Lahat ng Kabanata ng Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

•DOMINIC•"I just got off the phone with Raquel," Liam reported, jolting all my weary senses to instant hyperactivity.I never knew such simple words could charge so much energy into my system, adrenaline pumping wildly into my veins with my heart pounding madly in my chest as though it'd leap out any second.I scrambled to my feet, my fist tightly clenched and hammered onto my office desk. "Is my wife okay? Is she safe? Has she eaten yet?" I blurted so fast that even I couldn't fully comprehend the questions I shot at the baffled man."For fuck's sake," Greta grumbled, slamming the magazine she'd been monotonously reading for hours face down on my desk as she shot up. "Chill the fuck out or I might start thinking you actually have real feelings for her which would be ridiculously out of character of you."I ignored her easily habitually growing remark, my attention anchored on Liam. "Speak," I demanded, lightly banging my fist on the desk."Well, Sir," he hesitated, adjusting the fra

•DOMINIC•A flood of evidential photographs rained on my face from a gruff hand, forcing me to sharply tilt my face to the side. "You've grown so soft it insults my bloodline," Teodoro accused venomously, his angry eyes undoubtedly burning holes through my guilty conscience.I remained calm and composed, shrugging some clinging pieces off my shoulders as I dragged the chair backwards to take a seat.Despite sitting across from my father with his home office desk separating us, I knew I wasn't entirely safe. Lately, his violent tendencies knew no bounds and I wasn't so sure which was more explosive, his aggressive temper or the impatience bubbling inside me to lash out at him for piling things that made me hate not only him but myself as well.Teodoro banged his fist loudly on the desk, openly demanding my undivided attention which I calmly awarded him."At this point," he seethed gruffly, crunching a piece of paper lying on the desk in his hand, "Greta is more a Bernardi than you are

•SOFIA•"Do you think perhaps he forgot we were supposed to make an entrance together?" I sighed, sagging my partly exposed shoulders lower. "Maybe we should just leave and call it a day."Raquel and I had been waiting for Dominic in the car since our arrival at the venue of Teodoro's grand charity gala. It'd nearly been half an hour and boredom had already begun sinking hard enough to make me regret showing up in the first place.Raquel's signature smile widened a little as she placed her hand on top of mine gently. "Of course not, Sofie," she encouraged optimistically. "He is not that type of man and I just spoke to Liam, by the way. They're running a little late and should be here within ten minutes."I wasn't sure if the assurance made me relaxed or extra nervous. Tonight would be our first official public appearance together since our wedding nearly four months ago. The other time we'd gone out together had been to induct me into the board of the Bernardi conglomerate though I'

I grabbed him by the wrist, searching for his eyes. "Look at me and tell me you'll see me at the office and not tonight," I demanded, tears distantly pricking my eyes.It took Dominic a few seconds of contemplation before he gently freed himself from my grip, cupping my face lightly. "Don't wait up," he whispered, his lips close to my ear before he strode away with Liam.His actions were beginning to sting a little too hard, boiling anger within me.Turning around sharply to find Raquel and leave instantly had me facing Olivia instead before she took my hand and led me away to a private room, probably for drinking with a variety of wine on display.I wasn't thinking of anything but quenching the anger inside me as I grabbed a bottle, opened it and washed down as much wine as I could take.I instantly regretted it as it scorched its way down my throat into my stomach, making things even worse for a rare drinker like me."Easy, Sofia," Olivia cooed, snatching the bottle away from me. "Y

•SOFIA• "Dominic, please don't do this to me," I begged softly with masked defeat, casting my eyelids downwards to shield the disobedient tears emerging. "Things are hard enough already and I don't need you making things worse." Hard was a terrible underestimation of the gravity of the situation we were in, a mere word having nothing on the inner turmoil tormenting me and tearing up my insides into meaningless shreds. Fuck. When I'd rehearsed my divorce plan with Raquel all night, it'd been way easier and simpler without all these overwhelming emotions gnawing at my guilty conscience now that I had him right before me, looking at me the way he was. He looked beyond betrayed, distraught and seconds away from dismantling into a depressing state that'd thrust me into a dark bottomless pit of self-hate and self-blame. I couldn't fathom what he had going through his mind given the ultimatums I'd given him and what effect the piling divorce papers I flooded at him had on his pers