Page 135 of Deathless & Divided

Evelina flashed another small smile. “I really wanted to. I tried.”

“Your father?”

“Yes,” Evelina said, sighing. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

Lily hadn’t been expecting that. Between both of them, Lily should be the one apologizing to Evelina. After all, even if Evelina didn’t know, Lily’s brother had been the cause of Mia’s death. How would Evelina feel about Lily if she knew the truth?

“Whatever it is, don’t worry about it,” Lily said.

“I should have called or something.”

“It’s not important.”

Evelina shifted on her feet, looking terribly uncomfortable. “You look beautiful.”

Lily laughed. “I’m not even in my dress yet.”

“So?”

“Thanks.” Lily shrugged, waving at the chair beside her. “Sit, Eve.”

Evelina shook her head. “I can’t. Theo was right, I can’t stay for long. Chances are, Daddy will find out from someone that I came, anyway. I don’t want to be the next person on his shit-list.”

If Evelina wouldn’t come to her, than Lily would go to her friend. Standing from her chair, Lily crossed the space with open arms. Evelina welcomed the embrace with her own tight hug that felt amazing and awful at the same time. Guilt pounded at Lily’s insides. Knowing the secrets she did was a horrible feeling.

“I love you,” Evelina said.

“I love you, too.”

Evelina leaned back, wiping at Lily’s cheek with her thumb. “Christ, don’t cry. Your makeup is perfect.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, you never really did.”

Lily smiled through her guilt and sadness. “This is going to be over eventually, right?”

“The feud?” Evelina asked.

“Yeah.”

“Eventually.”

“I’ll be waiting when it is,” Lily said. “I’ll be waiting to pick this up where we left off.”

Evelina nodded once. “Me, too.”

Because the best kind of friendships never really ended. They could be put on pause for a short while or divided by space and time. But real friends—the truest ones—always waited and never missed a beat.

“I have to go,” Evelina said.

Lily squeezed Evelina’s hand. “Be safe.”

Lily lifted her arms to let Abriella and Cara slide the wedding dress over her head. Quickly and quietly, the girls tugged the dress down in place and began doing up the hundred or so tiny little pearl buttons along Lily’s spine.

The off-white lace dress reminded Lily that she was only an hour away from walking down the aisle. An aisle she hadn’t wanted to walk down at first, but now she couldn’t wait. The excitement was beginning to seep in a little more with very passing minute.

Cara Rossi took a step back as Abriella smoothed out the rushing waves of lace. While most of the day had passed with happiness, smiles, and a few joyful tears, Cara was having a rough time. She hid it well, but Lily knew.