Page 70 of Thorns of Deceit

I hadn’t told my friends about the short, chaotic marriage or the reckless choices that followed it. However, they’d always known there were parts of what happened in New York that I kept to myself. What I did share with my best friends was my need to disappear. After my mother’s death, I didn’t have the strength to stand on my own. They became my lifeline, the only people I trusted enough to see me through when I was barely holding it together.

When the grief hit hard, they were the ones who stayed. They sat with me through nights when I couldn’t breathe, when the silence felt heavier than my own skin. They didn’t try to fix me; they just made space for me to break and rebuild.

For the past five years, they’d covered for me when necessary. Over time and in between heartbreaks, late-night confessions, and half-hearted laughter, I let slip pieces of the truth of my time with Aiden. Just enough where they knew it was too dangerous for me to ever rekindle anything with him.

And still, they’d never wavered in their friendship. They stood by me, even when I was a wreck and a storm with baggage they didn’t need.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told them about the more experimental side of that chapter, but what kind of friend would I have been if I’d kept something so outrageous to myself?Besides, they’d earned my honesty. They’d earned every messy, complicated part of me.

“Jesus, it must have been a full moon last night,” she added, muttering.

I slipped my hand into hers and we resumed walking. “Why? Did you hook up with a mafioso too?”

Her wry look was my answer.

“Oh my gosh, you did!”

She sighed. “Why do you sound so proud?”

My lips curved into a smile. “I don’t know. Maybe it makes me feel better about myself.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“So how was it?Whowas it?” I pried, shifting the focus to my best friend and away from myself. It was easier to escape my reality that way. But Athena was taking too long to answer, so I blurted, “Fuck, my feet hurt and my pussy’s wrecked.”

We shared a glance, then burst into a fit of giggles.

“I guess I know how your night was,” she said, grinning. “And before you ask for more details, mine was about the same as yours. Damn mobsters. I swear, they must feed something to those men that makes them irresistible.”

I bumped my shoulder against hers. “Well, maybe it’ll be the inspiration you’ve been searching for.”

A wistful exhale passed her lungs. “You have no idea.”

I giggled. “I can’t wait to read all about it.”

“By the way, did you get a message from Reina?”

My stomach dropped. Of course, I ignored it because of my unexpected rendezvous with my husband who thought me dead. Plus, he threatened my best friends, so I thought it best not to answer Reina’s text.

But I didn’t think admitting that my husband threatened all my friends would go over well, so I just muttered, “Yeah, butthen Aiden kissed me and I forgot all about her. Damn, that man has got moves.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie. His kisses and touches were out of this world. And yes, lying to them was wrong—I hated it—but what good would it do to make them worry? I could handle Aiden. His threats were directed at me, and I already knew I’d do whatever he asked if it meant keeping them safe.

“He’s that good, huh?” she questioned, smiling.

“So good that I could orgasm just by his tongue, and fuck, he also uses that in all kinds of ways.”

She let out an exasperated breath.

“Well, you wouldn’t believe how I embarrassed myself.” I shot her a curious glance as she continued. “I got really enthusiastic and told my man I wanted to ride him like a rodeo.”

I blinked, the meaning of her words slowly sinking in before I burst into a full-blown laugh, tears lining my eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’d laugh too,” she muttered. “You should have seen the way he gaped at me.”

I wiped tears from my eyes and said, “I’m sorry, I’m picturing it and…”

More giggles bubbled in my chest and burst from my lips. I could always count on my friends to cheer me up in any situation.