“We? Bella, there is no ‘we’ anymore. I’m sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but please understand that what we had is over,” Alex said, looking at her incredulously.
“I can’t believe that there isn’t something left inside of you for me. That can’t be true, can it?”
She moved toward him again and he backed away.
Holding his hands to ensure she understood, he said, “There’s nothing left, Bella. The woman you saw me with tonight? She has my heart. All of it. There’s nothing left to give to you or anyone else.”
He watched as her eyes brimmed with tears.
Rubbing her arms as she held them across her chest, she asked, “Who is she?”
“No one you know. Now, I will drop you off at your hotel, but I need to go to her house and try to pick up the pieces of this disastrous night,” Alex said, walking down into the cabin, turning off the lights and locking up, plunging the yacht in darkness.
The solar lights of the marina lit their way off the yacht and onto the pier as he led her by the elbow.
“I don'thavea hotel. I tried to book one on the plane, but nothing was available that would suit me. Could I stay with you at your father’s house? I won't be here long. I have a photoshoot back in Paris late tomorrow night, but I wanted to spend tonight and tomorrow morning with you.Please?” she pleaded.
Alex was too mentally exhausted to deal with her, and he needed to get to Aria’s house. Taking out his phone again as she watched him silently, he quickly worked on fixing part of his problem.
“There. Got you a very nice hotel in the city center. You’ll be more than safe there and very comfortable. They can arrange transportation back to the airport in Naples for your trip home,” Alex said, irritation marking his expression.
He had let her go, and she followed behind him, her heels clomping loudly on the wooden slats.
“Alex, I’m sorry I lied about the hotel. I just wanted to spend more time with you.”
Turning around to face her, he answered, “I’m used to your lies, Bella.”
She winced at his answer and hung her head, tears falling down her face.
“I’m sorry, Alex,” she whispered. “I messed up. So badly. I know that. But I do love you. You would have heard me say it every day over these last few months if you hadn’t blocked my number.”
“You don’t know what love is. Not really.”
“I do. I really do, now. I realize you’re the only man I’ve ever loved, ever wanted to share my life with. I was crazy to let you walk away. Please give me another chance to show you that I’ve changed. I, I can’t give up. Not yet, Alex.”
“Let’s go, Bella. Where are your bags?”
“Oh, oh no. I left them in the taxi. I asked the taxi to wait to make sure it was you on the boat.”
Scrubbing his face, Alex sighed. “Fine, call the taxi service and see if they can come back with your bags.”
He listened as Bella made arrangements for the taxi to meet them at the hotel. He paced around the well-lit parking lot, anger simmering inside. He called Aria’s number several more times but finally stopped.
“It’s all set up. We can leave now,” Bella said quietly.
She followed Alex to his car, yelping a few times as she navigated the gravel in her heels. She tried to start a conversation on the ride, but he didn’t answer her.
It didn’t take long to get to the hotel from the marina, and when the taxi pulled up, Alex got out and helped her get her luggage to the hotel lobby.
When he turned to leave, she put her hand on his arm, her long manicured nails touching his skin and said, “Alex, please.”
Shaking his head, Alex looked at her and answered, “No, Bella. Have a safe trip home.”
With that, he turned back toward the doors, which slid open with a ‘whoosh’. His pace picked up as he walked back to his car, intent on getting to Aria’s house as quickly as possible.
The ride was fraught with tension as he yelled at the drivers around him to go faster.
“Why is everyone driving so slow tonight?” he yelled, banging the steering wheel before taking a deep breath in, trying to calm down.
