Chapter Ninety One

Chapter Ninety One
Gabriel
Somehow, I hadn’t been able to find a quiet corner in the entire house. Every hallway, every lounge was filled with chatter, laughter, or whispers. So, against my better judgment, I ended up taking Arian upstairs—to my bedroom.

The moment I shut the door behind us, she yanked her hand out of mine, her glare sharp enough to cut. The disapproval in her eyes should have stung more than it did, but I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn’t let her attitude derail me. Not tonight. Not when I’d finally gathered the courage to say what had been burning inside me for months.

“Really, Mr. Cruz?” she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. “Your bedroom?”

“Yes, really,” I retorted. “You saw for yourself how crowded the house was. No one can bother us here.”

Her lips curled into a snarl. “I’m not going to jump into bed with you. I’m sorely disappointed in you.”

I felt my temper flare. God, why did she always twist things? “Will you stop with the Mr. Cruz bullshit? Calling me that doesn’t erase the fact that we slept together. And I didn’t bring you here for sex.”

“You gave me your word,” she growled.

“I did,” I admitted quietly. My throat tightened. “I gave you my word. And I tried—God knows I tried—not to develop feelings for you. But I failed.”

Her eyes flashed with panic. “I’m not listening to this right now.” She whirled toward the door, her movements sharp with finality. When her hand reached for the knob, instinct took over. I planted my palm flat against the wood, blocking her exit.

“Let go,” she ordered.

“Will you just listen to me?” I pleaded, hating how raw my voice sounded. “You don’t have to say anything back. Just… hear me out.”

She hesitated. Seconds ticked by like hours. Then she stepped back, her lips pressed tightly together. I didn’t trust her not to bolt, so I leaned my weight against the door, keeping the barrier between her and escape.

“I’m all ears,” she grumbled.

“Thank you,” I exhaled, though the relief was laced with nerves. My chest was tight. My thoughts were scrambled. I’d negotiated billion-dollar deals with less anxiety than this. But I had to start somewhere.

“I… like I said, I tried not to feel anything for you. To keep what we had purely physical. To pretend it meant nothing. But it meant everything to me. When you ended it, I…” I swallowed hard, memories cutting deep. “I was heartbroken. Pathetic as it sounds, it was my first real heartbreak. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I buried myself in work. I tried to hate you for it, but I couldn’t. Because I understood why.”

Her brow arched skeptically. “Did you, really?”

“Yes.” My voice softened. “I know you’re scared to feel anything for anyone because of your ex. You used to talk in your sleep, Arian. I knew the end was coming the night you woke up from that dream and told me you wanted to go back to your own room.”

“Then why say this now?” she demanded. “Do you want me to leave? Is that it? You promised never to bring this up again.”

“I know,” I said quickly. “I don’t want you to leave. I don’t ever want you to leave.” The truth tumbled out, unrestrained. I pushed away from the door and walked toward her, each step weighted with intent. “I want you to stay. With me. With my daughter. Forever.”

Her eyes filled, and my heart clenched. “It’ll be impossible,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Do you think this is easy for me?”

“I know it’s not—”

“No, you don’t!” she snapped, her voice breaking. “You’ll never know. You didn’t spend ten years living in fear of a madman who could end your life any day. You never had to wonder if tonight would be your last night. If his mood would kill you before the morning.”

The pain in her gaze gutted me. Tears slipped down her cheeks despite her fury, and I hated that I was the one dredging them out of her.

“You don’t get to do this to me, Gabriel Cruz!” she shouted, shoving me back with surprising strength. “You have no right to drag me through this again.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, confusion gnawing at me.

“I’m not telling you,” she hissed. “You need to keep your feelings under wraps. I’m not capable of having any kind of feelings for you—or anyone.”

“I know that,” I said gently.

“Stop saying that!” she cried.

I hesitated, then let the truth slip. “I know about Matteo.”

Her head snapped toward me, eyes wide with shock. “What? How did you—? I never told you about him. Did you investigate me?”

“You told me,” I said softly. “The first time I carried you to your bedroom… you were talking in your sleep. You mentioned his name. You loved him. And your ex-husband killed him. That’s why you’re so terrified to give your heart again, isn’t it?”

For a moment, silence stretched between us, suffocating and raw. Her mouth opened, then shut again. Slowly, she walked to the bed, sat down, and stared at the floor.

“Arian?” I crossed the room, crouched in front of her, and placed my hands gently on her thighs. She slapped them away with venom.

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped. “I won’t let you ruin my life, Gabriel. You’re making me wish for something I can never have. Don’t do that to me.”

“You’re only telling yourself that because of fear,” I reasoned, desperation rising in me. “Are you really letting that man rule your life, even from a prison cell? You’re letting him win.”

“I’m not!” she cried. Her voice cracked, but she pressed on. “I just don’t want to live a life where I’d be worried for a man’s safety. Do you honestly think Rafael would sit quietly in prison while I walked free—happy—without him? No. He’d come for me. He’ll always come for me.”

My father had warned me of the same thing, but I refused to accept it. Navarro was behind bars. That had to mean something.

I reached for her hands, ignoring her resistance, and held them firmly in mine. I looked into those beautiful honey-brown eyes, filled with torment and fear, and my heart ached so deeply it was almost unbearable.

She was letting a ghost dictate her future. She was allowing herself to suffer, chaining herself to her abuser even now. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let her keep living like this. It was destroying her. And if I was honest, it was destroying me too.
“Do you know how many times Lucille threatened to kill me if I ever even thought of dating someone else?” I told Arian, my voice low but steady. My chest burned as the memories surfaced. “If she was capable of beating you so badly she sent you to the hospital, then I know she was capable of killing me too.”
And God help me, I believed it. Every word.

“You’re a man,” she huffed, dismissing my fear as if it were inconsequential.

I arched a brow. “And you think we don’t get scared too?”

“Not as much as women,” she replied flatly.

I shook my head. She had no idea. “I got scared—really scared—when the doctor told me you might not make it.” My voice cracked, and before I realized it, I’d lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Her skin was warm against my lips, and I clung to it like an anchor. “Even when you pulled through, I was still scared.”
Scared of losing her. Scared of living in a world where she didn’t exist.

“Gabriel…”

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The words clawed their way out of me. “I love you, Arian.” My chest tightened, but I pressed on. “I don’t even know how it evolved into love, but I know I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.”

She looked stunned—more stunned than when I told her about Matteo. Of course she did. It wasn’t every day someone confessed something like this, especially not to her. But God, I hoped it would make her rethink her decision to leave me.

“Gabriel…” She shook her head sadly, and my heart lurched.

“You don’t have to say anything,” I cut her off quickly, desperate to hold her here, to stop her from slipping through my fingers. “I just want you to know how I feel. It’ll be fine if you never love me back. Just don’t go.”

“It would be unfair to you,” she protested.

“I don’t care,” I said firmly. My throat was dry, but I forced the words out. “I have enough love for both of us. Just promise me you won’t leave.”

Her lips parted, but before she could answer, the door to my bedroom creaked open. Both our heads snapped toward the sound.

My stomach dropped. I nearly fell backward when I saw her.

Lucille.

She stood in the doorway, glaring murderously at us.