Antonio Dante's pov,
"Good. Damn good,” my mother smiled as she set down her glass.
“Good riddance. I didn't like her at all.” she twisted her face in disgust.
“I like the new girl ”
“Lisa,” I corrected staring at her indifferently.
“Lisa Haven.”
“Oh,” she took her glass and swirled the liquid with no care in the world.
“She's got pretty eyes,”
I nodded. Lisa was the prettiest woman I had ever seen. From childhood, she had been. I loved her. I did.
As I escorted my mother out of the house, she told me my father would be visiting soon. She had come mainly to express her satisfaction about my divorce. She never liked Stella and I didn't know why. I called Alfredo.
He was my second.
“Sir”
“I'm coming to the office now, prepare him.”
“Yes sir”
I cut the call.
“Lisa!”I called. Shortly after, I heard her light thumps on the floor. She was so delicate. So small. So pretty.
“Baby”
“I'm going out”
“To where?”
“To my office. I'll see you when I get home. Tell Anna to make dinner before I get home.”I kissed her forehead before making my way out of the house with my guards following me.
When I got down, my guards led me underground to the ‘torture room'. It was a building underground where we tortured people. I held a dagger in my hand as the man's mask was taken off. His eyes sunk in horror.
“Hello, my man” I waved at him, smiling.
I came closer to him, putting the tip of my dagger on the skin of his hand.
“Who sent you?”
“Liam Warren” he yelled almost immediately. I laughed.
“Of course, I know it's him. Who else would dare?” I pressed the dagger on his hand, generating an agonizing cry. It was music to my ears. The cry of the wicked oppressed.
“Where did you keep the money?”
“Will you keep me alive if I tell you?”
“No,” I said bluntly.
“But I might keep your children..” I trailed off. His eyes widened.
“Don't you dare touch them!”
“Your children are equal to my money at this point.”
He bowed his head.
“It's at K and Rs”
I gestured for my bodyguards to check the area immediately. This brought me news that the money was there. I laughed hysterically. This was almost too easy. Liam Warren should be on the lookout.
His people aren't loyal.
“Finish him and send his head to his boss. You know where to send the money.”I told Alfredo who nodded.
I heard a knock on my door the next morning. The guard came in to tell me it was Stella Romilly and I went outside to see her, totally confused and shocked. She stood on the pouch, her brown hair glistening in the sun and a bright smile plastered on her face. Her amber eyes moved to me and her smile widened.
“Hi Antonio”
She was acting like nothing happened. I examined her. She had eyebags under her lips despite her attempts at makeup and her lips were pale and dry. Her face was flushed. I wondered why she came here. Did she come for some of the belongings she had left? Well, too late. I burnt them.
“Can I speak to you for a moment?” She asked.
I nodded in response letting her know she couldn't enter the house. I turned my head to the guards and gestured for them to give us privacy.
Her eyes wandered on the huge door before turning back to me.
“Ah, I spoke to our lawyer…” she started.
“Your lawyer” I emphasized. She gulped.
“..my lawyer about the case,” she finished. I raised my eyebrows.
“We are divorced “I spelt it out for her. When I saw she wasn't responding, I turned my back on her, ready to go into my house.
“I know” she lowered her head.
“I just want you and I to go on a trip, have a counselor, spend time-”
“There is nothing like that Stella,” I stated.
“We are divorced. Don't you understand?”
Her face reddened as if she was going to cry.
And she did. She burst into tears in front of me.
“Antonio, why? There must be a reason. What did I do wrong?” she could barely bring out her words.
“You did nothing wrong Stella. I just fell out of love”
“You just fell out of love?” she yelled angrily.
“Who the hell falls out of love and leaves the marriage? Don't you think marriage counseling is there for things like these. Don't you think?”
“I don't know Stella! I'm just not in love with you anymore!”
“No, no you can't do this Antonio.” she shook her head.
“Stella” I began.
“What were those four years for then?” her voice screeched. At this point, she might lose her voice.
“Stella, you have to understand. I love Lisa.”
She nodded as if understanding.
“You know, we could be on a vacation right now,” she said calmly as tears streamed from her eyes.
“Or at the beach on our private island,” she paused.
“Your private island”
“Stella”
“Or we could even be making deals for fun”
“Or wait..we could exchange places of duty for the day” Her body shook and hiccups started kicking in.
“But because of her!” her voice raised suddenly, pointing at the window.
My gaze hardened.
“Stop now please Stella”
“Because of her.” she moved her finger to my chest, pointing at it accusingly.
“How are you so sure that you will continue to be with her after you ‘’fall out of love',” she whispered.
When I didn't answer her question, she grabbed her bag that had fallen on the floor and wiped her tears. My heart was clutched in guilt for a reason I didn't understand.
Was I going to fall out of love?
Stella Romilly's povLove hurts. It hurts so bad you can barely breathe. It was six in the evening when I was jotting down things in my notebook about my wrongdoings so far. I was on the high chair directly in front of the bar counter. I was in the bar across the street, pushing my mind back to what I did wrong in the past four years. I stared at the ones I wrote.These were the things I did in the past year. I couldn't remember what I did before that. Maybe it was the loud music. I should move, I thought. Except I couldn't. I was rooted to my chair unwilling to move. I was inert. There was no one to push me either. I raised my hand to request a drink. "Anything good!" I yelled at the bartender who nodded without bothering to look at me.Was I that unappealing? Maybe I stopped taking care of myself. Now I looked ugly. Lisa was prettier. She had captivating bright but deep brown eyes, it was confusing. Mine was just amber. An amber so light that it could pierce your soul. I heard that
Stella Romilly's povI didn't know how I got home. My hotel. I had no idea how I found the keys or how I ended up in my bed. It was morning. Afternoon really. I didn't know. I moved my hands on my bed blindly for my phone but it was nowhere to be found. My biggest mistake was opening my eyes because when I did, sunlight rushed through them. A sharp headache resounded in my head. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.I forced myself to get up from the bed. I rushed to the bathroom to check my face and my body. I stared at my reflection, a disorientated woman staring back. She had a huge bunch of messy brown hair. I had a long white drool that somehow got scattered on my face.My eyes fell in exhaustion and hungover. I touched my neck and then my collarbone. I was in one of my nightgowns. My heart raced. I tried to remember what happened last night but I couldn't. It only brought more pain to my poor head. I could only hope nothing happened. I would kill myself if a random dude took ad
Antonio Dante's povIt's been a whole month since I got divorced. Stella never came after the stunt she pulled. I was glad. She had to move as far away from me as possible. My eyes darted around the quiet park. I was glad I bought this park. It was perfect for my mind. I couldn't help but look to my side. It took some time for her body to shift into sight. Her amber eyes met mine sorrowfully.Her amber eyes shone like a luminous lamp. Bright. It was almost like a light in the darkness. It mostly shifted between hazel and amber. It was dark now. Dark as it could ever be. It was here to torture me. I glanced. And she was no longer staring at me. I shook my head as if I could get it off my mind. It didn't work. Her eyes haunted me. As I continually shot at the roundel in front of me, I heard another gunshot. I turned to look at her. It went straight to the centre of the board beside mine."Bullseye!" She exclaimed like she had done it for the first time. I sighed, putting my gun down and
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO,Antonio Dante's povI glanced ahead of me. We had two more miles to go. I looked ahead at Lisa. I watched as her blonde hair dangled in the bright white lights laced around the house. Her body was covered in dirt. I reached for her arm but she shook it away and ran faster."Gosh, Lisa! Wait for me!"She jogged even further. Her long blue sleeves clung to her skin. I summoned all my strength to meet up and pulled her back."Hey," she yelled after me. I scrambled in front of her almost falling over.I finished a mile and looked back. She was panting. Her dress had been soaked in sweat. "Slowpoke!" I shouted. I could see her roll her eyes. I rushed forward to complete the rest of the mile. I turned to shout at her to hurry up. To signal her that dinner will be ready soon. And that father didn't like us to be late. But not too far away, I could see her on the grass. She held her ankle tightly. Her face pumped up like she was trying hard not to cry. Her eyes were sque
Stella Romilly's povI sat in my office chair situated in my suite as I scrolled through houses to buy on the internet. I ended up not liking any of them. None of them looked like Antonio's. He had a very huge house. Almost like a hotel. The rooms were too many to count. There were long staircases and big balconies with the best of views.I didn't want his big mansion. I just wanted something similar to remind me of him. I can't let him go. I don't want to. My mind cast back to the time we married. The room he called ours. the feelings. The rush. The thrill. The excitement. His fingers on my skin. The butterflies he made me have. Oh, how his whispers made me melt.I took those thoughts off me, my body already reacting to his invisible touch. My fingers lightly tapped a website. It opened on a different tab and I scrolled, looking at many houses with similar styles.A thud on the table startled me. I looked up to see my assistant. She had a stern face as she placed the right amounts of
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, Antonio Dante's pov "Good news?"I almost squeaked. My father had never had any good news to tell for the last fifteen years of my life. "What good news?" I asked curiously. Nothing in this world could make my father happy. Or so I thought until this day. I glanced at the turkey again. Tall and proud. Hot juices spilled from its sides and my stomach growled without warning. "Now, now. The good news must wait," my father laughed merrily, his eyes, giving away every angle of happiness he was showing now. "You must eat something," he said before making to call the servant. "No father, "I protested. "I will dish the food for myself." I looked over to Lisa who had a nervous expression but still gave me the slightest smile. I ran my hands through my hair as I sat down, making notes to bathe as soon as I was done with my food. And of course, hearing the 'good news' my dad who barely smiled had to offer. I chewed on the food slowly, relishing its goodness while thin
FIFTYEEN YEARS AGO, Antonio Dante's pov, I gasped as the cold water hit my skin. I had forgotten the weather was still cold. I turned off the shower abruptly, resting against the wall. I was sweating. panting even. I could barely breathe well. My father is a bad person My father is a bad person My father is a bad person As much as I tried to push those thoughts away, they kept coming back in waves and gushes of water. It was like cold air, infiltrating my senses most painfully. Allowing my nose to redden and my eyes to water. Here I was, thinking everything was normal in my family. My father had a great business. One that was not infamously lucrative but one that was respected and worth every ounce of good hard work put into it. Not one that dealt with depravity. I didn't even realize when my hand had connected with the activator. Didn't realize when I had pressed the cold button. Didn't even flinch once the cold water poured on my body. I was shivering. But not from the cold
Stella Romilly's pov I sat at my dressing table staring at the mirror. I combed my brown hair backward and tied it tightly at the back of my head. I applied concealer on all of my blemishes and pimples that had started to appear out of nowhere. I grabbed my brightest shade of pink lipstick and applied it, pouting for added effect. I dipped my mascara multiple times into the pouch of black liquid before grazing it against my eyes. I turned myself on the chair I sat on and got up. I walked over to the curtains of my room and gushed it open allowing sunlight to fill in and bless my pale skin. I threw my white morning coat on the bed and searched my closet for a dress. I ended up picking a long white fitting dress. It was a halter dress with an open chest. I brushed off the folded parts on the linen and adjusted it watching how the slit when down to the surface of my breasts. I threw my long deep brown coat and paired it with matching deep brown stilettos. It seemed so long since I ha