Chapter 188 – You Would Have Followed Him

Chapter 188 – You Would Have Followed Him

POV: Lila

“You knew.”

My voice came out sharper than I expected, cutting straight through the heavy silence in the room.

Dante didn’t flinch.

That only made it worse.

“You knew,” I repeated, slower this time, stepping closer to him. “About the casinos. About Enzo going after the council. You knew all of it, and you didn’t tell me.”

He stood by the window, hands in his pockets, calm like this was just another conversation. Like I wasn’t standing here, seconds away from losing my patience completely.

“I had my reasons,” he said.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Your reasons?”

“Yes.”

“That’s it?” I threw my hands up. “That’s all you’re going to give me? ‘I had my reasons’?”

Dante turned his head slightly, finally looking at me. His expression was steady, unreadable, like always. It used to make me feel safe.

Right now, it made me want to scream.

“You’re angry,” he said.

“No,” I snapped. “I’m furious.”

A pause.

Then, quieter but sharper, “You don’t get to decide what I know and what I don’t, Dante.”

“I do when it puts you in danger.”

I stared at him for a second, letting that sink in.

Then I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “Don’t twist this into something noble. You didn’t tell me because you didn’t trust me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then what is it?” I challenged, stepping closer again. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you made a decision for me. Again.”

His jaw tightened just a little.

Small. Barely noticeable.

But I saw it.

“You would have followed him,” he said.

Just like that.

Simple. Direct.

Like it explained everything.

I blinked.

“What?”

“You would have followed Enzo,” he repeated, his voice calm but firm. “If you knew what he was doing, where he was going—you wouldn’t have stayed here. You would have gone after him.”

For a second, I didn’t say anything.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

And that made it worse.

“Yes,” I said.

The word came out without hesitation.

Sharp. Honest.

I held his gaze, refusing to look away.

“Yes,” I repeated. “I would have.”

Silence filled the room.

Heavy. Thick.

Dante’s eyes searched mine, like he was looking for doubt. Regret. Anything that would make this easier.

He didn’t find it.

“You just proved my point,” he said quietly.

“No,” I shot back. “I proved that I’m not someone who stands by while people I care about walk into danger alone.”

“He chose that,” Dante said.

“And you let him,” I replied.

Something flickered in his expression then. Not anger. Not exactly.

Something deeper.

“He didn’t ask for permission,” Dante said. “He didn’t ask for backup. He made a decision, and he acted on it.”

“And that makes it okay?” I demanded.

“It makes it his responsibility.”

I stared at him, disbelief settling in my chest.

“You really think this is that simple?”

“I think,” he said slowly, “that running after him wouldn’t have changed anything. It would have made things worse.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

“How?” My voice rose again. “How do you know what would have happened?”

“Because I know you.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

I let out a quiet breath, shaking my head.

“No,” I said. “You know the version of me you’ve decided to protect.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” I challenged. “You keep making choices like I’m something fragile. Like I can’t handle the truth. Like I need you to decide what’s best for me.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Then what are you doing, Dante?” I asked, my voice dropping, more controlled now but no less intense. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re shutting me out.”

He didn’t answer right away.

And that silence?

That silence said more than anything else.

“You think I would have gotten in the way,” I said.

“I think you would have put yourself in the line of fire,” he replied.

“Same thing to you, right?”

“No,” he said firmly. “Not the same thing.”

I crossed my arms, holding his gaze.

“Explain it to me, then.”

Dante pushed himself off the window, finally closing the distance between us. Not too close. Just enough.

“Enzo went after the council because he wanted to draw them out,” he said. “He made himself the target.”

“I know that.”

“And you?” he continued, his voice steady. “You would have gone after him without thinking about what that meant.”

“I would have been careful.”

“No,” he said. “You would have been emotional.”

The word landed like a slap.

I felt it.

Sharp. Immediate.

“Excuse me?” I said, my voice dangerously quiet.

“You care about him,” Dante said. “That’s not a weakness. But in a situation like that, it becomes one.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to keep my temper in check.

“You don’t get to use that against me.”

“I’m not,” he said. “I’m telling you the truth.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re using it as an excuse.”

“For what?”

“For keeping me in the dark.”

Dante ran a hand through his hair, the first real sign of frustration breaking through his calm.

“I was trying to keep you safe.”

“And I’m telling you I don’t need that,” I replied immediately.

“You do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do,” he said, his voice firm now, matching mine. “Because this isn’t just about you. It’s about everything around you. The people connected to you. The consequences.”

“And you think I don’t understand that?”

“I think you underestimate it.”

I stared at him, anger and something else twisting together in my chest.

“Say it,” I said.

His brows furrowed slightly. “What?”

“Say what you actually mean,” I pushed. “Don’t dress it up. Don’t soften it. Just say it.”

A beat.

Then—

“I think you would have gotten hurt.”

The honesty in his voice caught me off guard.

Not because of the words.

But because of how much he meant them.

“And that’s your decision to make?” I asked quietly.

“No,” he said. “But it’s my responsibility to prevent it when I can.”

I let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

“Responsibility.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not your responsibility, Dante.”

His eyes softened just a fraction.

“I know.”

“Then stop acting like I am.”

Silence settled again.

But this time, it felt different.

Less explosive.

More… fragile.

“You’re not wrong,” he said after a moment.

That caught me off guard.

“What?”

“You’re not wrong,” he repeated. “I made a decision for you. I didn’t give you a choice.”

I blinked, not expecting that.

“And you’re okay with that?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “But I’d do it again.”

The words hit harder than anything else he’d said so far.

I felt my chest tighten.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Maybe,” he said quietly.

“No, not maybe,” I snapped. “Definitely.”

I turned away from him, running a hand through my hair, trying to steady myself.

“You don’t get it,” I said. “You think keeping me here, keeping me out of it, somehow makes things better.”

“It does.”

“No,” I said, turning back to face him. “It doesn’t. It just means I’m left behind, wondering what’s happening, imagining the worst.”

“You’d be doing that either way.”

“At least I’d be there,” I shot back. “At least I’d know.”

Dante didn’t respond immediately.

And that hesitation?

It told me everything.

“You don’t trust me to handle it,” I said.

“That’s not true.”

“Then prove it.”

He frowned slightly. “How?”

“Stop deciding things for me.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple,” I insisted. “You either trust me or you don’t.”

“I trust you,” he said.

“Then start acting like it.”

Another pause.

Then—

“You’re asking me to let you walk into danger.”

“I’m asking you to stop locking me out.”

“They’re not the same thing.”

“They are right now.”

We stood there, staring at each other, neither of us willing to back down.

Finally, Dante let out a slow breath.

“You want the truth?” he asked.

“I’ve been asking for it this whole time.”

His gaze held mine, steady and unguarded.

“I didn’t just keep it from you because of Enzo,” he said.

Something in his tone made my stomach tighten.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he continued, “there’s more going on than just the casino attacks.”

The air in the room shifted instantly.

“How much more?” I asked.

“Enough that I couldn’t risk you getting involved.”

My heart started to beat faster.

“Dante…”

“There are things moving behind the scenes,” he said. “Things that don’t just affect Enzo. Or the council. Things that involve us.”

A cold feeling settled in my chest.

“What kind of things?”

He hesitated.

And just like before—

I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Dante,” I said again, more firmly this time. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He looked at me for a long moment.

Then he said quietly—

“If you had followed Enzo…”

My breath caught.

“What?”

His voice dropped, lower now, heavier.

“If you had gone after him tonight—”

The pause stretched just long enough to make my chest tighten.

“You wouldn’t have come back.”

Everything inside me went still.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered.

Dante didn’t look away.

And that’s when I realized—

This wasn’t just fear.

This wasn’t just protection.

This was something else.

Something real.

Something already in motion.

“You think I’m overreacting,” he said quietly. “You think I’m controlling. Maybe I am.”

My throat felt dry.

“But there’s a reason for it,” he continued.

“What reason?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

He held my gaze.

And for the first time since this started—

I saw something close to uncertainty in his eyes.

“Because they’re not just targeting Enzo anymore,” he said.

A chill ran down my spine.

“Then who?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Didn’t need to.

Because the look on his face already told me.

And when he finally spoke—

It confirmed everything.

“They’re targeting you.”