Chapter 115
Antonio leaned back on the couch, his head resting against the cushion as he exhaled softly.
Zabelle watched him for a moment, and there was concern evident in her eyes.
Would she be asking for too much if she wanted to know how his night went? She wondered, and she decided not to think too much about it.
“Do you want to talk about your night?” she asked gently, her voice barely above a whisper.
Antonio turned his head slightly to meet her gaze, his blue eyes steady but unreadable.
“I don’t want to bore you with the boring details,” he replied, his tone firm but not unkind.
“Go to bed, Zabelle. It’s late.”
He would let her see what had happened to Vanessa and see her reaction to what he had done to her sister.
Even though Zabelle had told him that she was fine with him taking revenge on her sister, it didn’t change the fact that she was nice and had a forgiving heart.
The last thing he wanted was to have a fight with her, ruining the day they just spent together.
Zabelle felt a pang of pain over his hesitation to tell her how his night went, but she didn’t try to push further.
Why was she feeling so bothered anyway? It was his business. She just felt like a fool worrying and waiting up for him.
“Okay,” she said finally, nodding as though his response didn’t matter. “Goodnight, Antonio.”
“Goodnight,” he said, his voice softer now.
Zabelle immediately rose from the couch and made her way to the bedroom, the sound of her footsteps fading into the silence of the house.
Antonio leaned forward, rubbing his temples as he let out a deep sigh.
He had anticipated Vanessa’s scheme, but even he wondered if he was doing the right thing by not telling her.
Antonio immediately got up from the sofa and made his way to his private bar as he needed a drink.
On getting there, he poured himself a glass of whiskey and he gulped it down in one go.
Setting it down, he wondered when everything had changed?
For the longest period, Zabelle had been nothing more than an unwelcome complication in his life.
She was nothing but the woman who had jerked him in the place where it hurt the most and had refused
to
quaver.
For him, bringing her down to her knees and seeing her pride shatter was his goal, which was why he had proceeded to marry her even after knowing that she was framed.
And yet, somewhere along the way, that hatred had dissolved. It wasn’t sudden, and that was why he didn’t realize it.
He thought back to the first time he acknowledged that he didn’t hate her anymore, and that was when she had put herself in harm’s way and taken the bullet for him.
Or was it? He wondered, as before then, he hadn’t proceeded with any of the plans he had formulated before the wedding.
Fuck! Speaking of their wedding, he remembered how breathtakingly beautiful she had looked that day.
Zabelle was a beautiful woman, and she always looked beautiful even when she wasn’t trying, but there was just something about that day that made her even more special.
The way the soft light of the hall had caught the strands of her golden hair, making them sign even more.
He remembered forgetting how to breathe. She wasn’t the woman he hated at that point, he admitted to himself even though at that time, he had denied it
That was one of many such times, but he’d pushed those feelings aside, as he wasn’t the kind of man who let his emotions rule him.
1/3
Dreame–Read Romance Stories
Installed
Download
xe
3:52 PM
Chapter 115
And besides, considering what happened the last time all thanks to his father, he didn’t think he could feel anything for her.
But he had been wrong, very wrong, as what he felt for her was overwhelming.
He still couldn’t believe he had feelings for Zabelle.
Antonio swirled the glass in his hand, and he poured himself anoth
His mind drifted to the nights she spent curled against him in sleep, seeking comfort from the storm outside and the storms within.
He had held her then, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.
facing her demons alone.
+5
he couldn’t stand to see her afraid, couldn’t bear the thought of her
He let out a soft, bitter laugh. When had his hatred turned into a desperate need to protect her? To see her smile?
Perhaps it was when he saw how vulnerable she truly was. How her family’s betrayal had left scars far deeper than any physical wound.
She tried to hide the pain, but he had seen it in her eyes.
And when she had, she flinched at the sound of thunder. He had cursed himself for
killed.
not
realizing that she was scarred from the night she was almost
His eyes darkened at the thought of Jeremy being the one responsible. It was time he told
This was the longest he had held back from taking revenge, and it shocked him to see that he
even
had it in him.
Zabelle had come into his life and crushed all of his rules like they were nothing, and she had?
He thought about how fiercely she had defended herself when they argued, how her sharp words
And yet, beneath it all, there was a pain she didn’t see anyone but him.
It had taken him far too long to realize that he loved her.
Ven
We
SO
consciously.
a shield against the world.
Antonio leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The whiskey glass dangled loosely in his fingers.
He didn’t know what to do with these feelings, this…love. Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it?
Love.
He hated the word. It felt too vulnerable, too dangerous.
And yet, it was the only thing that made sense. He didn’t know when it had started, but it was there now, undeniable, and unrelenting.
He had seen many powerful men reduced to nothing, all because they had allowed some pesky emotion get the the same boat.
His mind took him back when he was a teenager and his parents had a huge fight.
He remembered seeing his father break down when his mother had threatened to divorce him.
better of them, and now he was in
His father was the toughest man he knew and as much as he loved his parents, seeing the man break down and become reduced to nothing all because his mother had only said she would leave him made him hate love.
Now he was sure he would lose his mind if Zabelle left him. Hell seeing Jeremy with her made him see red even after knowing that they weren’t together anymore.
He was supposed to be regretful at having fallen in love, and he was supposed to be making plans on how to get over the feelings, but here he was happier than ever while thinking of a way to let Zabelle know how he felt.
“You’re a fool, Antonio, he whispered to himself, but that was a title he was willing to take.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Zabelle climbed into bed, pulling the covers over herself as she reached for her phone on the nightstand.
A part of her had wanted to press Antonio further, to ask him what was on his mind, but she knew better than to push.
He was protective of his thoughts, sometimes to a fault. She wished he would just be open the same way she had been open and had let him see all
of her.
2/3
Dreame–Read Romance Stories
▷ Installed
Download
3:52 PM
Chapter 115
As she unlocked her phone, her heart skipped a beat. A notification from an unknown number lit up her screen.
Was it Jeremy? And why was she getting so many texts from unknown numbers lately?!
Curious, she opened the message.
Her breath caught as she scrolled through the pictures and videos attached.
The first image was of Antonio and Vanessa at the bar, their faces suggesting that they were having a conversation.
The next was a video, showing Vanessa offering him a drink. In another, Antonio appeared to be holding the drink she had placed in front of him.
Zabelle’s chest tightened, and a frown slowly made itself onto her face
+9
The images weren’t damning on their own as Antonio didn’t look particularly engaged, and his body language was far from inviting, but that didn’t stop her thoughts from running wild.
“Do you know where your man really was tonight? This was the caption alongside those photos, and she felt a knot in her chest.
She stared at the pictures, her mind racing. Antonio hadn’t mentioned Vanessa. Why
dn’t he tell her? Was he hiding something?
Her thoughts churned, the logical part of her fighting to dismiss the idea that Antonio would betray her.
way Vanessa looked at him…
He had been nothing but supportive, loyal, and protective of her. But the images…the
She had also thought Jeremy was loyal and loved her, but he had betrayed her and the demons from her past began to rise.
Zabelle shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts creeping in.
She hated this. Hated feeling unsure of him, of herself. She locked her phone and placed it face down on the nightstand, determined not to let her insecurities get the better of her.
But as she lay back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling, the doubts lingered, whispering in the corners of her mind.
‘Antonio, you wouldn’t…would you?‘ She muttered to herself.
Her frown deepened as her grip on the covers tightened.
Sleep felt far away, as her heart was heavy due to the fact that she couldn’t answer the question with certainty anymore.
