Chapter 113
D A N T E
I watched Ariana run into the house her sobs tearing at something deep inside me, hating myself even more than I already do.
But Ariana shouldn’t have said those mean things to Melissa. It actually surprises me that she said those things… it’s that part of her that I’ve never seen before.
“Oh Dante,” Melissa’s voice was a shaky fake whisper beside me as she clutched my arm, her fingers digging in. “I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I just wanted to be her friend p>
Melissa was faking whatever it was… and I wasn’t liking it.
“Let’s go inside Melissa,” I said, my voice tired. I pulled my arm from her grip. “We need to talk p>
I didn’t wait for her answer, I just turned and walked towards the house, my steps heavy.
I heard her quick light footsteps following me. We went upstairs, forcing me myself to keep walking to the guest room and not run to Ariana and offer her comfort.
I held the door open for Melissa and she walked in and the moment I closed the door behind us the act dropped.
She turned to face me, all the fake vulnerability gone with a small smug smile played on her lips. “Well that went better than I expected p>
The change was so sudden it left me speechless for a second. “What are you talking about?” I finally managed to say.
“You,” she said, walking over to the mirror and checking her reflection. “Playing the angry disappointed husband, I must admit you were very convincing. It’s good that you’re playing your role well p>
A cold dread started to creep up my spine. “You are causing problems in my home Melissa… what is the matter with you p>
She laughed mockingly. “Problems? Dante, this is just the beginning, a little warning shot p>
“A warning for what?” I demanded, stepping closer. “What do you want, Melissa?” I am sick and tired of playing your games and hurting my wife, I love p>
She cut me off with a hiss, narrowing her stare at me, “I think you know exactly what I want Dante, I want you to finalize the divorce.” She jerked her head in the direction of my bedroom where my wife was. “You need to leave Ariana and be with me p>
The words were so absurd so insane that I actually laughed a harsh bitter sound. “You’re crazy! Completely insane. I would never ever divorce Ariana, I love her so much to ever let her go, she’s my wife, the mother of my children. The last thing I’d ever do is divorce her p>
Melissa’s smug smile vanished, replaced by a cold hard mask as she walked right up to me until we were almost nose to nose.
“Let me make this very simple for you Dante,” she said, her voice a low, dangerous hiss. “You will divorce her or you know the rest. Dante, you know me more than anybody in this world, you know what I’m capable of”
“Are you threatening me?” I asked my voice low with a rage I was struggling to control.
“I’m promising you,” she corrected. “If you don’t start the divorce proceedings I will not hesitate to go to your precious little wife and tell her everything. I will tell her that I am not just some random woman you felt sorry for. I will tell her that I am your ex-wife and I will tell her that Leo is not just my son, he is our son. Your son Dante Russo p>
The world seemed to tilt as my breath caught in my throat. “You wouldn’t p>
“Try me,” she whispered, her eyes gleaming with a malicious light. “Do you think your perfect little marriage would survive that? Do you think she would ever look at you the same way again? Knowing you lied to her every single day since I arrived? Knowing you have a secret child? A whole secret past wife you never mentioned to her p>
Panic pure and cold washed over me. “Melissa please. You can’t do that… please p>
“I can and I will,” she said her voice flat and final. “Unless you do what I say p>
The frustration and helplessness were a volcano inside me.
“Listen to me,” I said, my voice shaking with the effort to keep it down. “I am putting my foot down this ends now. You will not threaten my family and you will not speak to Ariana like that again p>
“Dante, it’s your choice to make… I can erase Ariana from existence in a blink of an eye, you know that”
I snapped! “You dare not p>
“Try me… aren’t you even ashamed of yourself? Huh? Abandoning your own son? You know what, you have a week. One week to tell her you want a divorce and If you don’t… I won’t hesitate to tell her everything and you know what she’ll do when she finds out the truth, she’ll ask for a divorce. if I can’t have you then she sure as hell won’t either… if I have to… I’ll make sure she and those kids of yours get hurt p>
Her words were like a physical blow.
I stared at her into the eyes of the woman I once loved and saw a stranger, a dangerous vindictive stranger.
“You’re absurd,” I whispered, the fight draining out of me replaced by fear.
“No,” she said calmly, walking back to the window. “I’m a mother fighting for her son and for what she is owed… now you have one week to divorce her and the children should remain on your custody… Leo could use some company p>
“What p>
She smirks shrugging “You heard me”
Divorce?
Taking the kids away from her?
That’ll break her.
I stood there for a moment longer as my mind raced searching for a way out a solution but there was none.
She had me cornered.
With a final defeated look, I turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me.
The sound echoed through the quiet hallway. I leaned against the wall, my head in my hands.
What was I going to do?
How could I possibly get out of this?
My phone rang snapping me out of my thoughts. I fumbled for it in my pocket, my hands still shaking.
I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?” I answered my voice rough.
“Is this Mr. Russo?” a formal official-sounding voice asked.
“Yes, speaking. Who is this p>
“This is Sergeant Miller from the State Penitentiary. I’m calling regarding inmate RicardoMelendez p>
“What about him?” I asked, a new, different kind of dread filling me.
“There was an incident during a prison transfer earlier today,” the sergeant said his tone grave. “The transport vehicle was ambushed. Inmate Greene escaped. We believe he had outside help. He is currently at large p>
How?
“Mr Russo p>
I ended the call, the phone slipping from my numb fingers and clattering onto the marble floor.
Fuck p>
Could things get any more worst.