Chapter 77: We should celebrate properly

The rest of the day slipped by easily and lightly, the kind of day Sienna hadn’t let herself have in a long time. After breakfast and the small, sweet victory of watching Lily’s world crumble in that office hallway, Sienna felt something loosen in her chest, some tight, coiled thing that had been sitting there for weeks finally beginning to unwind.

With a little convincing and a lot of Sienna’s own quiet insistence, the two of them turned the day into something bigger than either of them had planned.

They wandered through shops they had no real reason to be in, bought things neither of them needed, and laughed too loudly in places that probably deserved quieter guests.

By the time the sun dropped low behind the buildings and the sky turned that soft orange color that always made a city feel like it was holding its breath, Sienna had almost forgotten, for a little while, about mafia husbands and locked doors and blood bags left behind on empty beds.

"We should celebrate properly," Aria said, as they sat outside a small café, the streetlights just beginning to flicker on around them.

"Celebrate what, exactly?" Sienna asked, raising an eyebrow over the rim of her cup.

"Freedom," Aria said simply. "From Simon. From Lily. From all of it, even if it’s only for tonight."

Sianna’s face broke into a slow, wide grin. "Now that," she said, "I can absolutely get behind."

The club they ended up at was loud and bright, packed with bodies moving under shifting colored lights, music thick enough to feel in the floor beneath their feet.

Sienna ordered a drink almost the moment they walked in, something cold and pale gold, and took a slow sip like she was trying to remember how to feel like a normal woman again, one without a mafia husband waiting somewhere behind her, one who could just exist for a night without looking over her shoulder.

She barely made it through half a glass before the room started to tilt gently around her.

"Whoa," Sienna said, blinking hard, gripping the edge of the bar. "Okay. That’s... a lot faster than usual."

Aria laughed, already halfway through her own bottle, standing perfectly steady despite it. "Lightweight," she teased, though there was fondness buried under the joke. "I’ve had a whole bottle, and I’m still upright. You’re only half a glass in."

"It’s been a long few days," Sienna mumbled, resting her forehead briefly against her palm. "My body clearly has opinions about that."

They stayed a little longer, dancing loosely under the lights, Sienna’s laughter growing softer and slower as the night wore on, until Aria finally decided enough was enough.

"Come on, Sienna," Aria said, wrapping an arm firmly around her waist, steering her carefully through the crowd toward the exit. "We need to get you home before you fall asleep standing up."

The cool night air hit them both the moment they stepped outside, sharp and welcome after the heat of the club. Sienna leaned heavily against Aria’s side, her eyes half closed, the world still tilting gently at the edges.

That was when she heard his voice.

"Sienna."

She stiffened instantly, the fog in her mind clearing just enough for recognition to sink in cold and unwelcome. Simon stood a few feet away, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his expression carefully arranged into something that was probably meant to look sorry.

"Sienna, are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer. "Listen to me. Let me explain everything. It was all Lily. I never meant to hurt you. I really do love you."

Sienna straightened up as much as her unsteady legs would allow, anger cutting sharp and clean through the haze of alcohol still swimming through her.

"You jerk," she said, her voice louder than she meant it to be, wobbling only slightly. "You bastard. Don’t let me see you again."

She huffed, turning her face away from him, but Simon didn’t move.

"You heard her," Aria snapped, stepping forward, putting herself firmly between Sienna and Simon without ever letting go of her friend. "Now disappear before I break a bottle over your head."

Simon’s eyes flicked to Aria, annoyance flashing across his face. "Stay out of this," he said. "This is between my girlfriend and me."

"Ex," Aria corrected sharply. "Ex-girlfriend. And I said. Disappear."

He took a step forward anyway, close enough that Sienna could smell the faint trace of expensive cologne he always used to wear, close enough that some old, tired part of her almost softened at the familiarity of it before she caught herself.

He didn’t get any closer than that.

Aria moved fast, her foot connecting hard with Simon’s shin before he ever saw it coming, sending him stumbling backward with a sharp curse, all while her other arm never once loosened its grip around Sienna’s waist.

"Move," Aria said flatly, not even glancing back at him as she guided Sienna past him toward the parked car, leaving Simon standing there, cursing under his breath, rubbing at his leg in the middle of the sidewalk.

The drive back to Aria’s house was quiet, save for the low hum of the radio and Sienna’s occasional soft laugh at nothing in particular, the alcohol still loosening her thoughts into something lighter, sillier than usual.

"You didn’t have to kick him," Sienna mumbled, her head resting against the cool glass of the window.

"Yes, I did," Aria said, eyes fixed firmly on the road. "That man does not get to show up wherever you are and pretend he’s the victim in all of this. Not after everything."

Sienna smiled faintly, eyes drifting shut. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For today. All of it."

Aria glanced over at her, something softening in her expression despite the leftover anger still simmering beneath the surface. "Always," she said. "That’s what best friends are for. Now stop talking and rest. You’re going to feel that half glass of beer a lot more in the morning than you think."