22

When I opened my eyes the next morning, I somehow felt a lot better than usual. Where I was actually having either a bad hangover or at least a headache, none of those things were there. Apparently it was really better for me to stay away from drugs and alcohol.

My eyes fell next to me, but there was no trace of Mandy. Only her warmth was still here in bed and for a short time I snuggled into my pillow again, to which her sweet scent still clung, until I suddenly realized that she was safe downstairs and that Rian or Odran might scare her away.

I quickly jumped out of my bed, put on gray jogging pants and a black shirt and went to the bathroom to at least hurry to brush my teeth and wash my face. Only then did I tensely run down the stairs, only to immediately see, looking at the dining table, that Mandy wasn't there at all.

Rian sat at the table in his suit, reading the newspaper with a coffee in his hand while Odran scooped up scrambled eggs and concentrated on his cell phone.

"Um," I started and they both immediately looked my way, amused. assholes...

"Yes?", Rian said with a grin and folded the newspaper to look at Odran with a smile, who looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Lost something? About 5'1" and extremely shy?" laughed the giant and immediately I ran over to his table, grabbed the single muffin next to his plate with a smile on my lips and took a bite with an excited moan in.

"Okay, that's really going too far!", he growled and wanted to get up, but then Rian laughed out loud and pointed to the patio door.

"Your therapist is with Keeva and Nero on the beach and Odran, there are more muffins on the kitchen island," he explained, shaking his head, and after Odran gave me another warning look, I swallowed this sweet mass and made my way to the beach, where I could already see the two women from afar, sitting together and staring at the sea.

While Nero lay halfway on Mandy's lap, Keeva held Esme in her arms and when the two noticed me and looked my way, Keeva immediately got up and came towards me.

"Don't screw it up or you'll have to explain to Odran why I won't bake anymore," she explained with a stern look and then grinned stupidly. "Well, have fun."

I watched her go, perplexed, wondering if Keeva shouldn't actually be Dublin's mafia boss.

"Good morning," Mandy drew my attention back and when I looked at her, I immediately noticed that she was wearing a shirt and sweatpants from me. Her hair was still slightly wet and she had tied it in a high bun. "I took the liberty of taking a shower after Keeva offered it. I hope it was okay that I took it?"

She gripped the t-shirt lightly and shifted nervously from one foot to the other while I smirked stupidly and walked towards her.

"Of course," I said reassuringly, letting my eyes wander over her getup. "It suits you. You should wear it more often."

She giggled sweetly and looked out to sea.

"You really live on the beach," she breathed dreamily and then looked at me shyly again.

"Why would I lie to you?" I asked confused and she took a deep breath to focus her gaze on the sand below.

"You have no idea how often I'm lied to in my job. Sometimes it's hard for me to trust."

"But yesterday you still wanted to confide in Harry and that even after 5 minutes," I grinned and really couldn't resist this saying.

"Who is Harry?", she asked immediately confused and smiling I pulled her waist towards me, because I loved her sweet, playful way...

Fuck! What was I thinking?!?!?

"Um, Senan," she suddenly whispered, gently pushing me away from her on my chest, which made me look down at her questioningly. "Thank you for the nice evening, but you were right. I really do have a husband and whether I like it or not, I should clarify a few things before I open up to someone new."

I almost got the blow and for a brief moment it felt as if someone had hit me hard in the stomach, but I gritted my teeth and showed no emotion.

"Yeah, you're right," I said as if forced, taking my hands off her waist and making her look wistfully into my eyes.

"Don't think I just did it for the alcohol," she added, and I still nodded, frozen.

"I didn't think that for a second," I replied and she smiled fleetingly before turning back to the sea.

"The best thing I can do is call a taxi."

After we stood side by side in silence for a while and I somehow didn't understand what was happening here, we walked back to the villa together, where Rian then called her a taxi and I ran with her to the driveway to wait together.

"When will we see each other again?" I wanted to know despite everything and she looked at me thoughtfully.

"Whenever you want to talk," she explained, and I knew she was referring to her therapy.

The cab pulled up, but before she could get in, I held her by my t-shirt, my heart racing.

"Mandy, I have no idea what tonight was, but even if it was different for you than it was for me, I beg you not to go back to that bastard. You don't deserve that!"

"I have to sort this all out..." she said and all I could do was watch as she got into the cab and drove away...

What the hell was wrong with me?! Why did all this hit me so badly! Irina was right... I must not interfere in other people's drama. That just fucks my head....