Chapter 114
A R I A N A
I sat in my office unable to concentrate on my work. I’ve been trying to get the paper works sorted but nothing is moving.
For days it had been like this, a cold heavy silence, it was like I was losing myself day by by day.
Dante had been so distant.
He moved through the house like a ghost, h didn’t look at me.
Not really.
When he did his eyes were sad and tired but also closed off like he deserted me.. like he was regretting something.
Maybe bringing me back.
And Melissa… he was always with her, chit chatting. Laughing at silly jokes she made and then sometimes talking in low voices in the hallway.
It was breaking my heart into tiny sharp pieces. He wasn’t just being kind anymore. It felt like something else, something that left me out in the cold.
He was off with the kids too.
Short-tempered.
Distracted.
He barely spends time with them like he use to.
Isabella asked him to read a story last night, and he just patted her head and walked away like he wasn’t the same person that had made that his everyday routine.
A sob caught in my throat before I could swallow it, but it was too big. It burst out.
Then another.
I put my face in my hands and let the tears come hot, messy tears spilled as my shoulder shook.
I cried for my broken heart.
I cried for the man I loved who felt like a stranger, I cried because I felt so alone in my own home.
The door slipped open, making me jerk my head up quickly, wiping at my cheeks with the backs of my hands.
My face was wet and my eyes were stinging.
Angelo stood there staring at me in piety, like he could see through me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked my voice was shaky from crying.
He didn’t answer right away, instead he just stepped inside and closed the door softly behind him. “Why are you crying Ariana p>
The question felt like an invasion. “It’s none of your business,” I snapped, turning my chair away from him. “If there’s nothing important for you to say, you should leave p>
He didn’t leave. He walked closer. “It is my business when I see my aunt-in-law hurting. When I see my uncle being an idiot p>
“I said it’s none of your business!” I said again but my voice broke.
The tears started fresh streaming down my face. I couldn’t stop them. All the pain just poured out.
I didn’t see him move, but suddenly he was there, pulling me out of my chair and into a hug. I was so shocked and I didn’t push him away. My body was stiff at first, but then I just… collapsed burying my I buried my face in his shoulder and sobbed.
He just held me, rubbing my back. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s okay to let it out p>
And I did… letting the tears pour out, the ones I’ve been saving for days. It felt like a small relief to not be alone with the pain.
Then the office door flew open with a bang.
I jumped back from Angelo wiping my face frantically.
Dante stood in the doorway.
Looking like he was ready to bury Angelo, moving his stare to the my tear-stained face to Angelo who still had a hand on my arm.
“What the hell is going on here?” Dante’s voice was a low dangerous growl.
He didn’t wait for an answer, instead lunged across the room and grabbed Angelo by the front of his shirt and shoved him hard against the bookshelf.
Books rattled.
“Dante no!” I screamed. “Stop it p>
Angelo didn’t fight back, he just let Dante hold him there, letting Dante hit him. “Is this what you do now, Uncle?” Angelo spat the word. “You spend all your time hooking up with your ex-wife keeping her under the same roof as your actual wife, and then you get to punch me for offering comfort p>
The world stopped.
My breath left my body in a sharp gasp.
What?
Ex wife?
The room spun.
I looked at Dante.
All the rage drained from his face in an instant. He looked… defeated.
He let go of Angelo’s shirt and took a stumbling step back.
My mouth went dry.
My heart was pounding in my ears. I looked from Angelo’s angry face to Dante’s pale horrified one.
“What My voice was a whisper. I couldn’t get enough air. “What is he talking about p>
Dante just stared at me, his eyes wide with panic.
“Angelo,” I said, my voice stronger now, trembling. “What did you just say p>
Angelo straightened his shirt, his gaze locked on Dante. “Tell her uncle or I will. You can’t hide it anymore She’s hurting uncle”
Dante opened his mouth but no sound came out. He looked like a man who had just been sentenced.
“Melissa Dante finally whispered his eyes begging me. “Ariana… I am so sorry p>
The apology was like a confirmation.
It hit me in the stomach.
I felt sick.
“Sorry for what?” I asked each word sharp and clear. “What is he talking about? Ex-wife? Your ex-wife? Melissa is… Melissa is your ex-wife p>
The truth was there in his eyes.
In his shattered expression.
He didn’t deny it.
He just looked at me his own eyes filling with guilt.
“And Leo?” I asked the horror growing cold and icy in my veins. “Is Leo… is he p>
Dante didn’t answer.
He didn’t have to.
The pure agony on his face told me everything.
My legs gave way.
I grabbed the edge of my desk to keep from falling as I struggle to digest the information.
The man man I loved, the one I trusted with my whole life. He had an ex-wife. A son. Living in our home and he had lied to me.
Every single day.
No wonder he has been distant since she came back to our lives.
He wanted her, and not me… now that she was back, he was slowly letting me go.
I looked at Dante and I didn’t know him at all.