DANTE’S POVAfter I had left the house after giving Helena the ring, the next agenda on my mind was to deal personally with Tony Anotti, of course he knew Helena was engaged to me, the only reason he had decided to pull the stunt with me and that was why I decided to give her the ring. I had rushed earlier that morning before she woke up, pulled up at the nearest jeweler and purchased the one that caught my eye, I didn’t care how expensive it was – it was my claim on her, to prove to everyone in Algreen Cove that she was mine now.I arrived at the warehouse where we’d been keeping Tony Anotti to find Paulo was already there, but he looked a tad bit disheveled with his normally crisp shirt untucked and his brow furrowed with worry."Dante," he said, his voice low and urgent, "Tony... he’s gone."The words barely registered for a second, and when they did, the rage simmering just beneath my skin flared up. "What do you mean he’s gone?" I barked, stepping closer to him but Paulo held my
HELENA’S POVI was so goddamn furiousThe whole ride back had been unbearable, the tension that brewed within us, Dante had his jaw set, not saying a word, while I sat beside him, my fists clenched in my lap, trembling from the whirlwind of emotions that swirled inside of me.He had swooped me off the ground so easily; it had been so effortless, like I weighed nothing in his arms. Despite the anger boiling inside me, there had been a split second where I felt... helpless. The way his grip was so firm, the way he just tossed me over his shoulder like I was some package he had to deliver. I hated that feeling—like he had control, like I was powerless. It made the fury burn even hotter.We didn’t exchange a single word as we walked into the house. I stormed past him, heading straight for the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I needed space. I needed air. I needed anything but him that moment.The next morning, I woke up still angry. The ache in my chest lingered, and my head thrummed
HELENA’S POVI remember Dante’s gaze when I saw him standing outside the dance studio – it was warm, dark and every emotion in between. I felt a shiver dance across my spine and I hadn’t even realized it when I walked towards him. I didn’t expect him to cup my face with the roughness of his palms and my heart soared.I heard a tiny groan from his throat, a quiet noise of satisfaction boomed from him when I pressed my face on his chest. His fingers slid from my cheek to the back of my head and his fingers threading through my hair. I inhaled deeply, feeling every ounce of touch he gave me, and I was on the verge of melting like candy in his hands.He smelled so good, felt so good – like I everything I needed and craved, comfort, security.“I – I – don’t know what to say” I breathed.“Shhh” he shushed me with his head resting atop mine “Don’t ruin it”He had done everything I should hate and resent him for but here I was finding comfort in his arms and doing everything my mind screamed
DANTE’S POVHer lips, the swirl of her tongue in my mouth, the slight sight that escaped her lips when I pulled her tender frame towards my hardened body, the mixture of feelings even I was yet to understand, everything came to a sudden halt when that call from Paulo came through.“Everything is gone”It was a turmoil in my head even after I had dropped Helena at the house, it was hard enough to push her out of my head and concentrate on the disaster that was going on in my turf.“I just need to sort this out – I’ll be back” I said to her, softly caressing her face and nearly kissing her but I didn’t want to get a hard on from just kissing her alone, I needed to focus.I gripped the wheel, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt.The drive to the warehouse was a blur. My foot pressed hard on the gas pedal, the engine roaring as I sped through the streets, adrenaline pumping in my veins. By the time I arrived, Paulo was already standing there, his face pale as he stared at the empty shell of
HELENA’S POVI lay on the vast expanse of the bed, the silky sheets embracing my body with the soft tenderness that I craved from Dante, my husband. I could hear the metallic ticking of clock, each tick reminding me of every second that passed and Dante wasn’t still home. I tried to ignore the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains. I couldn’t sleep, if I didn’t feel the warmth emanating from his body while he slept beside me, the weight of his body pressed upon my fragileness while he pumped his load inside me.Tonight, the emptiness of our bed felt particularly suffocating. I had yearned for his presence all day, a deep longing that gnawed at my soul. As I lay there, the sound of the door opening made my heart race. As I turned my head, there he was, the silhouette of my husband – Dante D’angelo watching me silently from the door. His strong muscular arms were flexing without him even trying to do so and I took a nervous gulp while my insides burned with desire – a desire th
Gianna being back was going to be a thorn in my flesh, and I didn’t think I’d have the heart to take it if Dante decided to leave me for her.He called her name last night, isn’t that proof enough that he’s going to leave you for herI struggled to push the bad thoughts out of my head and focus on getting ready for Dante’s cousin Adrianna’s birthday dinner. I hadn’t seen Dante since my eyes fluttered open in the early hours of dawn, he had slipped off secretly and headed straight to work – or Gianna’s house.No he wouldn’t do that, Dante loves me and he wouldn’t leave me.Immediately, I took out the phone and I dialed Dante’s number to find out when he would be coming back home so we could go for Adrianna’s birthday together and the call picked on the second ring, a high pitched voice sounded in my ears and it took me a second to realize that it was Dante’s secretary and not Gianna picking up his phone.“I want to speak to Dante” I said into the receiver, my eyes staring ahead at the
A divorce?My eyes fluttered open the next morning with Vivianna’s words just at the forefront of my head ‘As long as he doesn’t file for divorce, you’ll be fine’I sprang up immediately to find out that Dante hadn’t returned home the previous night after he had told me ‘Go home, we’ll talk when I get home. I just have a few meetings to round up”What meetings are you rounding up at a party?But I listened to him because I loved him, because I didn’t want to annoy him further, maybe if I was complacent enough he wouldn’t have to divorce me, I listened because I still wanted to be his wife.I got up from the bed and headed downstairs to the dining section and the moment I reached there I froze, stopping dead in my tracks and my stomach falling to the pit of dread in my stomach.“No no no no” I cried internally. There was a white envelope placed neatly on the table, like a subtle effect to cushion the blow from the contents of the white envelope. Right there, on the envelope was my name
FRANCE, PARISFIVE YEARS LATER“So what Helena, are you coming for Vivianna’s wedding or not. Your sister needs you here” my mother droned on me, just after I was done with my performance at a fundraiser in paris where I had been living since I signed those divorce papers.“I’ll think about it mama” I did not want to attend, neither did I plan on attending but I knew my mother’s guilt tripping skills were going to come into play very soon.“No Helena, there’s nothing to think about. You take the next flight down here, Vivianna is getting married and the best part, she’s marrying for love and not as a shady deal for your father’s business, how can you miss that?”I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me, I was walking down the street still mostly dressed in my ballet attire but I had switched out the shoes for a more comfortable converse shoes.“Rub it in my face mama”“Oh come on Helena, everybody misses you. This is your home, you can’t run away from home forever, I thought