Chapter 2

• Eliana (Three Months Later)
• "Are you insane? How can you be getting married barely three months after dad was shot and killed? Have you forgotten you nearly died too?" I snapped at my mother, shooting up from the couch as if I was possessed.
• "Weren't you the one who kept on worrying about me staying alone? About getting a person to protect me? Well, this is me doing just that," my mother calmly replied, uncrossing her legs as she remained seated. Her nonchalance on the matter did not sit well with me. It reminded me of how oddly calm she handled my father's death.
• "But I didn't hint at you getting married! The case hasn't even been solved yet; dad's killer is still at large, and you're...you know what? I'm leaving." I wasn't dressed up, but the last thing I wanted was to stay anywhere near my mother at that time. She was betraying my father in the worst possible way, yet she didn't seem bothered at all.
• "So you do not want me to be happy. You want me to stay miserable for the rest of my life, mourning your father. Is that it?" I ignored her and decided to go to my room upstairs to pick up my purse. I thought I was hallucinating; I wasn't anywhere near ready to have a stepfather at my age. I was twenty, for goodness sake!
• "I am talking to you, Eliana!" She finally stood, grasping her arm around my elbow to stop me from making another step. I rolled my eyes when she tightened her grip, demanding attention.
• "I know you're judging me right now without giving me a chance to explain myself. That is not fair, and you know it," she insisted. I looked at her hand around my elbow, then back at her pleading eyes.
• "What is not fair is you throwing away your marriage with dad. He doesn't deserve to be forgotten this soon..." I trailed off, his face flashing right before my eyes.
• "I have not forgotten him; I cannot forget him even if I tried. But I cannot hold on to him when he's already gone." She let go of me, lowering her voice as another emotion took charge. She hung her head, her face displaying a sulky look. Maybe I was being too harsh on her.
• "You have no idea how much I miss him, Ellie. God, I miss him," she added in a broken whisper.
• "But you're getting married. How long have you even dated this man you want to marry?" I was curious; my brows furrowed when she looked around, fumbling with words.
• "Uum...two weeks?" It came off like a question, and the answer made me stumble backwards as if I had been suddenly hit on the chest.
• "You're planning to wed a man you've known for only two weeks?" I shrieked, widening my eyes at her in disbelief.
• "What the hell, mom?" I stared at her, trying to read her. She could have been playing a prank on me, because how else could I come to terms with such an outrageous decision?
• "I love him okay. I don't need more time to know that he's the one I want to be with. I know it sounds bad and rushed, but at least give him a chance; I promise you will like him." She took my hands in hers, staring at my wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and slightly parted mouth.
• I couldn't comprehend her hasty decision. She was the most prudent person I knew, and yet, for the first time, I questioned it. A silence stretched between us as I took time to let the shocking news sink in. Father would have wanted her to move on; it was the short period of time she did so that had me totally shocked.
• "Listen, Ellie, if you can't come to terms with it now, even if I take time and fall in love ten years later, you will still find it not okay. I have made my decision, and I was telling you because you are my daughter, not because I was looking for approval from you." When her tone changed to a stern and serious one, I knew she meant every word.
• "This is what I wa—" She stopped talking mid-sentence when the doorbell rang.
• "He's here!" She squealed like a little girl, her blonde curls bouncing off her shoulders.
• "How do I look? Is my makeup alright? What about this dress? Do you think it's too short? I shouldn't have worn this chain, right? It does..."
• "Did you invite your boyfriend to my father's house? Have you no shame?" I cut off her rumbling mid-sentence, pulling my hands off hers. I could hardly believe my eyes and ears at that moment.
• "Do not ta—" she was cut off when the bell rang for the second time. She spared me no glance as she smoothed her dress on the front. It reached right above her knees, revealing her long, beautiful legs, which I so much loved. No matter how mad I was at her, I couldn't deny how sexy she looked.
• "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier; he wants to meet you." She practically jogged towards the door while I rolled my eyes. I wasn't sure how I felt about meeting the man who my mother wanted to replace my father with, barely minutes after I was told about him.
• "Right this way." She giggled like a child after the two of them hugged and exchanged a light kiss. I inwardly scoffed at their display of affection. It should have been my father and not that man. With his hand on the small of her back, they walked towards me while I tried to swallow down my rising steam.
• "Robert, meet my daughter, Eliana. Ellie, meet..."
• "Yeah, yeah, Robert, I heard you alright." I rudely interrupted, ignoring his spread hand while waiting to shake mine. Instead, I crossed my hands above my chest, ignoring my mother's glare.
• "Nice to meet you, Eliana; your mother has told me so much about you," he said anyway, his soft voice matching his soft features. He looked nothing like my father, except maybe for his age. He looked like a middle-aged man, just like my dad. He sported a beard, whereas his father was always clean shaven. He was shorter—slightly taller than my mother but way shorter than my father.
• "Did you hear anything I said, Ellie?" My mother's irritated voice, with a hint of sadness, snapped me out of my imaginary comparison.
• "Robert's brother will be joining us. He insisted on meeting me well before the wedding." The bell rang again, making me sigh loudly.
• "He was left outside making an important call," Robert explained, making me twist my mouth. I watched with a contrite expression on my face as my mom walked back towards the front door. When my mother opened the door, my jaw dropped open as the man behind it entered.
• "You must be Nora. It's so nice to finally meet the woman driving my brother crazy." His voice was low and rational. It was deep and husky, giving off an aura of power and sexual allure. He gave my mother a light peck, holding her hand.
• "That's enough, Nicholas," Robert chastised, walking over to my mother to stand by her side. Then Nicholas eyes looked past his brother, staring right at me. His piercing blue eyes made my heart beat slightly faster. He looked like a 30-year-old, quite younger than his brother but freaking attractive in every possible way.
• "That is Eliana, my daughter," my mother pointed out when she followed his line of vision.
• "Hi." My voice quavered, making me clear my throat in embarrassment.
• "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eliana." I almost crumpled when he pronounced my name. He said it so huskily that I almost let out a moan. Who knew a voice could get a woman so nervous and hot? Dressed in a leather jacket, tight shirt beneath, black jeans, and combat boots, he was drop-dead gorgeous.
• "You too." I became dumb just looking at him.
• "Alright, I wanted to prepare a hearty dinner, but Robert decided on taking us out for dinner," my mother said with a smile, clapping her hands as she looked around at us.
• "Great, now I have to go out too," I mumbled under my breath, earning a glare from my mother.
• "I was thinking we bond over drinks after dinner. I don't know about you, but I would like to spend some time with my in-laws," Nicholas suggested, his piercing eyes briefly settling on me. I remained silent, hoping that they would leave me alone in the house even though I wanted to be near him.
• "Great! Go get ready, honey." No matter how much I wanted to say no to my mother, my voice box seemed frozen. I walked upstairs, my legs shaking slightly. I gave him one last glance before I disappeared completely out of view, only to find him staring at my ass.
• I went from being angry and shocked after my mother shared the news with me to being dumb and nervous because of a man who would soon become my step-uncle.