Chapter 5
FIVE
Igrip the coffee mug in my hands, letting the warmth seep into my fingers as I sit across from Cameron in the sunlit dining room. The morning air is thick with tension, as it always seems to be these days.
“This is a bad idea,” Cameron says, leaning forward, his forearms resting against the edge of the table. “It’s past the treaty line, you know that.”
I take a sip of my coffee, unbothered. “And?”
His eyes darken. “And that means it’s not safe, Magnolia.”
I sigh, setting my mug down with a dull clink. “We talked about this last night, besides Sin wouldn’t hurt me.”
Cameron scoffs. “You sure about that?”
I lift my chin. “Yes.” Sin may have lied to me, kept secrets, played a game I never agreed to, but he never raised a hand to me.
The other night broke my heart all over again.
I went to him so vulnerable, raw with the betrayal, and he destroyed me.
I need a since of normalcy back in my life.
I need to belong somewhere. “I don’t care about your invisible lines. ”
Cameron drags a hand down his face, clearly frustrated. “You’ve been back for five minutes, and you’re already testing boundaries.”
“I’m just going to work.”
“You don’t need to work.”
I exhale slowly. I knew this conversation would happen, and I knew he wouldn’t understand. “That’s not the point,” I say carefully. “Alice in Brewland is normal. It’s books and coffee and a boss who doesn’t look at me like I should be someone I’m not. I need that.”
Cameron studies me, his jaw flexing, but before he can say anything else, my mother steps into the room.
“She’s right.” She tells him.
We both turn to her.
She leans against the doorway, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. “She needs something outside of this house.” Her gaze flickers to me, softening. “And I’ll watch Axle while she’s gone.”
“Good morning, Mother.” He says with a clipped tone.
“Morning my two darlings.” She grins. “Cameron quit bothering your sister, you already talked to the Caputo’s.”
He groans. “I did. You’re safe there, Bria is safe meeting you on either side. I just don’t want you to go.”
I playfully punch his arm, the excitement of knowing Bria and I can see each other outweighing his dramatics.
Cameron looks between us, clearly outnumbered. His lips press into a tight line, and after a long moment, he exhales sharply. “Have a good day at work.” he mutters. “But Maxwell is driving you.”
I smile sweetly. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
While getting ready, I decide to break the ice with Bria.
Me: Hi.
She replies instantly.
Bria: Hi.
Me: How are you?
Bria: Good, you?
Me: I’m good.
I pull a brush through my hair nervously watching as three dots appear on the screen and then vanish.
Me: Please don’t hate me.
My phone rings, and the voice on the other end is hyper. “I was worried you hated me!” she cries.
“Never.”
“What’s life like on the other side?” I imagine her mischievous grin.
“It’s different.” I settle onto the bed, unable to stop the smile on my face. “I’m sorry.” I tell her.
“For what?”
“I know you hate us.”
She’s quiet for a moment. “I love you. You’ve become my best friend, and I think that surpasses the hate I have for your family. I can’t fault you for their actions when you weren’t even apart of them.”
I hate that she despises my brother, mother, cousins. It’s hard to be put in this situation, but they’re at war. “They’re not so bad.”
“Can we not talk about that?”
The conversation is going badly, and it started off so strong. “Want to meet up for dinner after I get off work?”
The scent of freshly brewed espresso and old paper fills my lungs the moment I step inside Alice in Brewland. The comforting mix of roasted beans, vanilla, and aged books wraps around me like a warm hug, settling the storm inside my chest.
I feel like I can finally breathe.
A shriek pierces the air.
I barely have time to process before a blur of pink, unbridled energy barrels into me, arms wrapping around my shoulders in a crushing embrace.
“Oh. My. God!” Victoria squeals, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she grips my arms. “You’re alive! You didn’t quit! I was two days away from making a dramatic missing-person flyer!”
Despite myself, I laugh. “You’d really do that?”
She gasps, clutching her chest. “Of course! You think I wouldn’t plaster your face all over town with ‘MISSING - SUSPECTED ABDUCTION’ in bold letters?”
I shake my head, amused. “You’re unhinged.”
“And you love me for it.”
“I’m sorry I vanished on you.” I tell her.
“It’s okay, you know I have an army of college students always itching for a shift.”
She loops an arm through mine, dragging me toward the counter like I never left.
The café is bustling with the usual mid-morning crowd. Businesspeople tapping away at laptops, bookworms curled in the reading nook with oversized mugs, groups of students laughing over chai lattes.
It’s the kind of perfect chaos I didn’t realize I missed.
Victoria grins as she ties her apron over her dress. “So, mysterious Magnolia returns. Tell me, were you off on some whirlwind love affair? Running from the law? Secretly a spy?”
I snort, reaching for my own apron. “If I was, you’d be the last to know.”
She gasps, hand flying to her heart. “Rude. I’m your favorite coworker.”
“You’re my only coworker.”
“Semantics.”
I shake my head, unable to stop the small, genuine smile tugging at my lips.
Maybe this is what I needed.
Something separate. Something real.
The hours pass in a blur of steaming lattes, book organization, and Victoria’s endless chatter.
We fall back into our rhythm easily. She takes orders with her usual flair, greeting every customer like they’re a long-lost friend, while I work behind the counter, pulling espresso shots and pouring perfectly frothed milk into delicate swirls.
“Tell me something,” Victoria says, tapping her nails against the counter as we wait for the next rush. “Where do you go when you disappear?”
I glance up. “What?”
“You vanish for days at a time, then show up like nothing happened.” She tilts her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I respect the main-character energy. But what’s the deal?”
I hesitate.
Victoria is one of the only people in my life who doesn’t know the truth. She doesn’t know about the mafia ties, the blood-stained history, the war brewing just outside these doors.
She doesn’t know about Sin.
I like it that way.
But for some reason, today, I let my guard slip. Just a little.
“I’ve been dealing with… family stuff,” I admit, carefully choosing my words.
Victoria’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh.”
I laugh. “Why do you sound so shocked?”
“I don’t know, I know so little about you. I know about the orphanage and that you were sheltered growing up.”
“Now…” I let out a breath. “I found them.”
Victoria leans against the counter, eyes full of curiosity. “That’s amazing! I remember you saying you wished you had siblings. Did you find one?”
I nod, not wanting to tell her it’s Cameron. “I did.”
She pulls me in for a hug, “I’m so happy for you!”
I clear my throat, turning back to the espresso machine before she can see how much that means to me. I don’t want to tell her anymore. I know it’s unfair to keep her in the dark, but she is the one person, and this is the one place I can go to escape it all.
The last customers trickle out as the sun begins to set, golden light spilling through the café windows.
Victoria hums as she wipes down the counter, swaying slightly to the music playing softly from the speakers.
Here, I don’t feel like Magnolia Rusco, heir to a world I don’t belong to.
Maybe, for a few fleeting hours, I am just Magnolia.
And that’s a feeling I don’t want to lose.
The hostess leads me to the back of the restaurant, where Bria’s already sitting at a small table near the window. We’ve been here before, when things were simpler, when I didn’t know who I was, and Bria didn’t despise the blood that runs through my veins.
Her hands are folded neatly on a linen napkin. Her hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail, earrings sparkling like tiny daggers. She looks composed. Polished. But I know her well enough to see the tension behind her smile.
I take a breath and approach. “Hi,” I say softly.
Bria’s eyes meet mine. She nods, motioning to the seat across from her. “Hi.”
I slide into the chair. There’s a second of silence before we both reach for the breadbasket at the same time, and we freeze, then laugh, just a little, the sound brittle and fragile.
“So,” I say, tearing off a piece of bread. “Still addicted to the rosemary rolls?”
Bria rolls her eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t dream about them.”
A sliver of warmth cuts through the awkwardness. Just enough to keep me from unraveling. I study her face. “You look good.”
She shrugs. “Sin bought me a spa package. Guilt gift, probably.” I flinch at his name, but Bria doesn’t miss it. Her gaze narrows slightly. “You still love him?”
“Even when I try not to.” I admit, taking a sip of ice water.
Bria exhales slowly and leans back, crossing her arms. “You know what’s crazy? I’ve been trying to hate you since the night Sin told me. Since the second I realized you were one of them.”
I lower my eyes, remembering Cameron’s words not to trust her. “Bria-”
“I can’t hate you,” she says, almost bitterly. “And believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve hated your brother. Your mother. Every last one of them. But you?” She shakes her head. “It’s different.”
My throat tightens. “I was scared you’d never want to talk to me again.”
“I thought you hated me,” she says, voice softer now.
“I can’t imagine what it was like for you to find out you were living in the home of your families nemesis.
For Sin to not tell you that you even had a family.
” She speaks the last word with so much venom, but also a small sliver of happiness for me.
“Never.” I lean forward, pressing my palms to the table. “You’re my best friend.”
Her eyes shine, just a little, but she blinks it away fast. “You picked a hell of a guy to fall for.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know.” Her lip twitches. “You’re in love with the enemy.” She says simply.
“And I’m having dinner with another." I reply. “None of its fair, is it.”
“No,” she whispers. “It’s not.”
We’re quiet again. Outside the window, the streetlights glow soft and golden, people passing by unaware of the war sitting between us.
“I don’t want to lose you,” I say. “And I don’t want you to feel like you have to choose.”
“I already chose,” she says, voice tight. “I never knew Magnolia; I need you to know that I was in the dark just as much as you were.”
Tears sting my eyes.
She reaches for her wine and takes a slow sip. “But I’m scared, Mags. I’m scared Sin will get hurt. I’m scared you’ll get pulled deeper into all of this. I’m afraid I’ll have to watch both of you fall apart, and there won’t be anything I can do.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” I say. “Just be here. That’s enough.”
“I’ll always be here,” she says quietly. “Even if I don’t know how to do this. Your family…”
“We’ll figure it out,” I promise. “Together.”
Bria smirks faintly. “God, we sound like a bad teen drama.”
“I’d still watch it,” I say, laughing a little through the lump in my throat.
“Yeah. Me too.”
And just like that, the wall between us begins to crack.
It’s not perfect. It’s not simple. But it’s still us, two girls who met under false pretenses, who needed one another.
That has to count for something.