REIGN (A REVERSE HAREM)

94. Roman

"Why?" I walk him to his car. I need to get as much information as possible.

She can't just go.

"Because i shouted at her." He says quietly, staring at the dashboard with paper on it.

I pick it up but he literally kicks me, snatching it off of me, "This is mine. You don't touch this. It's mine." He holds it close to his chest, hugging it.

Luca looks at me with a confused expression, "I'll take the car, you drive him."

I walk and get in the other side, trying to figure out what the papers were. "Asher what did you call Arabella?"

"Because she's selfish." He curls into a ball on the seat. God the man is wasted. "And i shouted her for that. But i'm... i'm a horrible person." He shakes his head. "She's not selfish. She's coping."

"With what?"

"With life."

"And what's your papers?"

He stays quiet.

"What else did you say to Arabella."

"I told her she can't go. She can't leave me." He cries, "She can't leave you. But she said she's putting herself first for once and she doesn't care if i think she's selfish. I told her i hate her." He cries harder. "I don't hate her. I don't know why i said that. I would never hate her. The last thing i said was that i hated her."

Jesus fucking christ.

He ends up falling asleep as i drive down the mountain. I didn't even try and get the papers off him, he was clutching onto them so tightly.

Even as we parked up at the house, he woke up and the first thing he asked was where the papers was, even though he was clinging to them.

I had to help him walk to the house and as soon as i did, he walks straight upstairs.

"So... We believe him?" Luca asks.

"Well he's beating himself up and he only does that when he's done something wrong, so yeah, i believe him." I pull my phone out of my pocket, calling Ciro again.

"Yes?"

"So did your girlfriend help my wife escape?"

"If she did, she didn't tell me." He says

"If i find out you're lying to me-"

"Keilani is an assassin, everything she does is premeditated. She doesn't tell people, especially not her boyfriend, her plans because she knows what would happen. You're more clever than this, Roman. You should know that shit."

He's completely right about that. But the fact he said that makes me believe he does know something. "You know where she is."

"All i know is that Keilani is making sure she's safe."

I'm going to kill Keilani.

"Where is she?"

"On a flight to Chicago-"

"Kill her-"

"No, fuck off." He laughs, "That's my girl, i'd rather kill you. You gotta give your girl a break too, Lani is helping with that."

Why couldn't Arabella have just talked to me? To us? Is that too much of a burden?

Asher is right.

Regardless of what or why.

It's selfish.

She's thinking about herself. Not of me. Or Luca or Asher. Of herself when there's three other people in this relationship.

She could have at least asked. If she gave me a reason i would have said she can go.

But now i can't check up on her, i can't make sure she's okay. I can't make sure if she's coming back.

She needs to come back.

She has to.

For me.

I can't live without her. She is my life. She has to come back.

I update Luca on what Ciro told me, piecing the rest of it together.

He grabs his jacket, "Gonna go check on Rosa." He mumbles, tears in his eyes as he ups and leaves.

I walk up the stairs only to stop at the top to see Asher walking out of his room, "Where are you going? You're drunk."

"Ashley's sick." He wipes his nose on his hand. "Then i'm gonna go to China."

"Ash-"

"Because i can't live in this house." He hands me something, then walks down the stairs and out of the house.

They both left me here

I look down at what he gave me, a number crumbled up. I sit at the top of the stairs and call it.

It was silent on the other line.

I never speak first on the phone but with this i feel like i needed to.

"Hello?"

"Don't call this number again, Reign." Hamada's voice comes on the other line, before he hangs up.

He knows too.

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lol i'm sorry but next chapter is gonna be a time skip. i've been busy & not feeling well lately so my updates might be a little slow

word count: 1334