From Mob Princess to Mugshot Photographer novel Chapter 131

**Chapter 8**

A month had passed since the harrowing events that had turned my world upside down, and I found myself cautiously emerging from the depths of that trauma.

My wrist and fingers, once shattered and painful, had been set and bandaged with care. Yet, the delay in treatment loomed over me like a dark cloud; I knew I would never again wield a scalpel with the precision I once had.

To say it didn’t hurt would be a disservice to the truth. The ache in my heart matched the pain in my wrist, but life has a way of pushing us forward, doesn’t it?

In an attempt to reclaim some semblance of joy, I enrolled in a painting class.

I thought, perhaps, that trading the cold steel of a scalpel for the warm bristles of a paintbrush might offer me a new kind of solace.

Today’s class had just concluded, and as I gazed at the canvas before me, a swell of pride filled my chest. I had poured my emotions into that painting, and it felt like a small victory.

But as I stepped outside, a voice sliced through the air, familiar and unwelcome.

“Sienna.”

In an instant, my body froze, rigid with tension.

I felt my nails dig into my palm as I turned to face Garrett. The calmness in my voice belied the storm brewing inside me.

“What are you doing here?”

He extinguished his cigarette and approached me, his demeanor unnervingly composed.

“I came to take you home.”

The absurdity of his words made me want to laugh, a bitter sound that barely escaped my lips.

“Home? You mean your home with Melody?”

“Last I checked, we’re not together anymore. So stop acting like we are. Keep your distance, Mr. Hale. I can’t get hurt by you again.”

Garrett’s gaze remained steady, his tone unyielding.

“Come back to our home—yours and mine. We can go get a new marriage certificate.”

My heart sank at his words.

“I already had someone send Melody abroad. I won’t see her again, and no one will hurt you anymore.”

His eyes fell to my wrist, and I could hear the quiet desperation in his voice.

“Sienna, I’ll make up for everything I owe you.”

At that moment, laughter bubbled up inside me, a cruel and unexpected reaction. I wiped at the corners of my eyes, feeling the sting of tears mixed with the absurdity of it all. My voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Garrett, don’t tell me that after everything that happened, you realized you’re in love with me?”

He met my gaze with an intensity that caught me off guard.

“Yes. Sienna, I’m in love with you.”

In that instant, my calm facade shattered like glass.

“Garrett, I hate you! I really, truly hate you!”

“When I loved you, you didn’t love me back. You let Melody hurt me. You treated me like a bed warmer. Even the marriage was fake!”

“But now I’m gone. I finally started building a new life. And you show up telling me you realized you’re in love with me?!”

My eyes burned with unshed tears, emotions swirling violently in my chest.

“Garrett, what makes you think I’ll come running back just because you snap your fingers?”

“Get lost. I never want to see you again!”

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