Chapter 360 Little Victories

Ella

Sitting alone in my hotel room, surrounded by plush furniture and golden accents that gleamed in the soft lighting, I felt a pang of homesickness. The luxuriousness of the room was stifling in an odd way, as though constantly reminding me of my charade with a mobster.

Shaking off the momentary melancholy, I decided to call Moana to calm my frayed nerves.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I dialed her number and waited for the ring to connect. The familiar sound of her voice, warm and comforting as always, came through within moments.

“Ella, my love! How was your flight? Did you make it to the hotel?”

“We did,” I said, faking a sense of enthusiasm in my voice. “The place is…well, it’s something.”

“Where is your fiance?” Moana asked. “I’d like to say hello, if you don’t mind.”

The word ‘fiance’ made my body stiffen. I glanced at the empty space next to me, where Logan would have been if we were an actual couple. But we weren’t. He was in a room of his own, doing his own thing.

I couldn’t quite decide if I preferred it that way or not, the logical lawyer part of me knew that it was for the best, but the sleepy, scared-of-flying Ella with the yellow stuffed duck almost missed his company already.

“He’s… in the shower,” I stammered, hoping that Moana bought my lie.

“Well,I hope you know that we’re all excited to meet him tomorrow,” Moana said, blissfully unaware of the tension her question had sparked.

“I’m looking forward to it too,” I said, though in truth, I wished that tomorrow would never come. Meeting my family, particularly my discerning father, would be the make-or-break moment for this intricate lie that Logan and I had entangled ourselves in.

Moana’s voice broke through my thoughts,

couldn’t see it. “Yeah, Mom, I’m just tired from

duck perched on my bed-the gift Moana had given me when I was a little girl. I held it up in the frame, so she could see it over our video call.

that little duck would turn out to be so precious to

said, my voice filled with emotion for reasons I couldn’t explain. “I’m so glad you came into my life, and into Dad’s life. You’ve

she spoke again. “I can’t wait to see my little

said, my own eyes misting over. I cleared my throat before adding, “Oh, and tell Dad thanks for the

needed to make sure his baby girl had a nice ride

that was his way of snooping, making sure everything

this hotel you’re staying at, it’s quite over-the-

self-conscious. So they had snooped, just as I expected. “That was my

always been so down-to-earth. It must

that clashed

growl, betraying my hunger.

Ella. Can’t wait to

that suddenly felt so incongruent with who

unpacked the last of my travel essentials and started browsing the room service menu on the

up and smoothed down my casual clothes, thinking maybe room service was preemptively delivering something delightful. Maybe Logan had purchased some sort of package that included special

the door, it was Logan, leaning against the frame,

said with

eyes meeting his for a

no idea where

asking for recommendations? Or was this an invitation? My wolf whined at the possibility, hopeful

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