Chapter 83
A R I A N A
I adjust my dress as my breath coming in ragged gasps.
My lips still tingled from his punishing kiss, the taste of him was in my mouth, a familiar, painful ghost.
Dante stood over me, his expression cold and sure. “You can run to the other side of the world,” he said, his voice low and final. “But it doesn’t change the facts you still belong to me p>
I could feel his semen drizzle out with as I adjust my panties his words sending wave of shivers running down my spine,
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I don’t I signed the divorce papers and I left them for you… we are not married anymore p>
A slow, cruel smile spread across his face It was a look that said he held all the cards.
“You left papers,” he agreed. “But I never signed them p>
The world tilted the air left my lungs. “What p>
“I never signed them, Ariana,” he repeated, leaning down so his face was level with mine. “That piece of paper you left meant nothing In the eyes of the law, you are still my wife. You still belong to me p>
The revelation hit me like a physical blow all these years, I thought I was free I thought I had ended it but he had kept me chained to him with his silence, with his inaction.
I never thought Dante wouldn’t sign the papers, I knew he’d hate me to the extent of ending things permanently after what I’ve done but as always he never ceases to amaze me.
“We are not married in any way that matters!” I cried, pushing myself up from the floor. “You can’t just say I belong to you! That’s not how it works! You and I both know that what you and I had is over so there’s no using pushing things p>
“Isn’t it?” he fired back, his voice rising. “Your body seems to think so…Your lips responded to mine. You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me” he smirks “You still crave me, you still want me and that is something you can’t ever deny Ariana Russo p>
He was right, and that was the most humiliating part.
A part of me, a weak, traitorous part, did still want him, sex with him had awakened something I had tried to bury for five years.
“That doesn’t mean anything!” I shouted, my voice cracking with emotion. “That’s just… biology! It doesn’t change what you did! What I did! We are toxic for each other! We both don’t belong in the same world Dante Russo right from the start we both knew that this alignment was unholy but we still stayed, regardless and after what happened five years ago, I am sure you’re never going to forgive me and p>
He took a step closer, his eyes burning with a possessive fire cutting me off by placing his index finger on my lips. “It changes everything. You Ariana has always been mine, and if you know me, you know I always take what is mine p>
He was using my own body’s betrayal as a weapon Dante was reminding me that even after all the pain, the physical pull between us was as strong as ever and he was right.
I did still crave him and I hated myself for it.
I frowned, my mind reeling from his words. “What are you talking about, Dante? What do you mean, I have always been yours? That’s not true p>
A dark, knowing look came into his eyes “That night,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, intense whisper. “The club, years back, you never saw his face, did you? The man you lost your virginity to p>
My blood ran cold.
How could he know about that? I had never told anyone the details aside me and Bella that know, and then Bella ratting it out to Angelo and Dad, no one knew.
How then?
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stammered, taking a step back.
“Don’t you?” he pressed, stepping forward, closing the distance I had created. “You were wearing a little black dress… You had too much to drink, a man found you in a dark corner, the same man that took you to a private room. You never saw his face or knew his name p>
Each word was like a hammer hitting me my breath caught in my throat.
It was him.
He was describing that night perfectly.
No!
It can’t possibly be Dante Russo can it?
“No,” I whispered, my hand flying to my mouth. “It can’t be p>
His lips curved into a bitter smile. “It was me, Ariana It has always been me from the very beginning p>
The world spun.
I felt dizzy I reached out a hand to steady myself against the wall as my heart hammered against it ribcage.
All the pieces suddenly crashed together in my mind.
The club.
Dante.
Our marriage.
My son.
Our son.
Asher.
His dark eyes, the shape of his face, the little frown he got when he was thinking.
Features I had always, stupidly, attributed to mere coincidence but they were Dante’s.
A horrible, wonderful, terrifying understanding dawned on me.
If Dante was truly the man from the club… then Dante Russo was Asher’s father.
The father my son had been asking about.
A choked sob escaped me.
I looked at Dante, my eyes wide with shock and horror. “Asher was all I could manage.
I couldn’t breathe or think instead I turned and stumbled toward the door, my legs barely holding me up.
Not bothering to look back, I wrenched the door open and practically ran out of his office, down the hall, and into the elevator.
My son was his son all this time.
The man I had betrayed was the father of my first child, the consequences of my actions just became a thousand times more devastating.