AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The words I longed to hear from him burn like a flaming rod against my chest. His pained eyes stare into mine lovingly, letting me feel the truth, but then again, he’s always been a great actor.
“You don’t hurt the ones you love, Dash,” I angrily say. “You betrayed me, used and lied to me. I was never a person to you. Just a toy you wanted to snatch from your brother. You deserve to be alone.”
He stills at my harsh words yet the longing in his light pupils doesn’t diminish. They beg me to stay and when a tear slips down his cheek, something inside me shatters.
The wound in my heart is like a live wire.
“You love me, Bianca. Don’t do this to us.”
“I warned you, Dash,” I whisper, repeating my words. “I’m incapable of loving anyone. Least of all you. How can I, when you’re the one who made me stop believing in it?”
He staggers like I physically hit him and the raw guilt shadows his features. It slowly twisted into horror like his worst nightmare and fears came true. Wiping my tears, I leave him standing and run.
He shouts my name but I don’t stop.
Why did I think coming to this city would be different this time? It will always be the place of my heartbreak. My scars. My ruination.
In my haste to get away, I didn't realize I ran toward the front exit where the media and the camera crew were waiting. I flinch when the first shutter goes off and I cover my eyes when thousands of flashes hit my tear-stained face.
Oh god.
Panic swells inside my chest and my breathing turns choppy as I try to evade them. It’s like they are surrounding me from every direction. My heels break but before I can fall down the stairs at the entrance, two strong arms appear and yank me inside the threshold.
“Kick them all out. Now!” Dash barks. He tilts my face and demands in a raw voice, “Are you okay, kitten? Look at me, please.”
“Don’t touch me.”
I slap his hands away, burning at the touch. He’s the last person I want around me.
“Please let me get you out of here.”
“No. Let me go.”
“Never. You’re still my wife, Bianca.”
The photographers are still going strong. My mind warns me to stay quiet but when I hear him call me his wife, I lose my calm, and hurt and rage combine. How dare he still call me his?
“I’m yourfakewife. The marriage was a sham, remember?” I shout. “None of it was real.”
His fingers tighten when I hurl the words, and the same heartbreak I felt years ago mirrors in his eyes. We remain in a silent battle and it takes me a second to notice the crowd of partygoers have gathered around us. Their faces, shocked and horrified. I realize what I blurted out in a fit of anger and panic.
No. No. No. My head feels dizzy as my surroundings blur around me. My lungs cave, like they can’t get enough air. Justin appears in my periphery and says in a low voice to Dash, “Let her go, Stern. I’ll take her home.”
“No,” he growls, like he knows it’s the last time he’ll ever hold me.
“Look at her, she’s seconds away from having a panic attack.”
When he notices how I’m leaning my weight on him, my strength gone, worry shadows his features. I hear the reluctance and anxiety in his voice. “Okay. I’ll be right behind you guys. Take her in my car. It’s waiting in the back.”
Justin nods and I’m shifted into the other man’s arms as he soothingly whispers, “I’ve got you, beautiful.”
I bury my face in his chest as he hugs me to his body, but I know the damage is already done. Now, everyone will know my shame. The treachery I did against my own family.
The fear is nothing compared to the pain in my heart.
The second we are alone in the back hallway, my breathing returns to normal—albeit slowly. The driver is waiting with the car. He opens the door and Justin helps me inside before sliding in himself. Numbness spreads in my bones and I just want to disappear. I can’t stay here.
“I need to call someone,” I whisper to Justin.
