Gianna PoV - The Confession (live) (Patreon)

This scene has come up several times in conversation and in asking what scenes people had an interest in, in an alt. point of view. And, ho

This scene has come up several times in conversation and in asking what scenes people had an interest in, in an alt. point of view.

And, honestly, it has been one of the most enjoyable to write. Getting to jump into the mind of modern/OtSP Gianna is truly so much fun for me.

Enjoy!

----------The Confession------------

“Hello, all!” Gianna greeted as she started her livestream, smiling into the camera in greeting as she immediately started to see the engagement numbers blowing up.

That was always a good thing, of course, but right now it was even more important. Because right now, those viewers were going to be streaming Riley’s launch.

When she’d told Riley that she would, of course, be broadcasting Riley’s channel live and throwing her significant support behind her, Riley had given her that adorable look. The one with the little frown lines between her eyebrows, as she’d stuck out that perfectly plush bottom lip and had shaken her head. “No, you shouldn’t,” she’d disagreed, moral to a fault. “It doesn’t feel right; they aren’t my viewers. It feels like I’m lying to the network.”

Gianna had waved her hand, dismissing the concern. “Well, you’re not lying to the network. If people don’t like what you’re saying and they want to stop watching, then they’ll stop. The numbers at the station will reflect that. I’m merely giving you the opportunity to reach a potential audience that may, otherwise, not be aware of what they’d be missing out on.”

Riley had put up a few half-hearted attempts to tell Gianna she didn’t need to stream the BostonNow Digital launch after that, but had eventually given up. Because Riley knew her enough to know that Gianna wasn’t going to listen to that nonsense.

Gianna had a platform. Riley needed a platform. It was that simple, and Gianna had lived by a very simple code for all of her adult life: what was hers, was Riley’s. Done.

Riley didn’t let Gianna shower her in monetary gifts nearly as much as Gianna would love to do, but she could do this. This was Riley’s dream, something she’d been talking about for years.

Something she’d left a very stable, very comfortable job at a very reputable network to pursue.

Gianna so admired that.

And even if she wasn’t in love with Riley, she believed in what Riley was trying to do. Because Riley was right.

The younger generation was being raised on social media. They got almost all of their information and news updates – reputable or not – online. Riley wanted to make a platform that actually reported relevant, accurate, and important information to reach these people. And she fucking loved that.

“I’ve hyped this up for weeks, now, and I hope you’ve been paying attention. You all know who Riley is, of course,” she stated, playfully fluttering her eyelashes.

And her followers did all know who Riley was, even though Riley had remained doggedly intent on remaining behind the camera as much as possible. But Gianna had built her platform on being… herself.

Riley was such a big part of her, it would be impossible for Gianna to not talk about her as frequently as she did.

“And you know that she is on the noblest of missions, launching BostonNow Digital. So, without further adieu – she’s going live, and I can’t fucking wait to see it!”

With that, Gianna linked Riley’s livestream to her own, making sure to blast it to everyone watching, and connected the link to the station in her comments.

Knowing she was no longer on camera, Gianna’s smile faded a bit as she stared intently down at her phone as Riley appeared on screen.

She did look amazing, Gianna errantly thought. Not that she’d believed otherwise, of course; Riley always was beautiful. But Gianna had been absolutely correct about Riley’s outfit striking a perfect combination of professionally hot.

Her own stomach fluttered with nerves, though, as she stared at Riley through the screen.

“Come on, babe,” she whispered, wishing with all of her might that some of her encouragement to Riley minutes ago had struck a chord in Riley.

Wishing desperately for Riley to believe in herself as strongly as Gianna did.

“Uh. Hi.” Riley greeted, her tone sounding stilted, matching the uncertainty tinged with terror on her face. “Welcome to BostonNow. Digital, that is. BostonNow Digital.”

“Oh no,” she breathed, heart aching in sympathy as she swiped her thumb over Riley’s face. “You can do this, carina. You can do this. Talk to me.”

Even if Riley did get fired, Gianna knew she would be able to find another job. Gianna also knew if Riley didn’t find another job, Gianna would find a way to financially take care of her without Riley feeling like it was a handout.

But what wouldn’t be okay was how absolutely crushed Riley would be.

God, Gianna was going to murder Owen. Really, she was wanted to fucking kill him for this.

Riley looked like a deer caught in the headlights, her wide, hazel eyes blinking at the camera as she let far too many seconds tick by without speaking.

Just as Gianna was trying to formulate a plan to save this broadcast, though, Riley cleared her throat.

“If you’re a viewer who’s caught any of the pieces we’ve put out through the main network in the last few months or you’re here from any of the ads our amazing marketing team has been pushing on socials, you might recognize that… I’m not Owen Grady.”

Riley breathed out a laugh, something that sounded uncomfortable, but also real, and Gianna perked up, gripping her phone tightly. No, Riley couldn’t see her, but it didn’t matter. She was grinning and nodding encouragingly from where she stood, leaning against her kitchen island.

“Yes! Yes, Riley, that’s it!”

She caught and held her breath, hoping so intently…

And when Riley asserted a minute later, “I’m Riley Beckett, and I am not a news anchor,” Gianna jumped in place, unable to contain herself.

“Yeah, you are!” She shouted to her empty house.

Gianna stayed right in that spot, locked in and riveted, for the remainder of Riley’s speech, and she didn’t know if she had ever felt such immense joy and pride combined together so powerfully. Because Riley was doing it!

And when it was over, Gianna felt her own heart thumping in her chest, as if she had just achieved something, herself.

Unable to help herself, Gianna lifted her phone and placed a smacking kiss right on the screen, where Riley had been moments ago, before the video had cut out.

Embarrassing? Perhaps a little. But no one was here to see her, and she was so fucking proud!

God, she wished she was there with Riley at the station. She wished she could burst into the room and wrap her arms around Riley and pull Riley so tightly against her. She wished she could be there with her for this moment of celebration.

Honestly, the fact that she wasn’t felt so… wrong.

If Gianna were being totally truthful with herself, she could admit that had the last few months not happened, she would likely have been at the station for Riley’s broadcast today. Had they never started sleeping together, had Gianna not had to break things off, she couldn’t imagine that she wouldn’t have made a point to be there, right at Riley’s side during the biggest moment of her career.

But the last few months had happened.

They had slept together.

And Gianna had broken things off a few days ago.

As much as she was trying – and she was desperately trying – things felt… altered now.

It had only been a few days since Riley had come to see her after her parents had gotten fucking married without telling her. Since Gianna had experienced her total breakdown for the first time in a couple of years.

Since Gianna had come face-to-face with the fact that Riley was everything to her.

Riley was her family and her best friend and her salvation and the brightest spot of every day, and Gianna always knew that. She cherished that.

But. She’d let herself get too caught up in how amazing it had felt to have more with Riley.

Because having more with Riley was the best thing Gianna had ever experienced. The last few months had seen Gianna flying on a high she’d never imagined for herself.

She was having the best sex of her fucking life, with the woman she was most attracted to on the planet, whom she was in love with. She got to spend even more time with Riley than she had before, which wasn’t insignificant. But the last few months had meant that they’d spend the night together, rather than their usual – going home when it got a little late.

She was sharing a bed with Riley several times a week, she got to wake up to Riley snuggled up to her. Usually naked.

Of course she’d allowed herself to be pulled in over her head; she had a lot of self-control when it came to Riley, but no one on earth had that much restraint.

But in that moment a few days ago, when she’d had to face the stark reality of her life…

She couldn’t say she regretted the last few months with Riley. How could she?

She could say, however, that she’d been stupid. Because Riley was… everything to her.

Riley had held her while she’d sobbed in her arms. She’d gently, lovingly cleaned the makeup off her face. She’d rubbed Gianna’s back and stroked her hair like she was something precious and beloved. She was the only person that saw Gianna for everything she was. The only person Gianna could count on to always be there, who wouldn’t be cowed in any way by Gianna’s bluster. The only person Gianna felt comfortable with to show her inner-demons.

As soon as she’d realized that, the reality had slapped Gianna in the face.

She was playing a dangerous game with Riley.

How long could they go on the way they were? How long before Riley broke things off because she found someone else? How long before Riley, potentially, wanted more with her? … Gianna’s heart skipped a beat in her chest at the thought. How long before Gianna potentially messed things up?

How long could they possibly continue having sex and having that pseudo-relationship before there would be consequences?

There were always consequences to actions.

And Gianna could not lose Riley.

She wouldn’t survive it. Really, she didn’t think she would.

She could survive dialing their relationship back to a platonic state, as long as it was what it had been before.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts before she could get too deep – she’d gone down this rabbit hole every day since she’d broken things off, especially since she hadn’t actually been able to spend time with Riley since then – she cleared her throat and pulled up her text thread.

Gianna – 4:12PMAnd that’s a wrap! Honestly, babe, you killed it. I’m so fucking proud of you.

She sent the message, affectionately swiping her thumb over Riley’s name at the top of the screen. Aware that Riley had been so stressed, though, she felt the need to add:

For the record, being proud doesn’t mean that I’m surprised you nailed it. I knew you could

Because, honestly, she hadn’t been blowing smoke when giving Riley her encouraging speech. She believed Riley was capable of anything and everything.

As she sat her phone back on the counter, she realized that the little box in the corner of her screen – the one where Riley’s video had streamed – was still… well, there.

When a stream was ended, it shouldn’t still remain on her phone?

“– over a million!” Joel’s voice came back into focus loud and clear, despite the video not reconnecting. “Probably because of Gianna sharing the stream for the launch, but still!”

His enthusiasm was clear in his tone, and she could tell that he was probably bouncing where he stood.

Which was great; Riley needed and deserved that kind of celebratory energy right now.

“A million?!” Riley’s sweet, dulcet tone returned, after having been cut away less than a minute ago. “Are you sure?”

Gianna shook her head in amusement down at her phone, waiting for Joel’s realization. He was the tech guy, after all; surely he was going to realize any second now what was going on.

Just to make sure, she texted him as he and Riley’s excited exchange continued.

Hey, Mr. Tech Man – check that audio connection. We can still here you

In spite of her having texted both Riley and Joel, though, their chatter didn’t stop. There wasn’t a moment of oh, shit, at all.

Patiently amused, she chuckled under her breath. “Ohhh, you two are going to be embarrassed about this when you fucking realize…”

She was aware that neither Riley nor Joel had checked their phones – obviously – and that all their notifications had definitely been turned to silent, including vibration, for the stream. So even calling wouldn’t help.

Still, for Riley’s sake, she couldn’t let it go just yet.

HEY! You and Joel being all giggly and excited over your success is super cute, but you should end the livestream lol

Any and all amusement she felt faded as she heard Joel’s excited tone dim as he asked, “Are we going to invite Gianna? To celebrate?”

Reeling back, baffled and aghast, she stared down at her phone. Excuse the fuck out of Joel?

Why the hell is Joel suggesting that I should not be invited to celebrate with you tonight????

Like, excuse the fuck out of him, but there was no way Riley was going to be celebrating the biggest win of her career without Gianna by her side. Why the fuck would Joel ever think otherwise?

“No,” Riley’s response was swift, shooting him down. “Don’t be ridiculous; we have to invite Gianna. We would never go out and celebrate something and not invite Gianna.”

Gianna sniffed, haughty and confused, but relieved that it seemed Riley hadn’t also lost her mind. “Take that, Joel.”

“But, that was before…” Joel’s confusion was palpable in his tone, and Gianna was more than ready to hear his reasoning behind such a ludicrous suggestion. “You haven’t even seen her since you two stopped having sex. Tonight should be fun.”

Just like that, all Gianna could hear was white noise.

Her stomach bottomed out and she stared down at her phone as if it were a foreign object. She could hear that Joel and Riley continued to speak, but she – for the life of her – couldn’t wrap her mind around any real words.

What the actual fuck?

Wait. When did you tell Joel about us? Why did you?

She knew, logically, that Riley wasn’t looking at her damn phone. But she couldn’t stop herself from texting, demanding an answer.

Not telling their friends about this had been Riley’s rule! One that had – initially, briefly – given Gianna a moment of insecurity. Before she’d also accepted that it made the most sense.

Their friends would have questions and wouldn’t know what to do with their change in dynamic; fuck, Gianna barely knew!

But…

Why would Riley of all people go against her own rule? And – most importantly – why would she have done it without telling Gianna?

Why didn’t you tell me? That you told him?

She knew Riley wasn’t looking at her phone, again, but she needed to know. Maybe – irrationally – this could be the message that they’d notice.

She’d never once felt like she didn’t understand Riley, before. But right now, she felt like her world was tilting strangely off-balance.

When she finally blinked herself back to the moment, it was because she zeroed in on Riley’s tone. Something aching and scratchy in her voice, the way she got when she was emotional.

“The most insane thing, though, is that even though I know seeing Gianna might make me want to cry, it might total crush me? She’s also the person I want to see, to celebrate with, most of all.”

Riley’s words made the air whoosh out of Gianna’s lungs, robbing her of sanity, as she gripped her phone tightly.

“What does that mean?” She demanded, her heart pounding so hard in her chest as she tried to make sense of this. “What do you mean, Riley?”

Seeing Gianna would make Riley cry? It would crush her?!

Gianna had told herself for the last couple of days that Riley wasn’t avoiding her. That Riley was simply extremely busy with the launch coming up.

But… apparently, she’d been wrong? Had she been so wrong?

Had she hurt Riley, by cutting things off so abruptly? Had she hurt her feelings or made her feel unwanted in some way?

Urgency gripped her as she texted.

RILEY. CAN ONE OF YOU LOOK AT YOUR PHONES?

“I get why you don’t want to tell her about your feelings,” Joel’s voice was so impassioned, and just like that, the pounding of Gianna’s heart was all she could hear, reverberating through her ears.

What. What? What feelings?

Like – like romantic feelings? Like, hurt, offended feelings? Ugh, fuck, that was probably it.

She couldn’t imagine Riley having big, romantic feelings for her, and being dishonest about it; that went against everything Riley was as a person.

She could imagine Riley feeling hurt and self-conscious about their sexual relationship breaking off, and not wanting to tell Gianna to try to spare her feelings while Riley tried to sort everything out on her own.

Her fingers trembled, her breath leaving her quickly and unevenly.

For the love of god, one of you please look at your phones

Gianna wasn’t sure how much of this she could take.

She wanted to hear everything, to know exactly what Riley was feeling so they could fix it.

She didn’t want to hear another word.

She didn’t know exactly how she felt, but she absolutely knew that Riley was going to be absolutely mortified when she realized what was going on.

“Joel, when I told you about us–”

“And when was that, Riley?” Gianna desperately demanded, shaking her phone in her hand.

“You knew the same way I did that for Gianna, it would never be something deeper than sex.”

Gianna scoffed, loudly, dropping her phone to the counter in disgust.

Disgust at herself for not heading this thing off with Riley, so now she’d apparently hurt Riley’s feelings. Disgust with herself for not being able to overcome her feelings for Riley for over a decade.

“What a fucking mess,” she muttered, pressing her hand over her chest and rubbing, hard. Trying to maintain deep, even breaths.

She needed to keep a clear head. Because Riley was going to be embarrassed after this, and they were going to need to sort this out, and Gianna needed to remain level and logical.

Gritting her teeth, she picked up her phone once more, hoping beyond reason, that this could be the message.

Riley, wh

“I don’t even know, yet, how I’m going to move on from this. I don’t know how I ever possibly could, if any part of me thinks there’s something there.”

Just like that, Gianna numbly hit the send icon before her phone clattered heavily to the island. She stared at it as though she’d never once seen a cell phone in her life.

Riley… didn’t know how she was going to move on from this? She didn’t think she could, if there was a possibility that Gianna might feel something for her, too?!?!

Was that – what did that – did that mean…

Immediately, her mind tried to map out every possible route of meaning behind those words.

Did Riley feel their friendship was irreparably changed, now? Was she uncertain that anything could go back to the way it was if she suspected Gianna had feelings for her?

Because that had been the main driving force behind Gianna keeping her mouth shut for all these years. Riley would never turn her back on her, would never consciously treat her differently.

But Gianna knew in her very bones that if Riley knew Gianna had any romantic feelings for her, that their relationship would change. Because Riley would be so focused on making sure Gianna was okay.

God. Fuck.

She really thought she’d handled this well enough that they’d be unscathed. That they’d come out on the other end.

Apparently, she’d been wrong.

Her stomach twisted hard enough to make her feel like she was about to vomit when Joel tried to reason with Riley. When Joel spouted on and on to Riley about how he’d thought that her and Riley sleeping together would lead them to be in a relationship.

About how he’d once asked Gianna if she was aromantic – she vividly recalled that conversation.

She’d known that she should have lied, because it would stop Joel from ever thinking deeply about it again. She should have just said, yes, I’m aromantic, only… only, she’d looked over at Riley as she’d been talking to Ellie and laughing, and everything in Gianna went so soft, as she’d answered honestly.

Fuck. Fuck Joel, and fuck her past self.

Gianna all-but collapsed into the stool at her kitchen island, trying to breathe through the feeling of her carefully-constructed world collapsing in on her.

The world in which she’d fucked up her friendship with Riley by having sex. The world in which Riley was stuck on their changed dynamics and felt uncertain about returning to normalcy. The world in which Riley was starting to have an inkling that Gianna felt… more.

Her throat felt tight and her stomach was cramping and her head was spinning, and she could only actually process bits and pieces of words exchanged between Joel and Riley.

Until Joel’s voice cut through everything as he asked, “If you want to be with Gianna, don’t you want to know that you did everything you could to make it happen?”

Gianna snapped her head up, breath catching in her throat as she stared with wide, watery eyes down at her phone.

Wait a fucking second.

Had she… had she somehow willfully misinterpreted what was going on, here?

She must have.

Because Joel’s question was so earnest and genuine, and he was no longer saying things like, Gianna loves you, but… it sounded like… he was saying that Riley wanted to be with her?

“What am I going to say to her now?” Riley asked, and her voice was so raw, it made Gianna ache with a whole new feeling. With the need to simply… hold her. To figure out how to make everything feel better for her.

It was the feeling Gianna always felt for Riley, whenever things were going wrong for her in any way. She just wanted to make it better. Even now, even if it was about… this.

Riley’s tone was sheer, aching exasperation, as she continued, “That I know she already ended things and I know she isn’t interested in relationships, but that being with her feels as normal as breathing?”

Gianna swore on her entire being that she heard the record-scratch in her mind as everything came to an abrupt halt. Everything, everything in the entire world. The world was no longer even spinning at all, on any axis.

“Oh my god,” the words escaped Gianna on a gasping breath, her heart galloping in her chest, slamming against her ribs at Riley’s words.

Riley had no idea. She had no fucking clue about Gianna’s feelings.

This entire quandary was about Riley’s feelings. Feelings that she perceived to be unrequited?!

“That – that being with her and totally blurring the lines between platonic and more shouldn’t have made me feel like I’m seeing everything more clearly, but that’s exactly what happened?”

Gianna’s mouth trembled open, but no sound came out. She couldn’t manage a sound right now, not when every possible energy and effort went to holding herself together.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to laugh.

She wanted to shout with joy.

She wanted to dance in celebration and excitement.

She wanted to run away and bury herself in the utter terror at that this could possibly mean. At what this would change.

But none of that could overcome the utter shock that kept her frozen in place.

“Do you think I should tell her about how I can’t help but wonder, now, if my relationship with Gianna played a part in why I haven’t really had a romantically fulfilling relationship in my adult life? Because she was already fulfilling all of my emotionally intimate needs, long before she fulfilled the physical ones?” Riley’s tone was so full of emotion and so demanding.

And Gianna hadn’t even registered when she’d reached for her phone, but she clearly had. Because it was now sitting in her hand, and she was gripping it so hard her knuckles were turning white.

“You’re still streaming!” A third voice entered the black void where the camera visual had been minutes ago, and Gianna could feel the tension from the other end of the line in that second.

Almost immediately, the stream actually ended.

And Gianna simply… stared. Stared down at her phone, where all evidence of the livestream had disappeared, leaving her to stare down at her home screen.

It was a picture of her and Riley, as it always was. As it had been for over a decade now.

Gianna frequently changed her home screen and her lock screen; she was on her phone so much and working with different photos and videos, that whenever she came across a different photo that struck her fancy, she’d swap it out.

But it always involved Riley.

Once, when she’d been on a trip away from home and Riley hadn’t been able to come with her, she’d changed her background to a photo of just Riley.

Gianna always remained on the sane side of the boundary – having you and your best friend as a background? Fine and dandy. Having just your best friend?

Not so much.

Right now, it was a photo that had been snapped at the Worthy launch event last month. Riley was in that hot fucking designer suit, and she was laughing with Gianna, and one of the photographers had snapped this picture and sent it along to Gianna amidst all of the others from the event.

She’d immediately used it as her background.

And god, she didn’t know what the fuck to do right now.

Where did she go from here?

What did someone do when all of their dreams appeared to be coming true? But that simultaneously felt like it was the most terrifying thing that could possibly happen?

Forcing herself to take deep, even breaths, Gianna did her best to tamp it all down.

To do what she did when it came to her parents – smother it and try to push past it, to see the other side.

With that, she texted Riley once more.

I have to hand it to you, that’s certainly one way to grip an audience

Her heart was still pounding a little too hard and a little too fast and a little too erratically to be considered normal by any means.

But, she’d managed a light, teasing response. Something normal. Something she might have texted had Riley not just confessed to having feelings for Gianna.

Had Riley not just confessed to having feelings for Gianna, accidentally, to literally millions of people.

Gianna’s notifications were blowing up like fucking crazy, and it was the first time she realized it. Undoubtedly, it had been happening for the last five minutes, but she’d been so caught up in what Riley was saying, she hadn’t processed what was going on outside of herself.

The red icons informing her of notifications on every platform, including her texts, were in the triple digits, now. And climbing.

Gianna had her phone clasped in her hands still, but couldn’t bring herself to look at them.

Because as much as she told herself to just – just be normal. To just treat this as if everything was okay, as if nothing had to change. As if Riley hadn’t just altered her brain chemistry – she couldn’t quite get herself there.

Closing her eyes, she pushed away from the counter, starting to pace as she drew in deep breaths through her nose…

Then released them through her mouth…

“Riley has feelings for me,” she spoke, quietly. Tasting the words on her tongue for the very first time.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach twisted in a good – great – kind of excited anticipation.

And a laugh broke from her lips, desperate and exalted and shocked and elated and wild.

“Riley has real, romantic feelings for me,” she breathed again, and had to blink, unexpectedly, as the tears – hot and sudden – stung the backs of her eyes.

The laughter escaping her turned into a gasping breath, and she choked them both off, rolling her lips and pressing her hand to her mouth.

This was the best moment of her life.

This was the worst moment of her life.

Dazedly, she lifted her phone when she felt it vibrate – the only person that wasn’t set to Do Not Disturb had finally texted her back.

Riley – 4:27PMI’m on my way over

I’m sorry.

“Oh, babe, you have nothing to be sorry for,” she murmured, clutching her phone to her chest.

She knew Riley Jane Beckett, knew her down to her core. She knew why Riley was apologizing. She knew Riley felt like she’d betrayed Gianna.

But, oh, that realization cut like a fucking knife. Searing, stabbing right into her heart.

Because if Riley felt like she was a liar who’d betrayed Gianna’s trust by continuing on in a “no strings” relationship after developing feelings, how was she going to feel when she learned the truth?

Jesus Christ.

The terrifying alarm of it gripped Gianna urgently, stealing her breath from her lungs.

How was Riley going to look at her, when she realized that Gianna hadn’t developed feelings, but that she’d had them the whole damn time? How was Riley going to feel when she found out that their foundation of friendship throughout the last decade was layered with the fact that Gianna had been in love with her the entire time, and Riley had never known?

Gianna was already shaking her head against the very idea.

If, she desperately corrected, mentally. If Riley found any of that out.

There was no reason Riley had to really know, right? There was no reason anything truly had to change, right?

Nothing had to change for Gianna; her feelings for Riley right now were the same as they were yesterday, the same as they were a month ago, a year ago.

Maybe they could – maybe they could just – let it be.

Yes, she thought, snapping her eyes open, nodding with it.

Feeling crazed, she drew a hand through her hair and used the other to text Riley back.

Okay, the door’s unlocked

Riley was coming over, right now. Gianna was going to have to face her, imminently.

If she could… if she could keep them on-task?

The feeling she’d been searching for – that desperate, almost delusional feeling she was able to clutch onto in regard to her parents – finally shifted within her reach.

And it wasn’t the same; she couldn’t bury herself in it the way she could when it came to her parents.

But it was something, and she held to it tightly, with everything she had.

Because if she didn’t, she was fairly certain she would jump Riley the second she walked through the door.

And that… would be bad?

Would that be bad?

As if summoned by a spell, all of the ways in which that would be terrible, popped into her mind. Reminding her of why she’d called things off between them a few days ago.

Because what she had right now with Riley was worth more than the risk of anything else. The profit/loss analysis was too steep.

Gianna had known that for years, now.

All she needed to do was convince Riley of it.

Right?

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