Page 8 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

Mano stared at her, rage and humiliation burning beneath the black ink smeared across his face.

She waited, but Mano didn’t answer.

“You’re really not gonna do it, huh?” she said. “You’d rather hold on to your ego than say sorry and save yourselves.”

He said nothing.

“Well then, let me be clear,” she went on, folding her arms. “I’m not untying you unless you apologize.”

This wasn’t anger anymore. There was something twisted in her now.

He shut his eyes, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. His fingers curled against the restraints, metal biting into his skin. His jaw locked, like he could hold the word back if he just stayed still.

Silence pressed in, thick and suffocating. His throat closed up, the word refusing to come out. He swallowed, turning his head, his breath unsteady. “Sorry,” he said, barely audible.

Stella’s brows shot up. She stared at him, like the sound of it didn’t match the person in front of her. “You actually said it.”

Mano lifted his gaze to her, already looking like he hated himself for saying it.

Stella watched him, a faint smile forming. “Say it properly. I’m sorry for the horrible way I treated you, Stella.”

Everything in him revolted. Rage, humiliation, the urge to fight, to run, to disappear, all crashing into each other, with nowhere to go.

Ody, trusting him. And him failing him.

He drew in a breath that didn’t steady him. “I’m sorry for the horrible way I treated you… Stella,” he said, her name forced out through gritted teeth, seething.

She looked at him, steady and expectant. “Apologize for how you treated me every time after we made love—”

“Did what? Love?”

“Sex,” she shot back. “We fucked. That’s what matters to you right now?”

“Yes,” he snapped. “That’s all it ever was. Every time. Just fucking. Don’t call it love.”

Something in her expression shifted. Then she moved. Before he could react, her foot drove straight between his legs.

A choked sound tore from his throat as his body folded in on itself. Pain hit, sharp and blinding. He curled tighter, a low groan slipping past his clenched teeth as his eyes squeezed shut. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. When he forced them open again, his vision blurred, and his legs were pulled tight to his chest as he looked up at her.

Stella stood over him, her face set, fury still burning.

“Fucking bitch…” he rasped.

“Still playing tough?” she said. “Even now? Look at you!” Her gaze dragged over his curled body before snapping back to his face. “You still won’t shut up and do what I say?”

Mano forced himself to look at her through the pain. “You’re gonna pay for this.” He forced the words out.

“Oh, please.” She let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh, shaking her head at him. Then, just like that, her tone shifted, colder. “Anyway…” she went on, dismissing him entirely. “Where were we? Right. You were apologizing. Say it. I’m sorry, Stella, for sleeping with your best friend and ruining your life, because I can’t keep my dick in my pants.”

Mano glared at her, his body still tight with pain, breath unsteady.

“Say it.”

“If I… say it…” His jaw tightened as he forced himself to finish. “Will you untie me?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’ll untie you. But don’t you dare touch me, or I’ll send the message to Anna.” She stared him down, her expression cold, daring him to try. “Got it, tough guy?”

Mano shut his eyes, dragging in a slow breath. Just say it. Get it over with. He opened them and looked at her. “I’m sorry, Stella, for sleeping with your best friend…” The words scraped out of him, tight, forced. He stopped, his throat closing up. “…and turning your life upside down because I don’t…” His jaw clenched. “I don’t—”