Tonight's the night.

I'm finally going to open up about everything. Any secret between us will cease to exist after today. My thoughts ran wild, like animals in the jungle, keeping me from getting a wink of sleep. It's okay. I don't mind. It gives me a reason to spend all night long admiring the love of my life. A part of me wants to break down and cry, but I have no right to.

He looks so peaceful in his sleep. His chest rises up and down as his breath fans my neck from me, snuggling him so tight. His hands rest on my waist, feeling like an anchor to me — the ship. He keeps me from drifting into the darkness and desire to be a better person. It's something I never realized I wanted until I met Asiel.

Why would a villain want to become good? Why do I want to change? There's nothing I can do that will make this situation any better. Asiel is the hero, and it's his time to shine, to slay the villain. I won't hold any resentment. All I hope for is to give him what he always wanted—the truth.

Yes, deep down in my heart, I hoped we could end up together, but the chances were slim. I know, Asiel. I don't doubt he will still love me, but the guilt will consume him. How can he marry the person who murdered his entire familia? Forgive me? Maybe. But our relationship would be damned-- he won't stand the sight of me anymore.

His limbs arouse, moving up and down the slope of my body as he groans, smacking his lips together. "M-Mika." His voice comes out raspy, husky, and so fucking sexy. "It's morning already?" His eyes flutter open, shining under the sunlight as I swear his irises morph into a heart shape when he meets my gaze. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life waking up to you."

A sharp pain stabs me in the center of the chest, making me gnaw at my lips. "Me too. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it."

Asiel places a soft kiss on my cheek, smearing my skin with his love. "You better not. It will break my heart."

My body feels lost, losing his warmth as he gets up, stretching his arms over his head. "Can we stay in bed a bit longer? I don't want to start the day yet. I just want to lie here in bed with you."

A boyish grin curls on Asiel's lips as he leans down, pressing his foreheads on mine and our noses rubbing against each other. "Very tempting, but I have to meet the familia. Tomorrow, okay? We have decades to lie in bed together."

My face pinches together in gloom as I tilt my head to the side, leisurely fluttering my eyes down the slope of his face. I'm taking a mental picture of this moment. The way-- his messy wavey hair flops on his head, the radiating smile reaching up to his eyes, his irises glimmer with tenderness. It's his signature look whenever we are together. After tonight, Asiel won't ever look at me like this.

It's going to be like a distant memory.

I laugh, trying to disguise the uneasiness in my chest. "You're right. Why are you guys meeting?"

Asiel presses a sweet kiss on my lips before hoisting himself up from the bed and tossing his shirt over his head. "Apparently, one of the rival familias stole our shipment. It's not really a meeting. We are just going to teach them who's in charge."

My eyes rake over his toned, chiseled back, and I can't help but get out of bed and wrap my arms around him. Jesus Christ. I'm trying to be sentimental and enjoy our potentially last moments as a couple, but fuck! He's so sexy. I wanted to jump his bones right this second.

I press a kiss into his backside. "Just be careful, okay? I'm not trying to be a widow before we are even married. The rest of the night is for me, right? I want us to discuss some-- things."

I glance up at Asiel, causing his smile and dimple to peek through, and he squishes my cheek like a chipmunk. "You're so cute. I love it when you worry about me. But I think the guys want to take me out to celebrate the wedding. Do you mind waiting up?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Just don't get too drunk. I want us to be able to talk tonight. If I don't do it tonight, I'll chicken out."

"Chicken out?"

My eyes widen as I realize I said the entire sentence out loud. "Um, it's just about marriage. I want to discuss how things will change."

Shit, is that a good lie?

Asiel shrugs. "Okay. I don't think anything will change besides your name, but I will always hear what you have to say."

Unwrapping my arms around Asiel's waist, I stand up from the bed and throw on my corset from yesterday. Time is ticking. There's something else I need to fix in case I have to go off the grid for a while. Tania. She's been ignoring me like the fucking plague. I want us to clear the air. She has been my friend for so long, and I don't want to lose her over a fucking psychopath.

But I have to be careful.

I can't get her wrapped up in this mess, too.

Grabbing my phone on the bedstand, I tap Tania's contact with a scandalous picture of us sitting on each other's lap and type out a message. It's formal. Basically, asking for a chance to talk today. I won't be surprised if she ignores me, but I needed to try-- for me. Asiel sneaks into his personal bathroom, turning on the shower as I do a quick touch-up on my makeup.

My phone vibrates, lighting up with a message.

From- Your sexy, bad, bitch, bestie

I'm sorry for not talking to you. I'm sorry for not replying to all your messages. Are you free in twenty minutes? Let's talk. Can we meet at Diablo's Paraiso?

A glimmer of hope flashes in my chest-- maybe we will be alright. I'm burning all the bridges with everyone in my life. I need someone to be a constant. Someone that will be there when I fall and catch me. It's a habit of mine to seek comfort with Diablo-- he's always been constant. Even with the way, we fuck each other over, but I don't want to go to him. It's time to break that cycle.

Opening the shower curtain, I get a sneak peek of Asiel's cock and wiggle my eyebrows. "Remind me to give your cock a special gift with my mouth tonight."

Asiel laughs, scrubbing shampoo into his crazy head of hair. "Where are you going?"

"To Diablo's Paraiso," I admit, watching his eyebrows jump to his hairline. "I'm meeting Tania for coffee. Don't be so jealous, my Muneco. It's your fault for hanging out with the guys. Also, don't you dare look at another woman if you go to the club!"

He flops his hair back and forth, washing the shampoo off his hair with a sly smile on his face. "I love it when you get protective. No one in this universe can compare to your beauty. Inside and out. Don't worry. I won't bare another person a glance. "

"Mmm," I hum, gesturing him to bend down, and I pucker my lips. "You better. I'll see you tonight."

Our lips connect, causing fireworks to erupt in my belly. I nibble on Asiel's bottom lip, dragging it down until I let his lip go. With an arched brow, I look at his erect cock, twitching with desire, and say, "You're so easy to rail up. I love you."

"I love you more."

I love you more.

I'll hold on to those words because I don't think I will hear them again after tonight. Anxiety spikes in my bloodstream like sugar as I go over what I need to do tonight. Fuck. I really don't want to, but I need to. I can't let Asiel marry me without exposing everything. Mateo, me, Ander, and his familia.

Once I arrive in my private chambers, I boil a pot of hot water for our coffee. Tania always liked her coffee drenched with half and half and sugar. Lots of it. The sugary, the better. I prefer mine bitter. I think that says a lot about me.

My attention drifts to the knock on my door. "Come in."

Tania walks in wearing a matching jumpsuit. "Hey."

There's an awkward aura around us, like a fragrance sprinkled into the air. My hand twitches because of my nerves, causing boiling water to land on my toes. Fuck. Good thing I have a high pain tolerance. Tania sits on the bench at the kitchen table, tapping her knuckles on the granite.

"I made your coffee the way you like it," I say, swallowing the nerves down my throat.

A ghost of smile forms on her lips. "Thank you."

Uncomfortable silence invades the room. We both stay silent, nodding as we drink our coffees. Awkwardness fills the space. Wow. It's never been this bad. Even when we were first introduced to each other-- we clicked like a snap of my fingers. We never had any serious fights. Usually, petty arguments like stealing her lipstick ended on the same day they began.

I clear my throat. "I-."

"Mika, can I speak first? Before you say anything. Can I speak my peace first? I need to get my thoughts out."

I blink, lowering my gaze to my folded hands in my lap. "Ah, sure. Go ahead."

Tania visibly swallows, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "First of all, I'd like to apologize." Her brown irises glint with sincerity. I'm completely thrown off. "I have treated you like shit these past couple of weeks. You didn't deserve it, and I am incredibly sorry. To be honest, I'm not surprised-- it's bound to happen, him cutting all ties. And it really fucking hurt. I didn't even hear your side. I just lashed out."

Tears collect in her eyes as she tries to blink them away, but they only fall down her olive cheeks. "When I heard he bid for you. Honestly, I fucking lost it. I was fucking heartbroken, and I blamed you. Mika, you didn't deserve my anger because you did nothing wrong. It was all him."

I sigh, carefully phrasing my following sentence. "Have you known who he was all this time? I'm guessing he felt comfortable enough to show his face to you."

Tania hiss. "Mateo Morterero. That motherfucker. You must know him. He's a part of the Morterero familia. God, I'm so fucking stupid. I was head over heels for him, Mika. I believed I was capable of love and receiving it. He made me think I was much more than a fucking escort. I thought he was someone permanent, someone I can actually trust in this world. In the end, I wasn't anything special to him. Just toy to play around whenever he wanted, like everyone else."

I sniffle, feeling the waterworks threatening to come out of my eyes. "Tania..."

Her voice cracks as she wipes the tears under her eyes. "You understand that feeling, right? To feel like you matter to someone, and you actually do, Mika. It's so frustrating. Honest to God, I'm so jealous of you, Mika. I have always been. You have everything. You have Asiel, a man who truly loves you and wants to marry you."

My vision falls blurry as I reach for her hand, shaking my head. "That's not true... There's nothing to be jealous of. I'm nothing special, Tania."

Tania talks through her wrecking sobs. "That's what kept me going the first week. It was easy to use you as a scapegoat because you have everything. And now you were going to take Mateo away from me. It's stupid in hindsight. It's my fault for falling for his lies and affection. I wanted to be loved. I became his perfect target."

Pain washes over my face. "Tania, those visits and bids... Please believe me. I never wanted that. I would never betray you like that. I always just wanted you to be happy. I hated being with him, Tania. I hate his fucking guts. I got myself mixed up in some fucked up shit. I wish I could tell you the details. Fuck, I really do, but it's for your safety. Please, I don't want to risk another person I care about."

A melancholy smile stretches across her face. "I believe you, Mika. It didn't take too long for me to realize how scared you were after meeting with him. You were always good at hiding your emotions. But once in a while, I can see through you, like when I noticed Asiel wasn't like every other guy you played with. I knew it was a personal thing rather than a sexual thing, but I still wanted closure. But it doesn't matter because he won't see me anymore.

I-I just wanted to apologize."

"You didn't need to," I reply, drying my eyes with my sleeves.

"Asiel is involved, isn't he?"

My eyes widen half an inch. "Yes. We're both wrapped in this shit, and I don't know how to get out of it, Tania. If you want to help, just stay in the dark. Ignorance is bliss."

"That's why you're resigning from Paraiso," Tania states, the clogs in her mind turning. "You have to be careful, Mika. I don't know all the details, but I know he's a dangerous man. Don't underestimate him. But don't get hurt, okay? Run away if you have to... but don't... don't."

We both rise from the table, our chairs scraping the floor as we pounce forward, yanking each other into a hug. Tania pats my back as I drape my arms over her shoulders, drenching her shirt with my tears. I don't know what will happen. I don't know what to expect. The unknown is fucking terrifying.

"Don't think like that," I mutter, sniffling. "Let's just enjoy the time we have together happily. Let's not waste more tears on men who don't deserve it. Okay?"

"Thank you for always being my friend," Tania sobs, squeezing my frame tighter.

"Thank you for being mine."

Ahh I'm soo happy Mika still has Tania. Not even Mateo can tear them apart 🥹🥹true friendship!! Though the chapter does give me a bittersweet feeling 🥹

Omg guys there's twelve chapters left of Mika 🥹🥹🥹are you guys freaking ready??? I'm ready 🙂☺️ Mika is about to explain everything!! Yay!!!

Thank you for always being here for me and supporting me!! Can't wait to read your comments ! Love ya ❤️💜🤍❤️💜