The Heiress' Revenge

Chapter 208: I Will Not Leave

Dante’s POV

I couldn’t breathe anymore since she left.

I’d been sitting in my car for an hour outside her office building.

Third floor, second window from the left.

I’d counted the bricks. I’d memorized every crack in the concrete. I’d watched that window like it was the only thing keeping me alive.

And maybe it was.

"Get a grip," I muttered to myself.

But my hands wouldn’t stop gripping the steering wheel with my knuckles white and jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached.

She’d signed the papers.

She’d looked me in the eye and told me she didn’t love me anymore.

She’d sent me away, but I couldn’t accept the fact that Ariana would give up on us this easily; it was just not making any sense... how could she do this to us?

I slammed my palm against the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare, and a woman walking her dog glanced at me like I was crazy.

Maybe I was.

I couldn’t sleep, eat, or think about anything except her face... call me obsessed, but I love that woman, and I don’t see myself with anyone except her.

And now she was gone.

And I was supposed to just accept it?

No.

Fuck no.

I shoved open the car door and stepped out. My legs felt heavy, but I kept walking toward the building.

I needed to confront her again. I couldn’t do this anymore.

The elevator ride felt like an eternity. The doors opened I walked down the hall.

I walked to her office, raising my hand and knocking.

The door swung open, and there she was.

Ariana.

My wife.

My whole damn world.

And she looked like she’d seen a ghost.

Her face was pale, like all the blood had drained out of it, and her eyes were red and puffy. She’d been crying; I could see them trembling at her sides.

She looked terrified.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"What happened?" The words came out rough. Almost a growl. "Ariana, what the hell happened to you?"

She stared at me with her mouth open, but no sound came out.

"Ariana." I stepped forward, reaching for her. "Talk to me. Who—"

"Get away from me."

Her voice was ice.

I froze.

"What?"

"I said, get away from me." She stepped back, putting distance between us. Her hands were shaking even harder now.

"Ariana—"

"Don’t call me that." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Don’t. You don’t get to call me that anymore."

My chest felt like it was caving in.

"What are you talking about? I’m your husband. I have every right—"

"Ex-husband." She cut me off. Her voice was sharp and bitter. "Ex. You signed the papers, so did...We’re done."

"You don’t mean that."

"I mean every word."

I stared at her like a stranger; this woman was a stranger.

"I don’t believe you," I said, my voice cracked. "I know you, Ariana. I know you better than anyone. You can’t just turn off what we had. You can’t—"

"Watch me."

Her voice was flat.

I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

"What happened to you?" I asked again. "You’re not like this... what’s going on, just talk to me for god sake, what the hell is going on with you, with us? Please let me help-"

"I don’t want your help."

"You need it."

"I don’t need anything from you."

"Bullshit."

She flinched.

"You’re lying," I said. "I can always tell when you’re lying... there’s something you’re not telling me "

"I’m not lying."

"You are." I took another step. "You’re scared, terrified. I can see it in every part of you. So stop pretending and tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened."

"Liar."

"I’m not a liar!"

"You’re lying to me right now!" My voice rose; I couldn’t help it. The frustration, the fear, the desperate need to reach herit all came pouring out. "You’re standing there, shaking like a leaf, looking at me like I’m the enemy, and you expect me to believe everything is fine?"

"Yes."

"It’s not fine!"

"It is!" She screamed, her voice broke. "It’s fine, you don’t need to worry about me anymore.

"I will always worry about you."

"Don’t."

"Too late."

She turned away, walking toward her desk with her back to me now. I could see her shoulders shaking.

She was crying.

Again.

"Ariana—"

"Just go." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Please. Just go."

"I’m not leaving you like this."

"You have to."

"I don’t have to do anything."

She spun around, her face wet with tears.

"You need to leave," she said. "You need to go back to your life and forget about me—"

"I can’t."

"You can."

"I can’t." I closed the distance between us, grabbing her arms. She tried to pull away, but I held on, not tight. Just enough to keep her there. "I can’t forget about you, Ariana. I’ve tried and I can’t."

Her lip trembled.

"It wasn’t real." Her voice was broken now. Shattered. "What we had. It wasn’t real."

"Don’t say that."

"It’s true."

"It’s not. You’re lying to yourself."

"I’m not lying!"

"You are!" I shook her. Just a little. Just enough to make her look at me. "You are lying through your teeth, and I don’t understand why! We were happy. We were so fucking happy you can’t just decide you weren’t in love with me anymore?"

She broke away from me, stumbling backward.

"Just stop," she said.

"I love you!"

She froze.

The words hung in the air between us.

Her face crumpled.

"Don’t," she whispered. "Please don’t."

"Don’t what? Don’t tell you the truth?"

"Don’t make this harder than it already is."

"How can it be harder?" I laughed, but it wasn’t funny. "You broke my heart, Ariana. You tore it out and stomped on it and threw it away like garbage, and you expect me to just... what? Walk away?"

Her breath caught.

"Or pretend I don’t still hear your voice in my head?" I kept going. I couldn’t stop. "Or pretend I don’t still—"

"Stop."

"I can’t."

"Please, Dante. Please just—"

"No."

"Yes."

"GET OUT"

"No."

"Get out of my office, Dante!"

"Not until you tell me the truth!"

"THIS IS THE TRUTH!"

She screamed it with her whole body shaking with the force of it.

"Just fucking leave me alone"

She was lying.

I knew she was lying.

Every instinct I had told me she was lying.

"I’ll go, but I’ll be back."

"No—"

"I’ll be back," I repeated.

"So you can push me away." I backed toward the door. "You can scream at me, lie to me. You can tell me you don’t love me until you’re blue in the face, and I still won’t leave you."

"Dante, please—"

"I’ll figure out what’s going on." I reached for the door handle. "I don’t know how, but I will, and when I do—" I paused, opening the door.

"Ariana."

She looked at me.

"If something happens to you," I said. "If someone hurts you or touches a single hair on your head. I’ll burn this whole city to the ground."

Her lip trembled.

"I’ll burn it down," I repeated. "And I won’t stop until I find you."

I walked out.

The door clicked shut behind me, and I heard her scream muffled.