Chapter 4

The restaurant manager rushed forward, blocking her path.

“I’m sorry, miss. The club is fully reserved tonight. No outside guests.”

Ava smiled and pushed past him anyway.

“Arabella. Dominic.”

Her voice was light, almost cheerful.

“So you’re the ones who booked the place. What a coincidence. I was craving this restaurant too. You don’t mind me joining, right?”

She didn’t wait for an answer.

She walked straight over and sat down beside me, close enough that I could smell her perfume.

My chest tightened.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

A short while, I excused myself and went to the restroom.

I splashed cold water on my face again and again, trying to stay upright—trying not to fall apart.

That was when my phone buzzed.

An unknown number.

Arabella, if I text him and say my stomach hurts, do you think he’ll still stay with you?

My fingers trembled.

I didn’t reply.

When I returned to the table, Dominic was already standing, his face tense.

“Arabella, I need to step out for a bit,” he said quickly.

“You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t wait for my response.

He was gone.

Not long after, Ava stood as well, smiling sweetly.

“My boyfriend’s here,” she said. “I'm leaving too.”

I watched them disappear—one after the other.

I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to breathe, but the pain inside me was sharp and methodical, like a blade carving into my chest over and over again.

Hours passed.

The sky outside darkened.

The man who said he’d be “right back” never returned.

His men exchanged awkward glances.

Finally, one of them stood up and cleared his throat.

“We’ll take you home, Donna,” he said carefully.

“The Don might be… held up.”

Held up.

I almost laughed.

There was only one thing—one person—who could hold him up.

But I said nothing.

I walked out of the restaurant quietly.

As I was about to get in, I realized I’d left my bag inside.

I turned back.

That was when I heard it.

A long, relieved sigh from inside the private room.

“Finally got the Donna out of here,” someone said.

“If she stayed any longer, I would’ve slipped. I honestly don’t know how the Don keeps acting like that in front of his wife.”

My feet froze.

The voices continued.

“Dominic and Ava still going at it?”

“It’s been what—three hours now?”

“Relax. The Don’s stamina is insane. And Ava knows exactly how to keep him interested. They won’t be done anytime soon.”

“She’s pregnant too, and they’re still not holding back.”

“So what? You get used to it after a while.

It’s rare for the Don to find a woman he actually wants. Finally someone new instead of circling the same wife every day. Of course we help him cover it up.”

Laughter.

I couldn’t hear the rest.

The ringing in my ears swallowed everything.

So everyone knew.

They smiled at me.

Called me Donna.

Poured my wine.

Cleared rooms for my comfort.

And behind my back, they helped him cheat.

They joked about it.

They mocked me for it.

I walked away in a daze.

By the time I got home, I grabbed my suitcase and left.

Straight to the airport.

In the taxi, the driver tried to make small talk.

“Late-night trip? Vacation?”

I smiled faintly, staring out at the lights blurring past the window.

“No,” I said.

“Immigration.”

The stars were bright that night.

And I didn’t look back.