Chapter 271: Let’s Be Friends Like Before

"Riley," Sienna said, trying to keep her voice calm, "have you forgotten that I told you the truth a few days ago? Why don’t you believe me?"

Riley lowered his eyes for a brief moment before looking back at Sienna. His expression was filled with sadness and frustration, as though he had been arguing with himself long before this conversation began.

"Believe me, I try," Riley admitted honestly. He drew in a slow breath before letting it out. "I really do. But no matter how hard I try to believe it... it’s difficult."

Sienna closed her eyes for a second, rubbing her forehead lightly as she fought back another wave of frustration.

"Seriously..." she muttered before looking at Riley again. "Can you stop being so dramatic and just accept it?"

The words sounded blunt, but there was more exhaustion than anger behind them.

Seeing Riley’s torn expression, Sienna softened her tone, though her patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Riley, if you still don’t believe me," she continued, "then take one of my hairs and bring it to a laboratory. Have a DNA test done if that’s what it takes for you to finally accept that Skylar is my biological son."

Her voice remained steady, but the emotion behind her words was unmistakable.

"I have nothing to hide." She continued.

Silence settled between them again.

Sienna looked away for a moment to the garden outside through the French window. She tried to gather her thoughts. She no longer wanted to keep talking about the past. Every conversation seemed to return to the same place. Whether Riley accepted the truth or not no longer mattered as much as it once had.

Still, there was one thing she knew she had to say.

She slowly turned back to Riley, her expression gentler than before. Still, the determination in her eyes left no room for misunderstanding.

"Riley," she began quietly, "you know me well. You’ve known me for years."

Riley remained silent, listening.

"From the day we met until now, I have never seen you as my romantic partner."

The words were spoken gently, without cruelty, but they were firm enough that their meaning could not be mistaken.

"I’ve always seen you as my best friend."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"More than that, I’ve always thought of you as the younger brother I never had."

A flicker of pain crossed Riley’s face, but Sienna continued because she knew stopping now would only make things harder for both of them.

"I care about you very much," she said sincerely. "I always will. But the feelings you’re holding onto... I can’t return them."

Riley lowered his head, pressing his lips together as he struggled to keep his emotions under control.

"I know this isn’t easy for you," Sienna continued softly. "Believe me, it isn’t easy for me either. You’re someone precious to me, and the last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you. But pretending that something could happen between us would only hurt you even more."

She leaned back slightly, maintaining eye contact.

"So, please, Riley... let this go." Her voice was calm, carrying neither anger nor blame. "For your own sake, for mine, and for everyone involved."

Riley let out a shaky breath and gave a bitter smile.

"I always knew you were honest," He said quietly. "I guess I was the one who kept hoping that one day your feelings might change."

"They never did," Sienna admitted gently. "And I don’t want you to waste your happiness waiting for something that will never happen."

Riley laughed softly, though there was no joy in it.

"I told myself that if I stayed by your side long enough, maybe one day you’d look at me differently." He shook her head. "And when I finally thought I had a chance... I discovered you’re married to my uncle."

He looked at Sienna with a complicated-looking gaze.

"I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with all these feelings anymore." He continued. His voice cracked despite his efforts to remain composed.

Sienna’s heart ached for her friend. She understood Riley’s pain, but she also knew there was nothing she could offer except honesty.

"You don’t have to figure everything out today," she said gently. "Give yourself time. You’re stronger than you think, and one day you’ll meet someone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved."

Riley smiled weakly. "I hope you’re right."

"I know I am." Sienna softly answered.

Another quiet silence settled over the living room.

After a long silence, Sienna decided to speak first.

"So... can we be friends like before?" she asked gently, breaking the quiet between them.

Riley looked at her for a moment without answering. The sadness in his eyes had not completely disappeared, but it no longer carried the same desperation as before.

A faint smile slowly formed on his lips.

"Hmm," he said with a small nod. "Let’s be friends like before."

He paused briefly before adding, his smile growing a little warmer, "Best friend is utterly precious. And I don’t want to lose something so precious."

Sienna discreetly observed his face and gaze, quietly studying his expression and the emotion behind it. She wanted to be certain he wasn’t forcing himself to say those words simply to end the conversation.

After a few moments, she found the sincerity she had been looking for in his eyes. Although there was still sadness, there was also acceptance, and that gave her hope that their friendship could truly survive.

A relieved smile spread across her face.

"Thank you, Riley," she said with a light chuckle. "You have no idea how much it means to me."

Riley let out a quiet laugh of his own and shook his head.

"You really are heartless," he said. "Even after breaking my heart, you’re still making me worry about losing our friendship."

Sienna smiled apologetically. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know," Riley replied. "That’s why I can’t be angry with you. It might take me some time to let go completely, but I don’t want to lose someone who’s been such an important part of my life."

His honesty eased the last of Sienna’s worries. She knew things would not return to normal overnight, but this was a beginning, and for now, that was enough.

The tension that had weighed on her heart throughout the afternoon finally began to fade. She felt as though she could breathe freely again, knowing they had chosen honesty instead of resentment.

Inside, she couldn’t help smiling to herself.

’I’m happy,’ she thought quietly. ’Riley finally accepted me as part of his family, and I didn’t lose my best friend.’