up. Too late. The words poke something fragile in me. Something that doesn’t heal right.

I stare at the two of them. "Are you calling me desperate?" I ask.

"It's just..." Serena starts, throwing a nervous glance at Freya, "you know what happened in high school and everything. It’s made you a little bad at letting go."

I smile, but my insides go cold. I don’t let it show. "Stop talking like you care about how I feel, Serena. I heard you at the wedding, remember? Talking about how oblivious and foolish I am. You can say more. What are you softening the blow for? We’re already done as friends."

It’s Freya who takes offense. She yanks her hand away and glares at me. "You see? This is what I’m talking about. She’s so full of herself even though she has nothing."

My throat works around a response, but I don’t speak. Serena does. "Claire… after you dated Scott in high school and he... did that, you’ve kind of been afraid to let people go."

She actually went there. I stand there reeling. My eyes sting, and I get angry at myself for it. Why should I cry? They’re the ones being assholes. "Screw you, Serena."

She gasps, looking at me like I just slapped her.

"Are you saying because Scott pretended to date me for weeks and made me a school-wide joke, now I just cling to any guy who’ll have me?"

"Well if that’s not the case," she snaps, "why else have you been with Austin for years, even though you know what a messed-up guy he is? He doesn’t have a job. You feed him, clothe him, cook for him, and you still talk about marrying him like that’s the best thing you could ever achieve."

Freya laughs. "You’re a joke, Claire. To him and to everybody. Because you don’t respect yourself. The minute a guy shows you a little attention, you fall like an i***t and blind yourself to every red flag."

My lips tremble. I bite down hard to stop it.

Jenna jumps in. "Guys, stop. This isn’t why we came here today."

But before I can say anything, Serena cuts her down.

"Oh shut up, Jenna. You act like a victim all the time, but you just wanted to burst Claire’s bubble. Just say it."

"What?" I blink. My throat hurts, my fists tremble. I’m standing here listening to my best friends say what they’ve really thought about me for years.

"Say it, Jenna. Freya’s already made her point, and Serena agrees. So what else do you have against me?"

Jenna shakes her head. Her blonde curls bounce with the motion. "I don’t– "

"She thinks you’re pathetic." Freya again.

Serena gasps. "Freya, " But Freya just shrugs.

"I’m being honest. Claire, your low self-esteem kept you in a relationship with Austin for nine years. We raised every red flag we could, but you ignored them. And now? You’ve gone and slept with a complete stranger." She sneers. "What did he say, that he’s attracted to you?"

"Freya." Serena’s tone turns sharp. "I don’t like what you’re saying. You’re being mean for no reason. I’m sure it didn’t happen. Claire wouldn’t do something that stupid."

Now they’re looking at me, expecting me to shake my head, to plead with them not to blemish my name, not to misunderstand me. Like I’m supposed to defend myself, say I’m not a slut or a fool who clings to any guy that shows me a little attention.

But what the f**k do I care about people like this?

These girls I’ve been with for most of my life know nothing about me. They think they do. They judge me behind my back and smile to my face. I’m done with that.

"I f****d him," I say, and a small smile twists my lips. My lashes feel faintly wet, but the smile spreads. "And it was the best f**k of my life."

They all gasp. Because Claire doesn’t cuss. Claire is the quiet one, the obedient one, the one who keeps to herself. The geek. Then Austin Myer picked her out of several girls in college and she swooned. Claire Morgan doesn’t get attention from guys unless it’s assholes looking to leech off her. That’s who they think I am. That’s who I might think I am. But right now? I enjoy their shock. I enjoy stepping out of character, if only for a moment.

"Claire," Serena whispers like I just confessed to murder.

Jenna’s eyes redden like she blames herself for all of this. Freya just stares at me, her lips curled.

"What?" I ask. "You didn’t see that coming?"

"You know he’s not coming back, right?" Freya says. "A guy like that and a woman like you? It’s wild that he even slept with you."

"He’s coming back," I say, certain. Like I know what Aleksei wants in life. "He will come back, and when he does, we’re going to f**k again. Don’t like it? Then get the f**k out of my life."

"Claire," Serena calls after me, but I shut the door in their faces.

I stand against it. My shoulders slump. The tight control I’ve been holding onto slips through my fingers, and it’s just me and the silence, full of every fear I’ve tried to bury.

Freya was right. Aleksei won’t come back. Why would he? Last night meant nothing to him. It was dark, and I probably looked vaguely attractive under the blue s*x lights, but now it’s morning. Now it’s reality. My stupidly red hair stands out like a warning sign. My pale face looks ghost-like, and my gray eyes, God, they’re so boring. Worse behind the goggles I always wear.

It was Serena who styled my dress last night. The only trendy dress I own. Everything else I wear is… forgettable. Aleksei isn’t coming back. I gave myself to the first guy who looked at me like I was worth something.

I cover my face with one hand, a sardonic smile stretching my lips. I knew I should have dumped Austin. But I didn’t. Not really. He always came back. And I let him.

I walk through every day like a ghost, work, market, library, home. I don’t get hit on. I don’t get noticed. Austin clung to me, and maybe that was enough. Maybe I just wanted to feel wanted so badly, I ignored everything under my nose. Or worse, I chose not to see it.

Pathetic, my mom would have said. And she’d be right. I feel pathetic. I’m ashamed of myself.

There’s a knock at the door. I sigh. What more do they want? Haven’t they said enough?

The knock comes again, harder now. Persistent. Just like Serena. She’s like a dog with a bone when she sets her mind to something.

I yank the door open, frustration burning in my chest.

Serena’s still there in the hallway, but she’s moved to the side. And now Aleksei is standing in front of me.

My eyes widen. My first instinct is to slam the door and fix myself, make myself look halfway decent. I start to shut it, but he stops it with one hand.

"Locking me out?" he asks.

In daylight, he looks impossibly out of my league. He looks like a rockstar in a suit. My stomach flips.

I slept with this guy last night? My fingers lose their strength. I step back. He steps in. Serena and Jenna say something behind him, but I don’t hear a thing.

He closes the door behind him, turns to face me. I blink, try to gather what’s left of my dignity, and lift my head.

"Why did you come back?" I ask, voice soft.

"I forgot something," he says.

"What?"

I can’t think of anything he left. He was gone before daylight even touched the curtains. The bed was cold.

His fingers find my chin, tilting my face up.

Oh no. He’s going to look at me and realize I’m nothing like what he remembers. I try to pull away. Then he says, "Do you want to get married?"

My jaw hits the floor. "What?" I ask, certain I’ve misheard him.

His hand drops. He slips both into his pockets, calm as anything. "Do you want to get married, little bunny?"