DANTE'S POV
By the time Gianna opened the door and ushered me in, a wave of familiarity hit me, and I staggered into the room. The air smelled like expensive perfume and memories I didn't want to dig up. I flopped onto one of the chairs in the middle, my body heavy, my mind swirling.
Gianna moved silently beside me, taking the seat next to mine. She handed me a glass of water, and I stared at it for a long moment, then at her. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, strands falling loose around her face. Her bathrobe was slipping off one shoulder, revealing bare skin. I wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, but I was too drunk to care.
I took the water, but I didn't drink it. I didn't want water. I wanted more liquor, more of anything to drown out the thoughts running rampant in my head. "Why did you come back?" I asked, my voice rough, barely holding itself together.
Gianna was silent at first, her gaze soft as she looked at me. "Because I missed you."
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Why did you leave in the first place?"
The room tilted around me, making it hard to focus on anything. Her face blurred in front of me as the alcohol fogged my brain. She sighed. "I needed to get something for myself, Dante. I had dreams. We both did. And we promised each other we'd wait. You promised."
I chuckled darkly, looking at her through half-lidded eyes. "I made no such promises to you, Gianna. You shouldn't have come back, you should have stayed there because right now you're ruining everything"
Her sharp intake of breath was the only sound in the room. I leaned back in the chair, groaning. "God, can I get some liquor around here?"
She grimaced, her frustration clear. "You're too wasted Dante."
I ignored her, my gaze drifting to the untouched water on the table. Thirst hit me all at once, so I gulped it down, my throat burning and still thirsting for more booze. When I slammed the glass back on the table, my mind drifted back to Helena and my chest tightened at the thought of her. The look on her face when she declared she was leaving, sullen, sad and a tint of hatred brewing within them. I didn't want her to leave, why did I let her go? "She's leaving me," I spat, the bitterness clawing at my insides. "She's fucking leaving me. How does that even work?"
Gianna's face tightened with pain, but I didn't care. I couldn't. My head was too full of Helena, of her walking away from me, of the hollow ache she left behind. I needed more to drink. I guess I wasn't drunk enough if I was still thinking about her.
Suddenly, I felt Gianna's hands on my face, turning me to look at her. Her eyes searched mine, but I couldn't focus. Everything was blurry, her face fading in and out of view. "I'm here now," she whispered, her voice soft, her touch too gentle.
But it wasn't the same. It wasn't Helena. Nothing about this felt right.
I could feel her pulling me closer, her breath warm against my skin, her mouth inching towards mine. I could almost feel her lips, but at the last second, I pulled away. I couldn't do it. I didn't want Gianna. I wanted Helena. I needed Helena back.
I shot up from the chair, the sudden movement making my head spin. Gianna looked startled, her eyes wide with confusion. "Where are you going?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm not going to let her leave, what the bloody hell was I thinking?" I muttered, my words slurring as I stumbled toward the door.
"Dante," she called after me, her voice carrying something I couldn't read in my drunken haze. When I turned back, her expression was pleading. "Don't leave," she whispered. "Don't you get it? I came back for you."
"You shouldn't have done that," I said, shaking my head as I staggered out of the room, the door slamming behind me. "And you should leave before it's too late"
The night air hit me like a slap, but it wasn't enough to clear the fog clouding my mind. I couldn't let Helena walk away from me. I wouldn't let her. Not again.
I fumbled with my keys, my hands shaking as I got into the car. I shouldn't be driving. Hell, I could barely see straight, but I didn't care. I needed to find her. I needed to fix this. My mind was racing, spinning out of control, but all I could think about was her. Her face, the softness of her skin and the lushness of her lips when I captured them with mine. How sexily her lips parted when I plunged inside of her – everything.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed her number, pressing it to my ear as the car roared to life. It rang once, twice, then straight to voicemail. I clenched my jaw, holding the phone tighter. "Helena…" I began, my voice thick with desperation just as I started driving "Don't think I'm just going to let you walk away from me-"
I stopped, realizing that maybe now wasn't the time to act like a mafia boss. I needed to be real with her. I needed her to know how much this was killing me. "I can't lose you a second time. We can work this out. I love you, and-"
The blinding headlights of an oncoming truck filled my vision. Everything moved too fast and too slow all at once. My heart slammed against my ribs as I tried to swerve, but it was too late.
The impact was deafening. Metal crunched and glass shattered around me, the force of the crash jerking me violently to the side. Pain exploded through my body, but all I could think about was Helena.
Then everything went dark.