Page 37 of Care: Part 1

At the wedding, Avelina was standing by a group of screaming women with a frown on her face. She kept thinking back to what happened with Adrik. He was right about everything. She was aware that it was unfair to play with his emotions as she tried to figure out her own.

When she glanced over at Adrik, who looked as handsome as ever, her frown only deepened. Avelina did not want to ruin her job. Being with a client is like a teacher being with her student; It was wrong. Not only was being with Adrik wrong, but she could jeopardize her job. Yet, as her eyes gleamed over at him, she wanted it to be right.

It didn't matter, though. Avelina had already jeopardized everything. He didn't bother to say one word to her after they had gotten into the car. She had sat by him at the wedding reception, but he busied himself by speaking to the groom when the after-party began.

Suddenly, Avelina's eyes grew wide as her hands instinctively latched onto a bouquet that the bride had thrown in front of her face.

Her heart was racing when she looked up and saw the happy smile on the bride's face. All that occupied Avelina's mind was that she caught the bouquet. Based on the numerous movies Avelina had seen, she knew what that meant; she would be married next. Of course, it was only a myth, but it still wouldn't slow the fast pace of her heart.

Out of nowhere, A set of arms pulled Avelina into them. Based on the flowery scent, she knew it had to be the bride. Avelina looked over at her, smiling lightly, even though nervousness was occupying her brain.

"Are you a friend of Valentino's?" The bride had asked.

Avelina gazed at the woman's blonde hair before her eyes dropped down to her swollen belly. She was a gorgeous bride, and Avelina couldn't help but wonder how someone so angelic married someone as scary as Valentino.

"Oh, no-”

"Anastasia, I would like you to meet a friend of mine, Adrik Zolotov," Valentino spoke to his wife, coming from absolutely nowhere.

Avelina's eyes wandered over to Adrik, who looked at her before looking away. She couldn't help but sigh in response. He was still pissed, and she knew that she deserved it.

"Hi, nice tomeet you," the bride, who Avelina guessed was named Anastasia, had smiled at Adrik.

Avelina knew she had to do her job of talking for Adrik at the moment. There was still tension between them, but she took a deep breath and pushed it aside.

"He is having a great time. He also would like to thank you for inviting us," Avelina spoke.

She felt a chill run down her spine as Adrik placed his hand on her lower back. She knew that meant she had done a great job. It also gave her a sprout of hope that maybe she could fix their friendship.

The confusion was as clear as day on Anastasia's face, but her smile never faltered.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Anastasia began. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name.

"My name is Avelina," she smiled. "We are so happy to be here and can't wait to see more of you both. If you will excuse us, we were just about to dance."

After Anastasia had nodded her head, Avelina guided Adrik to the tables. She wanted to talk to him and to clear up everything. One thing Avelina began to dislike was when Adrik was upset with her

When no one was within hearing range any longer, she sighed. Her heart opened, and she was ready for it to spill out. As Adrik looked off in the distance, she gazed at him and saw everything she couldn't have but genuinely wanted.

"Adrik, I-"

Her mind kept nagging her about what she was going to say next. There were so many words compiling up, but nothing coming out.

Her heart shattered as she watched him get up and walk away from her. It broke even more when she saw a woman ask him for a dance. She couldn't help bearing the sight, so she turned away. No matter what happens between them, it was all her fault.

"Avelina!" A voice called out.

Avelina turned to look at the source only to see it was the bride, Anastasia. A smile quickly plastered itself onto Avelina's face. She also couldn’t help but notice the raven-haired girl as she strolled right beside Anastasia.

"Hi," Avelina spoke, glancing between Anastasia and the woman beside her.

"This is Bella, my sister-in-law, and my best friend. Bella, this is Mr. Zolotov's plus-one, Avelina," Anastasia said, smiling as Bella held her hand out for Avelina to shake.

The duo moved to either side of Avelina; this left Avelina to be in the middle of Anastasia and Bella.

"So, the hot man in the bun is your boyfriend?" Bella asked.

Anastasia narrowed her eyes before pinching her friend's arm.