Chapter 62

Sienna stood there, not daring to break their gaze. Her heart felt exposed, vulnerable in a way she hadn't allowed herself to be in years. The silence between them was thick, filled with the weight of their shared past. She wanted to lean in, to hug Riley, but all she could manage was a sigh, trying to steady herself. Clearing her throat, she broke the silence.

Riley, with her hazel eyes fixed on Sienna, didn't say a word, but Sienna could feel the pull, the same pull that had always existed between them. She knew it would be easy to lose herself again.

"How... how have you been with your partner?" Sienna asked, her voice soft but shaky, as she sat beside Riley, leaving a small gap between them. "Is she better than me? Does she take care of you? Is she everything you wanted... everything you said a wife should be?"

Riley let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and filled with pain. "How would I know the answer, Sienna? There's no one else. No one better. No one at all." She swallowed, trying to hold back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "It's a lie. I never had a partner. I couldn't be in a relationship—how could I? I told you, if it wasn't with you... it couldn't be with anyone."

Sienna blinked in shock, her breath catching. "Then w-why... What happened to us, Riley?" Her voice trembled as tears spilled down her cheeks. Riley reached out, gently wiping them away with her thumb.

"Why are you asking me this now, Sienna?" Riley's voice wavered as she tried to keep her own tears at bay. "You're the one who broke up with me."

"No, I didn't!" Sienna protested, turning to face her fully, her tears flowing more freely now. "You're the one who disappeared, Riley. You vanished as if you were just a part of my imagination. You know I love you."

Riley shook her head, her voice breaking. "You did, Sienna... You broke up with me, right on our anniversary. Did you forget already?" She wiped at her own tears, harshly brushing them away.

"I didn't, Riley!" Sienna stood up, facing her, her face streaked with tears. "You're the one who left me! I showed up at our anniversary dinner, but you weren't there."

"Because you texted me!" Riley's voice rose, raw with emotion. "You told me to leave you, to walk away and never bother you again! You know how much I love you. I told you—I'd stay if you wanted me to stay, but if you ever wanted me to go, I'd go. And that's what you wanted, Sienna. You asked me to leave, and it killed me, but I did it because it was what you asked."

Sienna staggered back, shaking her head in disbelief. "I never sent you anything like that! Why are you blaming me for this? I just want to know why you left! We never even fought."

"Exactly! We never fought!" Riley yelled, her voice cracking as she struggled to contain her emotions. "And yet, you broke up with me. You broke my heart on the day I was going to propose to you!"

Sienna froze, her mind reeling. "Propose?" she whispered, her heart stopping. "Riley... what are you saying?"

Riley sat back down, her fingers tangled in her hair as she tried to hold herself together. "I loved you so much, Sienna. I still do. I was going to propose that night, but you—"

Before she could finish, Sienna crouched down in front of her, taking Riley's trembling hands in hers. "Riley, look at me," she pleaded, her voice soft yet firm. "Please, look at me."

Riley lifted her tear-filled eyes to meet Sienna's, her hands shaking in Sienna's grasp.

"Sienna," Riley whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

"Riley, I never sent you those messages," Sienna said, her breath hitching as she tried to hold back her own sobs. "Why would I? Why would I end something I never wanted to lose? I fought with my parents to be with you, remember? I never wanted it to end. I never wanted to lose you."

The room fell silent, the only sound of their ragged breaths and the weight of the truth crashing over them both.

Sienna's hands trembled as she scrolled through Riley's phone, scanning every conversation. Her breath caught in her throat as she read the messages—messages she could swear she never sent. "What..." she murmured, scrolling through the threads with growing disbelief.

"This isn't me, Riley. I never sent you these." Sienna's heart raced as she tried to process how those words could have come from her phone. She glanced at the timestamps and felt a sickening realization wash over her. "Did you even try to call me?"

Riley looked down, her voice heavy with resignation. "If it wasn't you, then why does it come from your number? And yes, I did try to call you, but I couldn't reach you. I figured you blocked me."

Sienna's heart sank. "I was trying to call you every day for almost a year, Riley. But your number was unreachable." Her hands shook as she scoured Riley's blocked list, but her number wasn't there. Panic surged through her as she pulled out her own phone and checked the blocked numbers, her breath hitching as the realization hit her. "The fuck!" she hissed, the bitterness tasting like ash in her mouth. Anger boiled beneath her skin—her family had played dirty all along.

Tears streamed down her face as she unblocked Riley's number, desperate to reach out. When Riley's phone began to ring, they locked eyes, a mix of hope and confusion washing over them.

"What—" Riley reached for her, but Sienna had already stepped forward, burying her face in Riley's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I told you, I didn't do it, Riley," Sienna cried, the words tumbling out between sobs. "Fuck it! It seems my father played dirty..."

Riley stood frozen, her heart racing as she tried to process Sienna's words. "What are you talking about?" she asked softly, brushing Sienna's hair back as she fought to keep her own emotions at peak.

Sienna pulled back just enough to meet Riley's gaze, her eyes filled with pain. "My dad... I think he had something to do with those messages. He's always been against us, against our relationship. I never wanted to break up with you, Riley. I loved you too much."

"But how could he—?" Riley began, her voice breaking.

"I don't know! I just... I thought I lost you forever," Sienna confessed, the weight of the truth crashing over her like a wave. "I thought you'd chosen to leave me. I've felt so lost without you."

Riley's heart ached at the sight of Sienna's tears, her own emotions bubbling to the surface. "I never wanted to leave you, Sienna. I wanted to build a life with you. I thought we had a future together."

Sienna shook her head, her breath hitching again. "It's not over. We can fix this. We have to try." She grabbed Riley's hands, squeezing tightly as if anchoring herself to the moment.

"I don't know, Sienna, can we really fix this and try over again?" Riley whispered, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

Sienna nodded, understanding the weight of the fear and doubt in Riley's eyes. "I know it won't be easy. But I'm not going to let my father tear us apart. Not again."

As Sienna looked up at Riley, the love and determination in her gaze burned bright. In that moment, both knew they would fight against the forces trying to keep them apart, determined to reclaim what they had lost.