Life Before Damaged Vol. 10 (The Ferro Family) by H. M. Ward

IT HAS A NICE RING TO IT
December 21st, 4:05pm
    I haven’t written in my journal in almost a month. It’s crazy how time slips away when I’m joyful. Lately, my life has been more than happy—it’s been blissfully perfect. It's hard to believe that in ten days Pete will officially be my fiancé and, in just a few short months after that, I’ll be his wife!
    Mrs. Peter Ferro has a nice ring to it.
    Constance has every detail of our engagement planned—all the way down to the super-sized Ferro ring I’ll wear. It’s gigantic, and it’s not really me. I don't want a big extravagant ring, but I know how important heirlooms can be to old money families. As long as Pete and I get engaged by the end of the night, that’s all that matters.
    Pete has been amazing. He keeps saying he's changed, that I changed him. I know what he means, but I don’t think it was all me. The man I've been with this past month has always been inside of him—Pete simply chose not to let him out. People don’t change, not really. They evolve and learn from their mistakes, but what defines them as a person, never really leaves. I’m still the good girl, the dreamer I’ve always been, and Pete is still the intense lover and fighter. But together, we bring out the best in each other. He makes me feel powerful, confident, and bold, whereas I seem to channel Pete’s passion in ways that help him, rather than hinder him.
    We have a date tonight, a public one. Constance is purposefully leaking our whereabouts to make sure the paparazzi get good pictures of us finally acting the happy couple. Philip Gambino told the press what I told him when I first broke up with him, the part about the business merger and how Pete and I didn't love each other. When articles about our fabricated relationship began to appear in the gossip rags, Constance was intensely scary.
    Tonight’s charity event for a downtown orphanage will provide lots of positive press. A hot billionaire giving money to lonely kids at Christmas will make ovaries explode all over the world—and that will make Connie very happy.
    God knows I need to make her happy somehow. These days, I’m solidly on her shitlist. She wasn’t thrilled about my encounter with Philip and his friends. It was messy and a lot of people needed to be silenced. I don’t know which sleazy character she paid off, but it worked. I’m no longer in their crosshairs. Although I know I should stop looking over my shoulder and jumping at every unexpected sound, I’m still on edge. Pissing off that family was like putting a bullseye on my back. It comes down to which family has more power because a move against me will be a strike at the entire Ferro clan.
    For all the help Constance has been over the past month with this whole Gambino scandal, I’m still wary of her. Since Pete destroyed my police file, I figured I’d return the favor. It was stupid and reckless, but I snuck into her office yesterday while Pete was out on an errand and stole his file. In it, I discovered new information I need Pete to see for himself. If these reports are correct, I have proof Constance lied to us. I still don’t know how or when I’ll show him the file, but now is not the right time. His reaction could go either way, but he needs to know what I found. Regardless of how he takes it and what he decides to do with this information, I’ll stand by him.
    I better start getting ready for our date. Pete’s been acting overly enthusiastic about tonight, and I want to look my best. Maybe he's discovered his inner Christmas spirit, or maybe it’s just the thought of being around kids and helping them out? You never know.
    Life with Pete is always full of surprises.

SO THIS IS YOU
Sidney, The Present
    T he binding creaks as I carefully close the last book and set it down on the bed with the others. Based on the date I know there aren't more. This entry is the last time she wrote before her death. A shiver shoots down my spine at the