Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)
Chapter 369 Who Do You Take Me For

Bella knew Dominic could hear them. Only a bedroom door separated them, and the soundproofing here wasn't great.

To avoid further complications, she replied, "Yeah. Don't mind him, he's got a bit of a temper."

Wesley gave a faint smile. "No worries. I'm full, so I'll head out."

Once she had seen Wesley off, Bella let out a long breath. Of all the times Dominic could've shown up, he had to pick now. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she still felt a pang of guilt...

She walked into the bedroom and found Dominic sitting on the edge of the bed, clearly annoyed.

She just wanted to move past this without a fight. "If you haven't eaten yet, want to go grab something together?"

Dominic muttered, "You didn't just let some other guy use your shower-you let him wear my slippers too."

Bella braced herself and replied, "Those slippers cost, what, ten bucks at the convenience store? I'll buy you a new pair. I get you obsessing over Felix and Ethan, but come on-you're jealous over a kid who's barely grown up? He's six years younger than me! I graduated high school when he was still in elementary school."

Dominic gave her a pointed look. "And how do you know he's 'barely grown up'?"

Bella's mouth twitched. "It's just an expression. Do you think I actually checked? Alright, alright. It's late. What did you come over for anyway? You've been so busy lately. If you didn't have a reason, you wouldn't have stopped by, right?"

Dominic stood up, looking down at her with a deep, unreadable expression. "The only reason I came is because I've been so busy. I'm worried about you."

Bella pressed her lips together. "What are you so worried about? I'm doing just fine, aren't I? Go focus on your career, like before. You don't need to keep an eye on me, and you certainly don't need to keep me on your mind."

She tried to say it in a lighthearted tone, hoping to reassure him that he didn't need to worry about her. There was nothing in her life that required his concern.

But he took it another way entirely. His expression darkened, and his tone grew cold and biting. "Don't say meaningless things just to irritate me."

Bella froze, unsure of what she had done to annoy him this time. For some reason, her emotions suddenly surged up too.

She had come home exhausted after a long day, only to replace herself tiptoeing around his mood. She didn't want to go out of her way to please anyone, especially not in this messy, undefined relationship.

The way he still tried to control everything-even after they had broken up-made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, "I'll go clean up the dishes."

Dominic didn't respond. Bella busied herself with the dishes, then moved on to the laundry, keeping her hands occupied just to keep her emotions at bay But eventually, there was nothing left to do, and she had to face what was waiting.

When she returned to the bedroom, she was hit by the strong smell of smoke.

Dominic was standing by the window with his back to her, a cigarette in hand. She had no idea how many he had already smoked.

She opened all the windows to air

out the room, then sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling drained. "Can you stop trying to control every aspect of my life? Who I spend time with is my choice. I don't want to feel like I have to watch out for your mood constantly, and I don't want this constant guilt when haven't done anything wrong... You're

always like this, always making me

feel suffocated!"

Dominic's hand stilled, his fingers frozen around the cigarette. His face was cast in shadow, his expression unreadable.

When he finally spoke, his voice had

a rough edge. "If I'm so unbearable, then why did you come after me in the first place? Why provoke me, only to walk away like it meant nothing? Bella, what do you take me for?"