Chapter 50 Chapter 50
Chapter 50 Chapter 50
CASSIAN'S POV
The tabloid was still open on the table.
I had not moved it. I had not closed it. I had not looked away from it for two days. The photo was burned into my eyes. Dominic's smile. The woman's lips on his cheek. The white dress. The flowers. The happiness.
I had watched the wedding footage over and over again.
The videos were everywhere. Social media. News sites. Tabloid pages. The same clips on repeat. Dominic walking down the aisle. Dominic saying his vows. Dominic kissing the bride's cheek. Dominic smiling. That smile. The one he had given me. The one I thought was mine.
I replayed each moment. Each second. Each frame.
I remembered the first time he said I love you. In his apartment. His hands on my face. His eyes on mine. I love you, Cassian. I have always loved you.
I remembered the second time. In the rain. His arms around me. His voice cracking. I love you. I have loved you since I was fifteen years old.
I remembered the third time. And the fourth. And the hundredth. Every time he said it. Every time I believed it.
Lies.
All of it.
I had not slept in two days. I had not eaten. I had not cried. The tears would not come. My eyes were dry. My chest was hollow. My heart was a wound that would not stop bleeding.
Darius had found the address. Dominic's grandmother's house. The apartment in Italy. The one he had been staying in. He gave it to me without asking why. He knew. Everyone knew.
"You should not go," Darius said.
"I have to."
"He hurt you. He used you. He lied to you."
"I know."
"Then why are you going?"
I did not answer. Because I did not know. Because I had to see him. Because I had to hear him say it. Because I had to know if any of it was real.
Darius booked the flight. I did not ask. I just got on the plane. Stared out the window. Watched the clouds pass beneath me. Did not sleep. Did not eat. Did not think.
The two days of travel were a blur. Airports. Taxis. Streets I did not recognize. A language I did not speak. I did not care. I just walked. One foot in front of the other. My phone in my pocket. The address on a piece of paper in my hand.
I found the apartment. The building was old. Stone walls. Iron gates. A courtyard with a fountain that was not running. I stood across the street. Stared at the balcony. The rain started. Soft at first. Then heavy. I did not move.
I stood there for hours. Watching the balcony. Waiting for him to appear. I did not know what I would say. I did not know what I would do. I just knew I could not leave.
What if he said everything was fake?
The thought was a knife in my chest. What if the blackmail. The threats. The kisses. The I love yous. What if none of it was real? What if I had been a game. A plan. A revenge.
I had loved him. I had given him everything. And he had taken it all and thrown it away.
My heart clenched. The pain was physical. Sharp. Hot. I pressed my hand to my chest. Tried to breathe.
Then I saw him.
Dominic was on the balcony. His silhouette against the dark sky. His shoulders hunched. His head bowed. He looked tired. He looked broken.
A flicker of shock crossed his face when he saw me. Then he disappeared inside. The door closed behind him.
I waited. The rain fell harder. My clothes were soaked. My skin was cold. I did not feel any of it.
A man came out of the building. A guard. He walked toward me. Said something in Italian. I did not understand. He gestured for me to follow. I followed.
The building was warm inside. The hallway was long. The stairs were narrow. The guard stopped in front of a door. Knocked. Said something. Then he left.
The door opened.
Dominic stood across from me.
He was wearing a white shirt. The sleeves were rolled up. His hair was messy. His eyes were red. He looked like he had not slept either.
I looked at him. At his face. At his mouth. At the eyes that had looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
Then I looked at his left hand.
The ring was gone.
The silver band I had put on his finger. The one he had put on mine. The one I was still wearing. It was gone. In its place was a gold band. Thick. Shiny. New.
The ring that wrench woman had put on him.
My heart ached again. The pain was unbearable. I could not breathe. I could not speak. I could not move.
Dominic opened his mouth.
"You surely got the news from the media," he said. His voice was cold. Flat. Nothing like the voice I remembered. "Why did you drag your pathetic ass here?"
I did not say anything. I could not. The words were stuck in my throat.
He opened his mouth again. To say something else. To hurt me more.
I lunged forward.
My body moved before my mind caught up. My hands grabbed his face. My lips pressed against his lips. Hard. Desperate. Like I was drowning and he was air.
He went still. His body was frozen. His hands were at his sides.
I kissed him. I kissed him with everything I had. With all the love. All the pain. All the hope that had been crushed and broken and destroyed.
In my mind, I said the words I could not say out loud.
One last time.
One last time, Dominic. One last time, I love you. One last time, I pretend that you love me too.
I pulled back. His face was pale. His eyes were wide. His lips were parted.
I looked at him. At the gold ring on his finger. At the lies in his eyes.
"I hate you," I said. My voice was a whisper. Broken. Destroyed. "I hate you for making me love you."
I turned. Walked away. Did not look back.
The door closed behind me.
I walked down the stairs. Out of the building. Into the rain. The street was empty. The city was dark. I did not know where I was going. I just walked.
I walked until my legs gave out. Then I sat on the curb. Put my head in my hands. The tears finally came. Hot and fast and endless.
I cried for everything. For the love I had given. For the trust I had lost. For the future that would never happen. For the boy who had kissed me in a dark study and the man who had broken my heart.
I cried until there was nothing left.
Then I stood up. Walked to the airport. Got on a plane. Went home.
I did not look back.
One last time.
One last time, Dominic.
I love you.