Chapter 21 #21

Chapter 21 #21


Chapter 21

Dante

I think God loves me too much. Because what in the actual world is going on? 

Everything and I mean everything seems to be working in my favor lately. The universe has finally decided to stop screwing me over and start handing me exactly what I deserve.

Shailyn is back to how she was. My sweet, compliant, devoted Shailyn from five years ago. The one who looked at me like I hung the moon and stars. The one who would do anything I asked without question. The one who loved me unconditionally, blindly, stupidly.

Which means no more divorce threats. No more backbone. No more of that irritating newfound confidence she'd somehow developed over the past few weeks. And best of all, she'll help me with my project. She'll give me another revolutionary AI model, just like she gave me H-GPT, and I'll crush Dwayne's pathetic attempt at competition.

I felt so delighted I could almost laugh out loud. Actually, fuck it I am laughing. This is perfect. This is exactly what I needed.

Shailyn doesn't remember any of the bad parts. Doesn't remember the cheating, the infections, the fights, my hands around her throat. 

She only remembers the good year, the love-bombing year, when I was playing the devoted boyfriend to get what I wanted from her. And now she's right back there, looking at me with those adoring eyes, clinging to me like I'm her whole world.

It seems like she even loves me more now than she did before. More desperate for my attention, more eager to please. Amnesia might be the best thing that's ever happened to our marriage.

This is an opportunity. A golden, shining opportunity to bond with her again, to solidify my control, to make sure that even when or if her memories eventually return, she'll be so tangled up in this renewed version of our relationship that she won't want to leave.

I genuinely hope she doesn't remember anything anytime soon. The longer this lasts, the better.

My little pathetic wife. So easy to manipulate. So eager to believe the best in me.

But there are complications. There are always complications.

Hannah, for instance. That irritating little bitch who's been buzzing around Shailyn like an annoying fly I can't quite swat. She's been getting on my nerves these days with her constant attempts to talk to Shailyn, to pull her aside, to whisper God knows what poison in her ear.

I don't like her. I don't trust her. And I certainly don't appreciate her trying to interfere in my marriage.

She claims she's Shailyn's friend. Friend. As if Shailyn needs friends when she has me. As if anyone else's opinion matters. 

Shailyn is mine. Mine and mine alone. She doesn't need friends. She needs me.

I have to find a way to deal with Hannah. Maybe get her transferred to a different department. Maybe find some reason to fire her outright. She's becoming a problem, and I don't tolerate problems.

I was smirking at the thought of planning exactly how I'd get rid of Hannah without raising suspicions when I heard footsteps behind me.

"What the hell is making you smile like you won the lottery?"

Dwayne's voice cut through my pleasant thoughts like nails on a chalkboard. I turned to find my brother standing in the doorway of the living room, his arms crossed, that infuriatingly superior look on his face.

Of course he'd show up to ruin my good mood. He always did.

"Of course I have, brother," I answered, putting mocking emphasis on the last word. "I've won everything that matters."

His eyes narrowed. "Your happiness will be short-lived. She'll get her memory back eventually. And when she does, she'll remember exactly how horrible you've been to her. How you treated her like garbage for four years straight."

I leaned back in my chair, completely unbothered by his attempt at a threat. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Dwayne. She's my wife, not yours. I honestly don't know how much of this is your concern."

"It's my concern when I have to watch you manipulate and abuse someone who can't even remember…"

"Manipulate?" I laughed. "I'm a good husband. A devoted husband. Everything she needs me to be. If that's manipulation, then I guess I'm guilty."

Dwayne's jaw clenched. "You're disgusting."

"And you're jealous." I stood up, enjoying the way his eyes tracked my movement. "Better work on how your project is going to come out, brother. Because, I'm going to be the one leading.”

The barb hit its mark. I could see the irritation flash across his face.

"At least I'm actually working on my project," Dwayne shot back. "Rather than planning to steal someone else's work. Again."

I bristled at that but forced myself to keep smiling. He was fishing. He didn't actually know anything. He couldn't.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said smoothly. "But don't worry, brother. We'll see who laughs last when my project blows yours out of the water."

"Right. Because you're so talented at creating AI models on your own." His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

I moved around my desk, closing the distance between us. "Oh, and Dwayne? One more thing."

"What?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed how tender and caring you've been to Shailyn. All those concerned looks. Those little check-ins. The way you watch her when you think no one's paying attention." I stepped closer, dropping my voice to something dangerous. "I'll warn you now: back off. Shailyn is mine. Mine and mine alone. She's in love with me."

Dwayne actually scoffed at that. Scoffed. Like I'd just told the joke of the century.

"Love, you say?" He actually laughed in my face. "Is that what you're calling it?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Dwayne said, his amusement fading into something colder, "that what Shailyn feels for you isn't love. It's trauma bonding. It's the result of years of systematic abuse and manipulation.”

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"Don't I?" He stepped closer, matching my aggressive posture. "I've seen how you treat her. Everyone has. The whole office knows what kind of husband you are. They just don't say anything because you're the CEO."

"Get out of my face."

"The only reason she thinks she loves you right now is because she can't remember the truth. But she will. Eventually, she'll remember everything. And when she does…"

"She won't leave me," I cut him off. "Even if she remembers, which she won't, she won't leave. She's too weak. Too pathetic. Too dependent on me and everything I provide."

"We'll see, Dante." Dwayne's voice was quiet now, but there was steel underneath it. A promise. "We'll see."

I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the way he said or it was the certainty in his voice. Could be that it was just the accumulation of everything — his return to Kington, his challenge to my position, his interference with my wife, his constant presence ruining everything I'd worked for.

Whatever it was, my fist was connecting with his face before I'd consciously decided to throw the punch.

The satisfaction of feeling his jaw crack under my knuckles was immense. For one perfect second, I felt like I'd won.

Then Dwayne recovered.

"You stupid…" He didn't finish the sentence. Just came at me with a return punch that caught me square in the mouth.

I tasted blood. Felt my lip split. And something in me snapped completely.

I should have thought before throwing that first punch. I should have remembered that Dwayne was bigger than me, stronger than me, trained in God knows what kind of martial arts during his years in Asia. I should have remembered that while I went to business school and networking events, he was probably learning how to break bones.

But my ego wasn't going to let me back down now. Not after I'd started this. Not in front of him.

I threw another punch. He blocked it and landed one in my ribs that knocked the wind out of me.

"Is this what you do?" Dwayne growled, grabbing my collar. "Hit people who can't fight back? Is that what makes you feel powerful?"

"Fuck you!" I managed to get my knee up, catching him in the stomach. He grunted and loosened his grip enough for me to break free.

We were really fighting now. Not just throwing punches but actually fighting, grappling, shoving, both of us trying to gain the upper hand. My office wasn't built for this kind of brawl. We crashed into my desk, sending papers flying. Knocked into the bookshelf, making my awards and trophies rattle.

"You think you can just waltz back in here…" I landed a punch to his side. "and take everything from me” Another punch, this one to his shoulder. "like you have some kind of right"

"You never deserved it in the first place!" Dwayne shoved me hard enough that I stumbled backward. 

"Shut up!" I charged at him, but he sidestepped and I slammed into the wall.

"The only reason you're CEO is because you manipulated a vulnerable woman and stole her work. You're not smart enough to have created H-GPT. You're not talented enough. You're nothing but a…"

I roared and threw myself at him again. This time I connected, and we both went down, rolling across the floor, throwing punches wherever we could land them.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was insane. Knew that we were both grown men, executives of a major company, acting like animals. 

But I couldn't stop and let him think he is right about anything.

Dwayne got on top of me, pinning my shoulders. "Give up, Dante. You've already lost."

"Never!" I bucked my hips and managed to throw him off balance. We rolled again, and this time I was the one on top. "I will never give up what's mine. Not the company. Not my position. And especially not Shailyn."

"She was never yours to begin with!"

"She's my wife!"

"On paper!" Dwayne grabbed my wrist and twisted, forcing me to let go. "But she never truly belonged to you. Not her heart. Not her mind. You just owned her like property."

I saw red. Literally saw red creeping into the edges of my vision as rage consumed me completely.

I grabbed for anything I could reach, my hand closed around something solid on the floor near us. One of my awards. The heavy crystal one I'd gotten for "Innovation in AI Technology." The one that should have had Shailyn's name on it instead of mine.

I raised it above my head, not even sure what I was planning to do with it. Dwayne's eyes widened as he saw the movement.

"Dante, don't…"

But I was already bringing it down, not at him, at the last second, some remaining shred of sanity made me divert. Before I could drop it. 

CRASH.

We both froze.