~Lola~This is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life. One of them, at least. It’s been four years and eight months since I left home. I’ve completely forgotten what it’s like. But here I am, in the center of Ozark Regional Airport, awaiting my flight back to New York. I’m surrounded by individuals who are excited about a voyage to who knows where, but all I see is dread. I neglected my children and went on that hike with Mason and June. That could have been planned for all I know. June did a wonderful job of sending those pictures to my husband, Dante. I had a moment with Mason. I don’t regret it, but at the same time, I can’t jump into a relationship with him while I still have unresolved issues with Dante. Dante wasn’t meant to find out about Mason and me in this way. Not that I’m dating him or anything, but I am still Dante’s wife, and now I have given him yet another reason to take my children away. I am not sure if I like Mason, but I sure did enjoy the kiss. Will Dante c
~Lola~As Dante and I were battling to see who could maintain their gaze the longest, I saw that our mothers were looking at each other. My mom swallowed and cleared her throat. “Martha, I think we need to catch up. How about lunch?”“I don’t feel hungry.” I know she doesn’t want to leave me with Dante alone. To be honest, I don’t want to be near him, at least not right now.“Lola,” he said, pausing to make sure I was staring at him. “To my study.”“I have to take my bags to my room f...” He cut me off.“Now!” I was stuck in place. He walked a few steps up the stairs before stopping to look at me. He looked at me with pessimistic eyes, which frightened me, and then raised an eyebrow. I left my belongings and followed him. He went to his room, while I went to the study. The study was cold, just like its owner, and the thought of me being alone in the study with him sent shivers down my spine. I’m not sure why he wanted to see me alone in his study. I had a quick glance around. It was s
~Lola~I expected Dante to respond to my outburst, but he didn’t. He just looked at me, speechless, at least, as I assumed. But one thing was clear: he was furious. After he had left my room so suddenly and silently, I sprinted to slam it shut and braced myself against it as I did so. I clutched my chest tightly. What was that?I don’t understand why my heart is beating so fast. What is this strange sensation spreading across my chest? Wait, do I still have feelings for Dante? Naa, he wants to take my children. I can’t possibly still care about him, can I? But if that’s the case, then why am I sweltering from the inside out? It’s as if a fire was started all around me, which is making me extremely hot and causing a lot of sweat to come out of my pores. Why am I even thinking about this? It’s not like we have dealt with all this before; we ran from how we felt. My feelings for him wouldn’t just vanish. At the end of the day, he is still my husband, despite the fact that he hates me so
~Dante~ “You don’t get to choose whether you want me in their lives or not. I gave birth to them! Stop making me feel bad for what I did. You said I was yours. You said you would wait for me to grow up. You made a promise to me that you never kept. Now I have to get out of my children’s lives. Why? Because you say so? Never! You would rather kill me! You are here, playing the victim every day. What about me? My childhood sweetheart called me a mistake. I slept with all kinds of different women, even when I was of age. He forgot everything about his promise. I didn’t make that promise; you did! I fucking waited for you to see me as a woman. But all you did was confuse me more. Yes, you were my first. But did you care to ask me how I felt, Dante? Every fucking thing was about you. Even now, you are making everything about you without giving me a chance to explain. What the fuck do you want from me? Do you want to take me to court? Fucking take me to court! You ruined my life, and every
~Lola~Sadness, emptiness, detachment, and rage are all emotions that I’m experiencing. Right now, I am at a stage where my body is numb, my mind is numb, but my heart, my heart, is bursting at the seams right now. He wanted to make my life miserable. I don’t blame him; I blame myself for holding on to his promises. I was blindly giving myself to him because I thought he hadn’t forgotten his promise. The first time I thought he hadn’t forgotten his promise. I knew the promise had long been forgotten the second time I slept with him, but because I loved him and the idea of marrying the only man I’d ever loved, I voluntarily gave myself to him as a form of goodbye. For all these years, because of him, I lost my happiness, and my kids lost their father. I gave my children the love that he should have been giving them and the duties that should have been fulfilled by him because I didn’t want them to think about him, at least not yet. One thing is for sure: I hate him. I hate Dante Monroe
~Lola~I never in a million years imagined that my married life would be like this. I never imagined that I would live in a fairytale, but here I am, married to the prince charming of all my fantasies. The one and only man I have ever wanted from as far back as I can remember wanting him. The man who is most emphatically not my knight in shining armor. When I was younger, he was my knight in shining armor, but I suppose things change as people get older, and their hearts change along with them. I shook my head and started to laugh at my pathetic self. I am trapped. Dante Monroe had me where he wanted me. How much pressure is too much for one person to handle? If I could just get an answer to this question, maybe I’d have a better idea of how much longer it will be before I completely lose my mind. Why is it that whenever I make an effort to bring some semblance of order to my otherwise chaotic life, something unexpected comes up, and things get even more complicated than they were bef
~Lola~"Are you bipolar?" I blurt out. He did not answer my question; instead, he continued driving. One moment, he’s extremely kind to me, and the next, he acts like the devil. It’s confusing because I don’t really know what he wants, and if he still wants an explanation from me, he won’t be getting one. I’m done explaining myself to people who see my explanation as an excuse. "You are being nice and acting like a devil at the same time," I spoke up."And you should be thankful because I’m still gracious." He will never stop making me feel as though I owe him something or as though I must first inquire with him whether it is safe for me to take a breath. It’s as though I am at his mercy. His gaze was fixed on the road; I didn’t even notice that he had arrived at the house or that the car had stopped moving."We’re here." He made the announcement while displaying absolutely no expression. I tried to open the door for myself, but he stopped me and went to the passenger’s side to open t
~Mason~Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the wedding of my cousin, who recently got hitched. My mother insisted that I attend the get-together that he had invited me to, despite the fact that I had already turned down his invitation. So here I am at the international airport in New York City. I’m thinking of one person, Lola. She walked away without saying anything. I called her a few times to explain that I didn’t know what June was up to and that I wasn’t a part of it. I know she thinks I betrayed her, but I never expected my sister to go so low. I mean, this is Lola. She had been our friend for over 4 years, and my sister ruined everything. Now Lola thinks I was part of it. One of the reasons she wouldn’t answer my calls, or so I thought. I haven’t spoken to June since that day, and I have no plans to do so. She squandered my chances with Lola. I like Lola. I waited for years, but my sister took it all away in just one day. I had hoped that she would finally let go of her