Chapter 51 She is my choice...

Chapter 51 She is my choice...


Dahlia.

" Who says my daughter will end up like you?" A cold and controlled voice cut through the air, and before I could react, I saw my Mom walking towards us, her posture poised, her face straight and neutral, giving away nothing.

Maybe I was too shaken by my mother-in-law's earlier words, because for a second, I just stood there, staring at Dalton's mother, although I wasn't even seeing her.

At my sides, my fingers were tightly clenched, the only thing that kept me from completely falling apart.

At first, it was Jason. And for whatever reason, mainly out of gratitude, I only ever saw life through his eyes. And for ten years, I had tailored myself into the woman that he preferred.

But even after doing all that, he still chose Sofia, humiliated and disregarded me. Fine.

Then there was Dalton. We were now married, I had his ring around my finger, and the family's heirloom around my neck... And I was finally happy.. Very happy if I was being honest.

He made me feel things I had never felt before... He made me feel alive, loved, seen, and mostly? The way he desired me made me feel like a woman.

He had never made me feel like I was less or lacking. He had never made me feel like I needed to be competitive with the entire world to be his woman.

All that should have been reassuring, right? And they were ....And yet, his mother's words managed to crack something in me, to open the wound that I had been trying to stitch up after Jason's betrayal. The feeling of not being good enough.

So many what-ifs reeled through my mind, and the world around me faded, replaced by a chaotic ringing in my ears.

The corners of my eyes trembled, and I was on the verge of breaking down...

Maybe she was right!

Maybe I was not good enough. Not for Jason and more so for Dalton.

Then I was pathetic, wasn't I? I... I couldn't even refute a stranger's words, not verbally and certainly not even in my mind!

A bitter smile tagged at the corners of my lips as I thought.

"No!" I couldn't stay there! If I did, I would cry, I would give her what she wanted, the satisfaction of knowing she had broken me.

I couldn't.

I took one step, shaky and unstable, desperate to create a distance between that horrible woman and me, that way, maybe the words, 'you are not enough,' ' you don't have what it takes,' would stop ringing in my mind as violently as they did.

But just as I was about to take another step, a hand, soft but firm, gripped mine, holding me in place, and I stilled, for a second, cursing my fate.

It was bad enough that her words wouldn't stop ringing in my head. Did I still have to stay there and listen?

" Dahlia Banks." My Mom's stern and firm voice called, effortlessly forcing me to look at her.

" We, the Banks, don't cower. We don't allow others to insult us either." She gritted through her teeth, and that, that had my spine straightening.

"They can say whatever they want, but we don't give them the satisfaction of knowing that they have hurt us." She added, and something stubborn flickered in my eyes as I gave her a firm nod, before I turned to face Ruby.... Yeah, from how I had heard my mom address her, her name was Ruby.

And yeah, I didn't know what to tell her, but I wanted to. I wanted to tell her things that would burn her the very way hers rubbed into me, but when I looked at her, a sigh escaped from my lips instead.

She was simply not worth it. Stooping to her level wasn't so noble of me.

" Mom, I..." I turned to my mother instead, but before I could speak, strong arms held me in place, and when the familiar scent seeped through my senses, my nerves relaxed, and the earlier anger completely disappeared.

It was Dalton. He had me wrapped protectively in his arms, as if that would completely shield me from the world... And maybe it did... Because with him around, all worries and insecurities were completely gone.

I didn't even feel the need to stand up for myself anymore.

"My wife doesn't have to be anything else to be the right person for me." His voice was cold and restrained as he spoke, and although it wasn't great to see a son turn against his mother because of me, I still felt good, and besides, her mother was entirely at fault here.

I was a fair person. I believed in treating people as they treated me. In my opinion, it was fine if Ruby's first impression of me was poor.

But she should have at least taken her time to know me, which she obviously didn't.

" She is the one I chose, and the family's future Matriarch." He added, his hand gently ruffling my hair, the action itself soothing, and his words very comforting.

" Are you even going against me because of some girl?" Ruby asked, disbelief contouring her face.

" I am your mother, Dalton!" She added, tremors of anger evident in her voice.

"You can't choose an outsider over your Mother!" She reminded bitterly.

" Dahlia is not an outsider. She is my wife."

" Keep whatever opinions you have to yourself."

" My marriage is not up for discussion." He warned, and without giving her a chance to respond, he directly swept me off my feet before carrying me.

From the villa, our drive to the airport was waiting, and after he secured me in place, quietly, he went ahead and took the seat next to mine.

From the villa to the airport, the entire ride was spent in deep silence, not the comfortable kind that we were used to, but a deep and suffocating wave, one that almost made breathing feel like a crime.

We were taking a private plane, so there was no customs or waiting.

After helping me out of the car, Dalton held my hand, leading us to the waiting chopper.

From just the aura that was coming off him, it was clear that he was in a bad mood.

It was supposed to be a happy occasion, and I hated the note that it had started on.

" Dahlia?" Right before I could board, Dalton called me, his voice strained, and his shoulders tense.

" I need to tell you something."