ARAMINTA’s POV

“You are hurting me” I hissed with anger, his grip on my wrist was so tight and hard that he pulled me with him. He loosened it a bit and dragged me into his room, then shut the door, 

“Ara—” He closed his eyes and inhaled a shaky breath to control his anger, but it was none of my business. How could he get so angry when he does worse? I stared at him blankly while caressing my wrist. 

He moved closer and pinned me against the door, “Say something”. His voice was cold and impatient, but I avoided his gaze and didn't utter a word. 

His fingers clenched hard on the door “Say something, Ara!!” he roared, causing me to eventually flinch, but I wasn't going to fold. He was not in the right position to get angry. I could hear his heavy breaths due to my silence and I prayed silently within me to be able to hold myself. I had the urge to talk to him and hugged him tight to make his anger vanish. I wanted to reassure him that I had nothing to do with Mike, especially after knowing what happened. I wanted to tell him how much I missed him, smell him, and hold him tight, but I just couldn't. I had made up my mind to focus on my target, and I was going to do just that. 

“You are driving—me crazy”. He lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were red and bloodshot and his hands were trembling slightly. I kept my expression unreadable and didn't say a word still, and he cursed under his breath. 

“Why are you doing this?” He asked coldly, but his gaze was soft.

“Is it—” He stopped as he struggled to complete his words and my throat burned. I wanted him to tell me everything and why he started acting like nothing was between us. I wanted him to tell me why he abandoned me for his ex, but he didn't say anything and just kept on staring at my face. Anger rose in me and slapped his hand that was caressing my cheeks away. He stood still and stared at me in shock, his lips curled up in a bitter smile, and he stepped away from me. I watched him run his hands over his hair and looked like he was hurting, he wanted to say something to me. But what was stopping him? 

“All—we did in Italy”. I closed my eyes, my heart was pounding as I asked him, “Was everything real?” I was trembling, afraid of his response. 

He stared at me and his knuckles were turning white, “Ara—” 

“Answer me!” I snapped at him. I wanted to know the answer and that would be all. I watched how he struggled to answer and my heart ached. I had trusted Noah and let my guard down. I tried to force my tears back, but I failed. 

He opened his mouth to talk when Isabella barged in, her face instantly turned into a surprised one as she saw us both inside his room. 

“Oh—Sorry” She muttered, but she wasn't leaving. Her eyes were fixed on Noah and her lips were curled up in a tiny smile. I scoffed and had to applaud her for her well-played game. Noah just sat calmly without telling her to leave, and it hurt my soul knowing that she was in his room last night also. 

I swallowed hard and kept my trembling hands behind me, “Noah, I asked you a question” he avoided my gaze, “Everything that happened in Italy was real right? I continued without minding Isabella, who stood rooted in the room. 

I waited for his response……..

“No” 

That was it, my legs went weak and lumps formed in my throat. The tears I was holding streamed down my eyes and I lost my face. Isabella moved closer to him and patted his hair, and it made me sick. I couldn't bear to see Noah’s expression. I opened the door and struggled to find my way back into my room. 

I felt like escaping these walls, but there was no place to go. I had decided to focus on my mission, but I could not entirely ignore Noah. How could he change like that? I thought everything he said to me was true. I was a fool and I deserved to be punished. I lay on my bed, staring blankly. My mind was in turmoil and images of how he struggled to talk flashed in my head, but I shook them away. I wouldn't be gullible to fall for his tricks anymore. 

He knew about his ex being in town, and he never said anything to me. 

“The call??” my eyes widened as I remembered the call he dodged away from me and how bad his mood got afterward. My eyes blinked profusely, everything was in my front, but I was too blind to see it. 

“Should I fight for him?” My mother had always told me to fight for my husband and send other ladies away from him, but this was different. I would have done that happily if there had been nothing attached to it, my revenge fire was still burning even though I had to admit that it dimmed.