Chapter 347
Chapter 347 Shots Fired
E
The silence of my apartment was a loud contrast to the charged atmosphere in the car ride home.
Logan’s proposition still lingered in my mind, apanied by an unwavering feeling of dread.
Soon, Logan might have to meet my parents. This wasn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t what I had
nned. And inside of me, all the while, Ema roiled with anger because I had pushed Logan away.
She didn’t understand, couldn’t fathom why I had repelled Logan, our fated mate, when the connection,
the want, was so palpable, so maic between us.
“Why, E?” Ema’s voice was barely more than a whisper, like a warm summer breeze rustling through
my thoughts. “The desire, the connection, it was all there. Why did you push him away?”
Sighing, I made my way toward the bathroom to take my makeup off.
The bathroom was my favorite room in my apartment in a strange way; the soft sage green tiles, the
nts I kept hanging in the window, the scent ofvender, the old w foot bathtub. On a whim, I
decided to turn on the faucet and run a hot bath. The steam began to fill the small room, filling me with
a sense of calm at the same time.
“It’s not that simple, Ema,” I muttered out loud, my gaze fixed on the water as it began to swirl around
the bottom of the tub.
“But it is,” she insisted, a hint of impatience coloring her words. “He is our mate, our destiny. He is
trying, trying so hard to show us he is more than the life he was born into, that he wishes for escape,
for redemption. Why can’t you see that?”
“I do see that, Ema. Trust me, I do.” I closed my eyes, a sigh escaping my lips. “Listen. You might be
right, partially,” I conceded. “But you’re not seeing the whole picture, Ema. He might be struggling, but
he is still intertwined with the darkness, with a world we can’t be a part of.”
Ema’s silence was thoughtful, probing. “But do you really believe that? Do you really believe that we
belong only to the ‘right side’ as you call it, that we can’t walk in the shadows, at least for a time?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. The conversation was beginning to steer toward territory that I didn’t feel
like delving into right now.
“I don’t want my parents to know about this… liaison with Logan, however fictitious it might be,” I said
as I began to let my hair down in the mirror and wipe my makeup off. “I hoped to present him as a mere
business acquaintance to my father, nothing more. But now, this ‘engagement party’ feels like…
shackles.”
Ema was persistent, her words gentle yet relentless. “But are you truly shackled, E? You had multiple
chances to flee, to escape this tangled web. Yet, here you are.”
I stared at the reflection in the bathroom mirror, the truth in Ema’s words wrapping around me like
vines, “I stayed because of my integrity, Ema,” I murmured, but the words tasted like ash in my mouth.
Deep within, buried beneathyers of denial and fear, was the acknowledgment of a different truth, a
truth I wasn’t ready to embrace. “I had to maintain my honor, my principles.”
Inside of me, I could feel Ema preparing to speak. But before she could, a loud ring broke through the
silence, causing her presence to fade.
With a start, I slipped my phone out and looked at the screen, quietly cursing under my breath as I saw
Moana’s picture staring back at me.
I knew that she would get suspicious if I ignored the call, so, stepping out of the bathroom, I slid the
button to answer. I was met momentster with Moana’s head of unruly red hair and her freckled face,
which had aged only slightly over the years. Her green eyes still held the image of a young woman,
with only the faintest wrinkles appearing on her fair face.
“Hey, E… Ooh!” she eximed, grinning as she saw my outfit. “All dressed up?”
Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.
I swallowed, realizing that I was still in my party dress. “I, erm… Went out,” I said, which wasn’t a
complete lie.
“You sound different, E,” she noted with a teasing lilt in her voice. “There’s a certain glow in your
voice, and your cheeks are all rosy. I’m a mom, so I can tell. It was a date, wasn’t it?”
I could feel my cheeks indeed warming up, as I stammered, trying to dismiss her observations. “Mom,
it’s just been a busy day, that’s all.”
“Oh,e on,” she pressed on, her voice dancing with amusement. “I’ve been your mother long
enough to know when my little girl has found someone special. So, who is he?”
A deep sigh escaped my lips, my defenses crumbling. “Alright, fine,” I admitted, biting my lip. “I… I’ve
met someone. His name’s Logan, and I… I want you to meet him.”
Moana’s eyes widened. A heavy silence settled on the other end of the line, filled with a mixture of
surprise and curiosity.
“Meet him?” My father’s voice finally broke through, coated with a hint of wariness. A momentter, he
was snatching the phone away from Moana, and his face came into view.
It was just as I always remembered it: dark hair, sharp features, cool gray eyes. His hair had a salt-and-
pepper look to it these days, and he had been sporting a bit of facial hairtely. He’d been wearing his
sses more, too: wire- rimmed and perfect for him.
“E, you’ve never been one to rush into things. What’s got you so eager for us to meet this man?”
The air around me felt denser as I hesitated, unsure how to frame the words. “We’re… engaged,” I
mumbled quickly, half hoping they wouldn’t catch the lies in my tone.
I wasn’t even entirely sure why I confessed to all of this, when only a few minutes earlier I had been
hemming and hawing over the idea. It just sort of slipped out.
“Engaged?” Both voices collided in shock. “Already?”
A mixture of embarrassment and defiance bubbled within me. “It was fast, I know,” responded a little
too quickly, gripping the phone tighter. “But we’re fated mates. It just feels right, so why wait?”
Their silence was more contemtive this time, mixed with a tinge of happiness and concern. “Fated
mates?” My mother whispered, her voice soft and thoughtful. “That’s rare, E… We definitely need to
meet him.”
“But E,” my father added, the protective edge to his voice more pronounced, “it’s just… we want to
be sure he’s the right one for you.”
I opened my mouth to respond when the sudden sound of gunshots echoed from down the street. It
was an all toomon symphony in my neighborhood, a chilling reminder of the stark realities of the
world around me.
My heart sank as my parents, attuned to every nuance in my environment, picked up on the
disturbance.
“What was that, E?” My father’s voice was sharp, rmed. “Are you okay?”
Panic and worry were evident in their tones, and a swarm of questions followed.
“Are you safe, honey?” Moana asked, her green eyes filled with worry. “Oh, Edrick, I told you that city
has gotten worse…”
“E,” my father said, his eyes narrowing, “if you’re unsafe there, you need to tell us. Don’t keep this
from us.”
My words tumbled out in hurried reassurance, trying to quell their rising fears. “It’s nothing, just some
fireworks,” I lied, praying they would believe me.
“But E-” my mother began, concerncing her every word.
“Really, Mom, Dad, I’m fine.” I insisted, hoping my voice sounded more convincing than I felt. “There’s
nothing to worry about.”
Reluctantly, they seemed to ept my exnation, but the worry lingered, a shadow behind their
words as we continued our conversation.
But then came the subject of when they would meet Logan… and where.
“Maybe we shoulde there,” Moana said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Or you two coulde
here. You know your room is always ready for you, E.”
I swallowed. In the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of the tub almost full, and took it as my opportunity to
get out.
“We’ll talkter,” I said, forcing a weak smile. “Love you guys.”
Before they could even answer, I quickly hung up and let out a deep, exasperated sigh
Did I really want to invite my parents to this city?