Chapter 70

Dante’s POV.

Some thing was different about Sophia.

I sensed it the night I had drove her back to the city and settled her in to her home again. There was definitely some shift in her demeanor. Obviously, that night, with every thing that had gone on, I didn’t think too much about it. What had been witnessed had not been an easy sight to digest let alone the addition of what Sophia had to endure for the days that she was held captive.

Pheobe was dead and even though that had not been a part of the plan, it turned out to be necessary. I knew that they would try some thing and it was exactly why I had back up. If they attempted any thing, matters would be sought the way it had been seen fit and that was exactly what had happened.

As for Demetri, the man would never come to see the light of freedom for as long as he lived. I made certain of that and there would be no change to his sentence.

All of this I chalked as the reason that Sophia was so distant and closed off and I let it be. However, when she began ignoring my calls, I had grown a little suspicious that perhaps there was more to her mood that met the eye.

Of course, that assumption was confirmed when I showed up at her home and saw her face immediately turn from bright and happy as she spoke to Hayley to disappointment at my sudden

presence.

I thought we had moved past all of this, that we had made some solid progress in moving forward not only when it came to Hayley but with us. The last night that we shared in Greece meant some thing. I saw it in her eyes. She felt exactly what I had felt yet, now as I looked at her in bed, it was hard to imagine those emotions in her eyes again.

Every thing about her screamed cold and unapproachable but it was only that way for me. Adam had shown up at some point during the evening and Sophia interacted with him just fine. It had irritated me beyond belief because I felt like the third person in her catch up session just lurking about like an angry warden.

I couldn’t stomach to see her behave so friendly with Adam yet so aloof with me. I wanted to leave. and head to some other part of the house but I couldn’t. Some thing in me refused to leave them alone. Their relationship never failed to eat at me especially right at this moment.

Hayley served as a good distraction as she explained all the flowers that they kept in the garden which she had inspected herself, I tried to lend her an ear and I succeeded until Sophia’s melodious laughter reached my ears at some thing Adam had said and I felt my jaw clench painfully.

Just once I would like to knock the air out of Adam. It would not be a challenge by any means and I could easily take him but that would only give Sophia another reason to hold on to her displeasure

with me.

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Chapter 70

Was I jealous? F*** yes!

C

I couldn’t think straight at the moment. Every ounce of my being wanted to storm across the room and drag Adam out by his collar like a dog that wasn’t allowed inside.

“When you recover, we should go out. My treat.” Adam offered and Sophia nodded like she was actually eager about it.

“Oh, please, it is always your treat but I would like that. I’m pretty bored being on bed rest even though it has only been two days.” She complained to Adam who nodded pitifully.

Adam already knew what had happened. I could tell by the lack of curiosity he held from the time he had arrived. He showed up fully informed and in care mode for Sophia. How many time did she had to reject him for him to leave her alone?!

When the time arrived for him to leave, I couldn’t have been happier. I resisted the urge to kick him out myself but once he left, it still did very little to change my mood.

I thought that now was the chance for me to speak to Sophia and try and figure out what was going on but the doctor showed up to dress her wounds and commented on how it was healing well before he had left. I had taken Hayley out of the room when Dr Hannigan had been present. She didn’t need to see the damage on her mother. It wouldn’t bring any good to her.

Hayley hopped back in to the room and I followed her once I’d seen the doctor out.

“Mama, do you want to have dinner with us in the dining room?” Hayley offered innocently but it was probably not possible so soon.

Sophia smiled at Hayley still going in as if I had not been present at all. “I really wouldn’t mind that that I can’t exactly walk properly until I’m fully healed. She tried to explain gently but Hayley’s look if determination was strong.

“What if daddy carried you to the dining room? would that work?” Sophia looked mortified by the idea of that and shook her head.

I wouldn’t be too comfortable with that.” She dismissed the suggestion like I hadn’t touched her

before.

I watched her every move from the door way. She was conscious of me, I knew that much. I could see it in her expressions and the way she made sure not to venture her gaze further than the bed even by mistake. She felt my gaze on her and it made her nervous but she never crumbled beneath

  1. it.

“Your wheel chair will help her, Hayley.” My voice was to thick with a mix of things that it sounded unfamiliar to my own ears. “I can help her on and we can wheel her to the dining room. Hayley was on board with that idea, obviously, but Sophia pursed her l*ps skeptically.

“Aren’t we forgetting the stairs going down to the dining room?” I caught her condescending note in her words and grit my teeth. “It is fine. I’m happy here for now and you’re more than welcome to

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Chapter 70

eat by me like we have been these past two days. Her invitation extended to Hayley and Hayley only.

I saw Hayley look at me conflicted since she wanted to cat with both of us at once but it was not proving possible tonight.

After insisting that I was not hungry and it would be fine if Hayley ate with Sophia in her room, she agreed. I helped her carry the plates of food to the room that the cook had prepared. They had eaten and I stayed close to the window overlooking the large estate trying not to snap.

After they had eaten Hayley grew tired and I saw her to the bathroom to brush her teeth then to her room to get changed in to pajamas. She asked me to tuck her in to her bed and read her a story which I happily did.

I realised some thing about spending time with Hayley. It didn’t matter what was going on in my life or what stressors I would be facing but the minute I was with her and she looked at me with the more adoring orbs possible like I put the stars in the sky just by being present and with her, there was nothing that felt unfixable.

She had fallen asleep before I made it to the end of the fairy tale about the frog Prince and I carefully saw myself out of her room, closing the door behind me.

I moved down the hall way with intent. With Hayley asleep now, I could finally confront her about why she was so cold towards me.

When I entered her room again, her eyes widened slightly just looking at me like she had forgotten entirely that I was even around. I stopped at the foot of her bed crossing my arms over my chest.

‘I- I thought you had left by now. She muttered tightly and it sent me jaw clenching once again.

“I will leave but not now.” She heard the firmness in my words and her l*ps pressed In together to form a thin line.

“It is late.” She persisted. “Won’t it be-”

My head snapped up to glare at her. “I get it, Sophia, you want me to leave.” I snapped at her but then inhaled heavily trying to calm myself down.

“You have not said any thing to me in conversation since what happened. You don’t want to look at me, you barely even take note of me when I’m around. What is it? What is it that I have done that’s so horrible?” She blinked like she had been caught of guard by my outburst.

“Was I not supposed to have saved you and left you to the wolves?” I questioned when she did not. show any sign of speaking but her nostrils had flared and the streak of anger that I knew all too well appeared in her orbs.

“I wouldn’t have had to be saved had it not been for you, Dante.” She spat out and I felt a frown form on my forehead. “Had it not been for you and the decisions you have made, I would have never been a victim to such a horrible thing.” Her voice had risen an octave as she stared at me with

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Chapter 70

daggers in her eyes.

“What?” I asked in shock.

Π

She nodded. “You heard me. In all the time that I have known you, chased after you, I was alwave made to be the fool at the end of it and you had no problem at all making me collateral damage to your mistakes. If any thing, you always found a way to pin it on me.” Sophia blazed feeding in to her fury.

“You had no issue using me in marriage to save yourself when Pheobe walked out on you. It was I who had been more committed to you and where did that see me? Divorced and pregnant with no support.” She threw that in my face and a low, warning growl escaped my l*ps.

But she did not back down. “Then what about recent times. You promised me that you had nothing to do with her just to get me in bed only for you to announce an engagement with her days later making me look like a fool all over again. Getting kidnapped was the eye opener I needed.” She paused to take in a deep breath before continuing her rant.

“If it hadn’t been for you and your over drawn out relationship with Pheobe, I would have never been her victim. I never was until it was you they wanted. As always, who was used a pawn once again?” She asked rhetorically. “Me! It is always me who bares the brunt and consequences for your actions and mistakes and I can no longer do it. Not when it had come so close to costing me my life. She yelled, her petite shoulders shaking from her outslaugh.

I stared at her, stunned and speechless at how she perceived things. It frightened me that she was so sharp tongued but what terrified me the most was the look of absolute disdain and done that she was with me.

“Pheobe is no longer in the picture. Soph. Why let that be an issue with us go-”

“Us?” She mocked. “There is no ‘us‘, Dante. There never was. It was always me by myself and you leading me on when it was convenient for you. I’m sorry but I can’t entertain that spiral any longer. I know that we have shared some things recently together but I think that is where our story stops. I have been an idiot before to let you make me your fool but I’d be damned if I allowed it again.” She said with finality in her words and shiny, glazed eyes.

may

Her words felt like a dagger had been plunged in to my chest, kicked in, then twisted causing immense pain. Only she could hurt me this way because only she had such control over my emotions but she was done with me.

I saw it in her eyes, in the firmly set jaw of hers, and I knew that no amount of convincing her was going to change her mind.

But she was utterly wrong if she thought that even for a split second that I was going to let her she wanted some space, fine, so be it, but I was going to win her back even if I had to die trying.

  1. go. If

I was blinded before to what I wanted but now I knew it with utmost certainty. I messed up. I knew it and I wasn’t going to deny it but I was going to win her back the way she had always deserved.

from the start.

Dreame

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