Chapter 22: The wild night.

ISADORA’S POV

I opened my eyes at dawn and felt the cold sheet beside me where Rafael was supposed to be sleeping.

It all started when I was so angry after Valentina stood on that stage in Madrid and told everyone about the joint takeover of my family estate. Then immediately after the gala night, I drove straight to Rafael’s penthouse apartment without waiting for him to explain anything at the gala. I let myself inside the big door using my old code, and I stood in the middle of his sitting room waiting for him to arrive.

When Rafael walked inside the apartment and closed the door, I did not waste any time at all as I confronted him immediately.

"Give me the private keys to my family estate right now," I said, stepping directly into his path as my hands shook with anger.

Rafael pulled off his black suit jacket and threw it onto the couch. "I am not giving you any keys tonight, Isadora," he said, stepping toward me as my breath hitched in my throat.

"You lied to me again," I said, pointing my finger at his chest as my body trembled with pain. "You let Valentina stand on that stage and embarrass me in front of all those rich people."

Rafael caught my hand in the air and held it tight as he looked at me. "Valentina is playing games because she wants to separate us," he said, pulling me closer as my heart beat fast in my chest.

"Then give me the keys so I can protect my company myself," I said, trying to pull my hand back as my teeth gritted together.

"I will not let you walk into this fight alone," Rafael said, his voice rising as he stepped even closer to me.

I pushed his chest with my two hands with all my strength because I wanted him to back away from me. "You never trusted me," I shouted, feeling tears of anger gather behind my eyes. "You treat me like a child while you make deals with your ex-fiancée behind my back."

Rafael did not back away at all, but instead, he grabbed both of my wrists in one handy moved fast and backed me all the way across the room until my back hit the big glass window at the far end. 

He raised my arms above my head and pinned them against the glass, using his broad chest to trap my body so I could not move anywhere.

"Why did you never fight for our marriage?" Rafael asked, his face very close to mine as his chest moved up and down fast. "Why did you just walk away from me two years ago without asking questions?"

"You forced me to leave," I whispered, looking straight into his dark eyes as my knees grew weak under his heavy frame. 

"You made me feel like I was nothing to you."

"I loved you every single day you were gone," Rafael said softly, lowering his face until his lips brushed against my ear as my skin grew hot. "I stayed away because I thought I was protecting you from my enemies, but you gave up on us so easily."

Immediately he said that, I felt uneasy and I realized how much time we had wasted holding onto anger and old pain. Standing there with his body pressed against mine, I saw the truth in his eyes, and I knew that I could not keep pretending to hate him anymore. 

The deep need to be close to him overwhelmed every fear inside my mind.

I moved my hands down when his grip loosened, and I grabbed his black tie with both hands as I pulled his face down to mine and kissed his lips with all the passion and hunger I had been hiding for years.

"Show me you mean it," I whispered against his mouth, tugging his tie lower as my heart leaped inside my chest.

Rafael let out a deep breath against my mouth and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me off the floor as he kissed me back with wild power.

All the anger and fighting from the past years melted into pure fire between us as we moved toward the bedroom and he laid me down on the big bed and hovered over me, looking down at my face with so much tenderness that my breath stopped in my chest. 

He undressed me slowly, kissing every inch of my skin until my whole body was shaking with intense desire.

I pulled him down to me, wrapping my legs around his hips and bringing his chest tight against mine so there was no space left between us.

We made love for a long time in the dark room, holding each other tight and breathing together like two people who had finally found their way back home. 

Every touch of his hand was gentle and deep, erasing all the pain of Valentina's words and the trouble with my father. He held my face in his hands and whispered my name again and again, kissing my lips every time I made a sound. I held onto his shoulders with all my strength, giving myself to him completely without holding anything back.

When we were finally finished, Rafael pulled me onto his chest and wrapped the soft blanket over us. 

I laid my head on his chest, listening to his steady heart beat under my ear until I fell fast asleep.

When I woke up at dawn, the sky outside the window was turning grey, and the room was quiet.

I reached my hand across the bed to touch Rafael, but his side of the mattress was completely cold and empty.

I sat up on the bed immediately, wrapping the sheet around my chest as my stomach twisted in a knot. I looked around the empty bedroom, but his phone was lying on the small side table near my head and I wondered where he left me to go.

The screen of his phone came up suddenly with a new message that came through.

I leaned over and picked up his phone to look at the screen.

Behold! It was a text message from Valentina that read: Thank you for coming back to my bed last night while Isadora was sleeping; our deal for the Fenwick estate is now complete.