Page 26 of Beautiful Lies


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“She was involved in some kind of shooting. Lenka had taken her to a courthouse, but Lyah didn’t know why. She said there were several adults and a boy there. He was sitting on the other side of the room, while the adults talked but no one introduced her to anyone, so she didn’t know who they were, except she knew one was a judge, because he wore robes.”

She stops to take a breath, but I’m impatient. “And?”

Roisin shakes her head. “She told me all hell let loose. Gunmen rushed the chambers, shooting anything and everything. Her mother grabbed her and pulled her out of there, and they ran. There was no explanation, and Lyah was too shaken to ask questions. It was the first time she really felt like there was any real danger, but Lenka enrolled her into my school soon after, and from there, everything settled down. She told me she wasn’t sure it even had anything to do with them, but was just some random altercation they accidentally got caught up in.”

The dots connect, and I realize this is the incident Emylyah mentioned the night I accused her. She told me…

“That happened on the same date that’s on her marriage certificate, which is signed by a judge because of her age. I think that’s why she was there,” I say, almost to myself.

“If nobody knew, how did you get this information?” Dominic asks curiously.

I’m still lost in thought, trying to piece things together, so I answer him absently. “The guy she’s married to managed to contact her sister, Gabriella Mountbatten. At first, I thought…”

Dominic’s harsh exclamation pulls my attention back to him. “Shit!" he exclaims. “I think I might know something about this.”

Roisin and I both turn to face him in surprise. I didn’t come here for him, so he’s the last person I expected to help. Not that I’ll turn down free information, even though it means I’ll owe him. There are worse things.

Gotta say, though, I didn’t see this coming.

Chapter Thirteen

LYAH

Since I turned off my iPhone again, too heartsore at the lack of contact from Niko and what it means, I actually jump in surprise when my new phone pings with a message.

Scrambling across the bed to grab it off the side table, it still takes me two attempts to open it.

My heart races as I click on the email in my newly created account, praying it’s not spam.

Hi Lyah, this is Gabi.

Received your email via customer service. Hope everything’s okay. Sorry for the delay.

I’m sending a private helicopter to pick you up tomorrow at 9 AM. You’ll be flying from the Miami Seaplane Base. I'll handle everything else, but unfortunately, you won’t be able to stay here long, so it’ll be a flight in and out.

Stay safe,

Gabi.

Relief floods through me, making me dizzy. I didn't realize how tense I've been until this moment, and black spots pop in front of my eyes, causing me to suck in deep draughts of air to avoid passing out.

Gabi came through for me, and it feels like a lifeline. One I desperately need. We never had the chance to be proper sisters, so it’s not like she owes me anything. We might share a father, but the familial link pretty much ends there. I’d really like things to be different though. Is it too late for that?

I hope not.

After responding to her message, I check the time - just past 8 PM. Less than 13 hours until I'll be on my way to Elysium. To answers. To a chance at fixing this mess.

Despite my exhaustion, sleep feels impossible, so I end up pacing the small room, my mind whirling with useless questions there are not yet any answers to. What will Gabi tell me? Has she managed to track down Zack Kincaid? And most importantly, will ending this sham of a marriage go any way to fixing things with Niko, or will he think he’s well rid of me? It’s not like he ever wanted this baby. He may have changed his mind after his initial rejection, but now he has an out…

I need to stop thinking about things I can’t control. All this stress can’t be healthy.

My hand drifts to my stomach, a habit I've quickly developed. In all the chaos it hardly seems real that there’s a tiny life, oblivious to the turmoil surrounding it, growing inside of me. Despite being halfway along, I’m barely showing since I’ve actually lost weight as a result of all the anxiety. God, I hope things will become stable again soon, for the poor baby if nothing else.

Desperate for a distraction, I decide to take a shower. The lukewarm water does little to soothe my frayed nerves, but at least I feel cleaner. I don’t bother to dry off, instead allowing the droplets to cool my skin in this muggy heat.

As I clean my teeth, I catch sight of myself in the foggy mirror. My face hasn’t seen a trace of makeup in the past few days, and my reflection reveals skin that bears the passage of sleepless nights. The hollows beneath my eyes speak of a fatigue far deeper than any cosmetic concealer can mask—sunken shadows that whisper of restless dreams and waking fears. My hair hangs in a limp and unflattering ponytail, every strand a testament to abandonment, nothing like the sleek styles I previously took pride in. My mother’s voice echoes in my mind, sharp with disapproval; she’d never let this slide without an onslaught of admonishments. Yet in this moment of rawness, stripped of all artifice and pretense, there is an unexpected liberation. The mirror does not lie—it reveals the truth beneath the veneer, a portrait of authenticity I’ve never dared to confront.

Standing here, I am just Lyah. Not Lenka’s daughter, or Niko’s wife, or the First Lady of the New York Bratva.