Chapter 147
Antonio leaned against the wall outside the theater room. his head tilted back as he stared at the ceiling.
His jaw was clenched tightly, and he tapped his fingers on his arm.
Every fiber of his being screamed at him to go inside, to comfort her, to tell her it would be okay. But he couldn’t, at least not yet.
She had asked for him to leave her alone, and he had to respect that even if it killed him
“Ahhh!”
Her scream pierced through the thick door li
like a knife, and his entire body tensed.
, unfiltered pain.
He closed his eyes, the sound echoing in his mind. It wasn’t just a scream, it was raw,
A sound that clawed its way into his chest and stayed there, suffocating him
Antonio had known the truth would hurt her, but hearing her anguish was more than he had prepared for, such that it made him begin to questi his decision of telling her
He exhaled sharply, and he ran his fingers through his hair roughly.
Why did this have to be her reality! Why couldn’t she have been spared this nightmare?!
He leaned forward, pressing his hands on his knees, as if bracing himself against the weight of guilt pressing
down on him.
His heart ached for Zabelle in ways he couldn’t explain, not just because she was the woman he had come to love, but because she had been through a lot and hadn’t had a moment of peace.
All this time, even after knowing that Gabriel and Lily were terrible people, she stopped him from doing anything to them because she considere them her parents.
Now she had lost not just her family, but her identity.
Another mulled sound came from inside the room, and Antonio moved towards the door, and he held the doorknob.
He however hesitated, his breath catching in his throat. He wanted to burst in and tell her she wasn’t alone. That he was here.
That he would fight the world to make things right for her.
But he knew Zabelle.
She wasn’t ready for hin
him yet.
Her pain was still raw, her anger a storm raging inside her. And as much as it hurt him to stay outside, to leave her to face this alone, he understood that she needed space to process, to grieve.
“Damn if he muttered under his breath, his hands curling into fists.
The helplessness hit him. He wasn’t used to waiting, wasn’t used to standing on the sidelines when someone he cared about was in pain.
But for her, lie would wait
Antonio legal to pare bank and forth in the corridor, his steps heavy and his thoughts chaotic.
Memories of the mesment he had landed her the folder replayed in his mind.
way her hands had trembled as she opened the way her eyes had widened with disbelief, then filled with tears,
He had seen the moment her world shattered.
Could he have handled it differently? He asked hi
there was in rasy way to tell someone their cute lite
He led thought it was fartier to ripe the Band Aid of spackly, to give her the trutha st
11:52 AM ₫ d
Chapter 147
Yet now listening to herery, he doubted himself.
Another scream tore through the silence, this one softer, more of a whimper. Antonio flinched, his heart twisting painfully.
Fuck, he wished there was something he could do to take the pain away!
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay rooted to the spot as if he gave in to his thoughts, he would go barging into the room,
However, she needed to come to him when she was ready. Not before.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours. The sounds from the theater room had quieted now, replaced by an oppressive silence that felt even
What was she doing in there
Antonio turned his head toward the door, his fingers brushing against the handle again.
The urge to check on her became stronger, and he wondered if she had cried herself into exhaustion?
But then, he heard it, the faint sound of footsteps approaching the door.
He immediately straightened, his heart racing
The door opened, and Zabelle stood there, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red and swollen,
Her trembling hands still clutched the folder, as if it were the only thing grounding her
Fuck, she looked worse than he had imagined.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Antonio’s chest tightened at the sight of her. She looked so broken, so fragile, yet there was a fire in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. A fire born of anger, pain, and determination.
Was this finally the breaking point for her? Was she finally going to stop making excuses for Gabriel and Lily Pierce!
It
“Zabelle.” he started, but he became distracted when he saw her hand stretch to him. When he looked at what was in her hand, he saw that it was his phone, and he took it.
she finally spoke, barely above a whisper.
“You must have suspected it, didn’t you?” Her voice was hoarse when s
He nodded, guile etched into every line of his face. “Yes I did, and that’s why I asked Martins to do a DNA test Her lip quivered, but she pressed her emotions down, a hard edge creeping into her tone. “For how long have you “Quer a week” he admitted, his voice strarly but laced with regret. “I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure. I.. I didn’t want to hurt you.” She laughed, and it was bitter, cutting th
unting through the air like glass.
“You didn’t want to hurt mnt 12o you think knowing later would have hurt less?”
you had the
the report
In her gaze. “Noc and Fin sorry hot I thought you deserved the truth after I had figured out everything. Zabelle”
Her alenudders dropped, and she looked away, has eyes distant. “The truth the truth las destroyed everything
He took a cautious step toward her, his voter softening.
“No, Zaberdar Tar traili seti you free. It’s painful, yes, but now you know who you are..who you really are. And I’ll help you find the rest of your
a moment, he thought she was
let him in and accept the comfort he so desperately wanted to give her
the shook her lacad, str
stepping back. “I don’t want to see you right now. Antonio
Het wool weir farm, hartiere was
in her voice, as though the words hurt her as well
Andonutovwallowed hund, asking ven though it hurt. “Tunderstand or when you’re ready. Til be here.”
Zabelle’s lips parised into a thin line, and without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Antonio standing alone in the hallway.
11:52 AM dd.
Chapter 147
He watched her go, his heart heavy.
“I’ll wait for you, Zabelle,” he whispered to the empty corridor. No matter how long it would take.
He knew she just needed time to come around. She always did.
