Page 118 of Gabriel

“Have you lost your mind?” I hissed. “Have you forgotten the man has been blinded by what my siblings and I did? There’s no scenario in which he could possibly forgive me.”

“He will.” It wasn’t often that Kian was wrong, but in this instance, he was dead wrong. I knew his conviction was misplaced because I was his granddaughter, but he couldn’t possibly bethatdelusional. “There’s no other reason a man holds an interest in a woman for years other than true love.”

I scoffed. “Maybe, but I’m pretty sure whatever affection Gabriel held for me will be squashed by the events of the past twenty-four hours. As it should. So forgive me for saying this, but there’s no fucking way I’ll propose marriage to him now just to save our own skin. If he and his family want revenge, they’re well within their rights. And I sure as hell won’t be trying to save my own skin—or Elira’s and Jet’s.”

“Amara, listen to me. When Raphael gets here, he’ll want blood. But if he walks in and sees that Gabriel is being cared for by his fiancée and that there’s already a formal alliance in place between the Santos family and our own… Well, that changes the narrative. It’s no longer betrayal and instead makes it family business. Something that can be handled without a war.”

“But, Kian—” My voice broke. “He’s in surgery. How can you even suggest something like that?”

“Because I love you,” he said matter-of-factly. “And I want to protect our family. Gabriel can settle his score with Jet and Elira but not kill them. And you… you’ll ensure alliance between our families.”

“What if he doesn’t agree? He’s lost his sight because of my and Jet’s manipulation…”

“Yes, there were many mistakes made,” he said gently, surprisingly so. “But right now, peace is what matters the most. Jet and Anya need time, and I have to believe they will work out. After all, that girl married him with a big smile on her face.”

“She did?”

Kian nodded. “They need time.Weneed time. You and Gabriel can give us all that.”

I sank into the chair, heart racing again for a completely different reason. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to protect Jet and Anya and our family. Or that I didn’t want Gabriel.

It was that I didn’t know if Gabriel felt the same, and he deserved more than this, especially if his injuries turned out to be permanent. He didn’t deserve a future that was about to be rewritten by politics.

“I’ll do it,” I finally said softly, my voice barely more than a breath. “But only if it’s what Gabriel wants. I’m not forcing him, and neither will you.”

Kian nodded once. “Good. We’ve got six hours.”

And then he walked out, leaving me to sit there in shock, waiting to tell a man who might never see again that I wanted to marry him.

If he would have me.

Amara

Elira sat beside me in the private hospital room, her shoulders hunched as if trying to disappear into the plastic chair. Her designer coat was too bright and too happy for this place, but it wasn’t exactly as if she knew what she was walking into when she came to visit. Kian just dropped the address and demanded that she show up.

She hadn’t said much since she got here—just sat quietly, guilt-ridden and taking Kian’s scolding. But I couldn’t summon the energy to comfort her, nor did I think she deserved it. Not now. Not with Gabriel lying in that bed, motionless, the gauze over his eyes a stark reminder of how badly everything had gone.

Machines beeped softly around us, too steady, too calm. I stared at his face and wondered if he’d ever see again. Or if the first thing he’d do when he woke up was reach for his gun when I told him my solution: a marriage alliance.

Strategically, it made sense. It would bind our families, offer some kind of shield from the mess I’d dragged him into. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t ignore the truth.

My family was getting the better end of the deal and he would see that.

Elira finally broke the silence, her voice a cracked whisper.

“I swear to you, I never imagined this would happen.”

I didn’t look at her. “But you knew it might, and that makes you just as guilty as I am, and just as responsible as Jet is.”

She let out a frustrated breath.

“Love is supposed to conquer all and have a happy ending,” she argued. “Jet loves her, and I thought… I don’t know, why shouldn’t he have the one he loves? Anya loves him too, right? Otherwise, they wouldn’t be married.”

“I didn’t exactly have time to ask her,” I retorted dryly. “An explosion got in my way and ultimately Gabriel paid for Jet’s—and our—fuckup.”

“He didn’t know?—”

“Don’t.” My voice came out sharper than I meant. I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingertips against my temple. “I can’t listen to you justify Jet’s actions. Not right now.”