Chapter 14 Another Article
Suddenly, Sienna got up and hurried out of the therapy room. She didn't even turn to help Dante, she wasn't bothered about him. She was bothered about his words and for the rest of the day she tried to avoid him.
She returned to her room, staring at the door, maybe she was expecting him to walk inside and tell her, he was just joking.
What did he even mean, when he asked if she thought he was the only broken person in the room? What did he know?
Sienna’s phone was the first thing to shatter the silence in the room. It was buzzing nonstop on the nightstand, the screen lighting up like an alarm. At first, she thought it was the clinic or another article about Dante’s father. But then she saw the words on the notification bar.
“Exclusive: Therapist and Fallen Athlete Intimate Moments Behind Closed Doors.”
Her stomach dropped. She opened the article.
There they were, she and Dante frozen in grainy stills, taken from the therapy room. Her hand on his arm. His face turned toward hers. It looked nothing like rehabilitation, it looked like seduction. The captions did the rest of the damage.
“Sources say Dr. Hale has been spending nights in the Varon villa.Body contact caught on camera just how far does her therapy go?”
The words burned through her skull. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Before she could even breathe, her phone buzzed again. A message with no number attached. “Thought you’d want to see what’s coming next.”
Attached was a photo she hadn’t seen before. It was clearer and closer. Showing
her face and Dante’s hands gripping her wrists from the session they just had.
The caption below the photo, looked like a threat. “You looked so good losing control.”
For a second, the room swayed. Then Sienna was up, halfway down the hall before she could have a rethink.
She found him in the study, sitting by the open window with his phone on the desk, and his coffee untouched. He didn’t even look up when she burst in.
“Was it you?” she demanded.
Dante blinked. “Good evening to you too.”
Her voice cracked. “Don’t play with me, Dante.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“The photos!” She threw her phone onto the desk while the article was still open. “They’re everywhere. Our session,you and me the exact moment I was helping you stand!”
His jaw flexed. He picked up the phone, scrolled once, twice, and froze.
The silence stretched.
When he finally looked at her, something like shock flickered behind his eyes. “Where did this come from?”
“You tell me!”
“I didn’t”
“Don’t.” Her voice rose, sharper than she meant. “You’ve been trying to get rid of me since day one. You humiliate me, you treat me like your staff, the first tabloid, I don't know if it died down and now this?”
He looked at her as if she’d slapped him. “You think I’d do this?”
“I think you’d do anything to push people away.”
His knuckles whitened around the edge of the desk. “That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?” She stepped closer, eyes burning. “Because my license, my career could end over this. Do you even care what happens to me?”
Something dark flashed across his face, maybe guilt. Or anger at himself. He didn’t answer.
She shook her head, bitter laughter escaping from her lips. “Of course not. You only care about your pain. Your name and your tragedy.”
He pushed the chair back sharply, the wheels squealing. “That’s not fair, Hale.”
“No?” She pointed to the screen. “This isn’t fair. You’re a Varon, you’ll survive another scandal. I won’t.”
Her voice cracked. “You’ll rebuild your life. I’ll be ruined,my life will be over.” she said honestly.
Dante stared at her, breathing unevenly. For once, he didn’t fight back. “I swear to you, I didn’t leak this.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t care what you believe,” he snapped, then immediately winced, his voice softening. “No. That’s not. I just… this isn’t me. You have to know that.”
Sienna crossed her arms tightly. “What I know is that someone took those pictures from inside this house. And you’re the only one who benefits.”
“Benefits?” He gave a bitter laugh. “You think this helps me?”
“Maybe it distracts everyone from the fact that you can’t walk without help.”
That landed like a blade.For a long, breathless second, Dante just stared at her then his expression changed.
“You should leave,” he said quietly.
Sienna's eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve made up your mind. So go.”
It wasn’t the words that stung, it was the way he said them. Empty and defeated.
“I’m not walking away from my work because you can’t tell the truth.”
“You’re not listening”
“No, you’re not!” she shot back, voice shaking. “I came here to help you, not to get dragged into your chaos. You said you didn’t leak it? Fine. But if you’re lying, I’ll find out.”
She turned to leave, every step fueled by anger.
“Wait.”
His voice stopped her cold. She didn’t turn around.
“I didn’t do it,” he said again, quieter now. “Please. You have to believe me.”
There was something raw in the word please, something that didn’t sound like him. She wanted to look back. To believe it.
But she didn’t. She kept walking.
Behind her, the faint sound of movement, the squeak of wheels, the shift of weight and then silence.
Then a noise that didn’t belong in silence.
A low gasp and a sharp, broken sound.
Sienna froze.
“Dante?”
No answer.
She turned and the sight hit her like a blow.
Dante was half out of the chair, one hand pressed to his chest, the other gripping the table edge so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His face was ashen.
“Dante!”
She rushed forward, catching him just as he started to fall. His body was heavy.
“Hey, hey, stay with me,” she said, dropping to her knees beside him. “What’s happening? Where does it hurt?”
He tried to speak, but he let out a jagged, shallow breath. “It’s fine, just…just give me a second.”
“It’s not fine!” She grabbed her phone, dialing emergency services with trembling fingers. “You’re having a cardiac arrest. I need”
His hand shot up, gripping her wrist. “No hospitals.”
“Don’t be stupid”
“No hospitals,” he said again, weaker now. “Not… there…”
She stared at him, terrified and furious all at once. “You’re dying, Dante!”
He gave a dry, rasping laugh. “Wouldn’t that make the headlines neat?”
“Shut up.” Her voice broke. “Just shut up.”
She pressed her palm to his chest, feeling for rhythm, for life and under her hand, the beat stuttered, uneven.
“Breathe,” she ordered. “Stay with me. You’re not doing this, not now.”
His eyelids fluttered, breath coming in short, ragged bursts. Then, slowly his gaze found hers again.
“Sienna…”
“Don’t talk. Just breathe.”
He didn’t listen. He never did. His lips parted, voice barely a whisper. “Tell them”
She leaned closer, heart pounding. “Tell who?”
His next breath was shallow, words
scraping out like a secret finally escaping.
“Tell them… it wasn’t an accident.”
And then his eyes rolled back, his body going still in her arms.
“Dante!”