Chapter 66 Please don’t leave.
Isla’s POV.
Morning light shined through the window as I sat on the couch sipping my tea.
Such a refreshing morning I shouldn’t waste it on unnecessary dramas.
Dante had given me a day off.
Damian was still nowhere to be found. He had been out for almost a week.
No calls, no texts, the house felt so empty.
My siblings had called earlier. Dante sent them gifts.
What was he really playing at? To get my attention?
“He isn’t serious, is he?” I scoffed.
Every time hint at the reason I was acting weird, he pretends not to notice.
My phone buzzed.
My hands tapped on the screen. It was my father.
We need to talk. Just you and I. Meet me at home.
“Hmmm. Here comes another devil.” I didn’t return the message, I turned off my screen.
“A moment of peace,” I muttered.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” A thick familiar voice came from behind.
Damian. I didn’t bother to turn around.
“I took a day off.”
“That’s surprising. You’ve never been interested in this house or anything that has to do with it.”
“Mr Damian or should I call you Dante?”
The expression on his face changed into something dark.
He closed the distance between us.
“What did you just call me?”
“I’m sure you’ve enjoyed this for quite some time. You don’t seem to know your name anymore.”
He opened his mouth to say something, nothing came out.
“I’ve always been a fool all along. Now, I don’t want to be one anymore.”
“How did you know?” He asked, mouth barely moving.
“How long did you intend to keep me in the dark?”
“I didn’t mean to lie to you…”
“You don’t have to explain. You don’t owe me any.”
“If my father hadn’t insisted on pushing me into your world, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
I slowly rose from the couch.
“I need some time alone. I should go.”
My hand found the handle of the door and twisted it.
The door opened in one click.
There he was, Dante Romano, my supposed husband.
We locked our eyes in each other as I walked passed, pretending like he wasn’t there.
His hand moved fast, grabbing my wrist.
“Isla, I…”
“You’re twisting my ankle.”
He quickly pulled away, but not completely.
“Where are you going?” He asked.
“What does that have to do with you?”
He gently walked in front of me, my heart sank.
The way he had looked at me. My legs almost gave out, but I steadied them.
“I should have been honest with you from the beginning.”
Silence stretched between us.
“At first I thought you were like other girls who desperately wanted power and wealth. But I was wrong, I concluded without getting to know you in person.”
“Was that what you felt about all along? That I was some gold digger?”
“No, I didn’t mean to… lie to you…”
“No. You meant it. You had your brother marry me in your place and then you approached me.”
“You tested my sanity, and then… made me sleep with you, and I’ve been living in guilt.”
“If you didn’t mean to, you wouldn’t let your brother humiliate me. I thought it was love, I thought maybe you were the one made for me. I was wrong.”
“I’m just another chess piece in your games of power.”
My heart slammed, heat flared my thighs.
“Isla, please don’t leave. I didn’t know how to face you. I admit that I lied, I wanted to test you, but… I fell in love with you in the process.”
“No matter how many times I try to deny those feelings, no matter how I try to push you away, I keep coming back.”
A bitter laugh left my lips. “Fell in love with me? You used me, Dante. You trembled on my feelings… I didn’t even get to hear the truth from you,”
Tears stung my eyes, I had swore not to cry. I tried holding them back.
“I was left in the dark by every one of you. I hate you, Dante. Why would you do that? Do you enjoy laughing at my helplessness?”
He held my waist and pulled me closer to himself.
“Baby, I’m sorry, I had swore not to force you on myself, I only intended to let you accept me on your own terms.”
My hands found his shirt, and with force, I pulled him away.
“Cut that bullshit! I’m done trusting either of you.”
He watched me walk away. I could hear the sound of my own heart racing.
My head stung, I folded my hands in a fists by my sides.
I can’t hate him, even when my instincts screamed to.
My father was at the lobby when I arrived.
“Don’t give me that creepy face. Why did you call me here?”
“I haven’t heard from you since the last incident. Looks like you don’t take me seriously anymore, Isla.” He said, smiling.
“On what identity are you talking to me? Your daughter, or the wife of Mr. Dante Romano?”
He froze.
I’ve always trembled whenever I saw him.
Today would be different. I had to let him know I wasn’t the Isla that always wanted to run whenever I saw him.
“What did you just say?”
I leaned in, expression unreadable. “Looks like you’ve forgotten who calls the shots now.”
His expression changed, he gripped his hands on his chair, knuckles turning white.
“Don’t forget your siblings are still under my care…”
“Sphere me, that nonsense old man. You haven’t learnt your lesson.”
“You!”
“Don’t get worked up too soon, dad. You don’t want to miss the end of my revenge, do you?”
He clenched his hand on his chest furiously.
“I don’t care about your threats. If you lay a finger on my siblings, I’ll make sure you have no place of burial.”
“Don’t think He would protect you forever, Isla. I’ll be there when he abandons you.”
“Who says I’m nothing without the Romanos? Did you enjoy the anonymous post I made last time?”
“You were the one behind it? And you pretended nothing happened?”
A deep sigh left my throat. “The real play is about to begin.”
I stood and walked away.
His eyes never left me. I know he won’t let this slide.
The plan had always been to provoke him.
Let him play his cards, and I intercept every of his plans.