Madonna's heart pounded in her chest as the words she had just spoken hung in the air. She hadn’t meant to say them, but now that they were out, she couldn’t take them back. And the truth was, deep down, she didn’t want to. Seeing Dante’s intense gaze locked on hers only heightened the feeling that she needed to salvage the situation, but her mind swirled in a storm of emotions.“I know… I know you didn’t want to hear that,” she whispered, her voice trembling with vulnerability. “Our marriage, it—it started off on the wrong foot. And I know you might think this is just some form of Stockholm syndrome, or that I’m playing a game. But it’s not. I promise it’s not. I’m not asking for you to say anything back, or to feel obligated to reciprocate. I just needed you to know how I feel... and admitting it, it makes me happy.”Her breath hitched as Dante’s gaze didn’t waver, his eyes penetrating deeper than ever before. The silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t empty. It was full—full
While the world around him slept, Dante lay wide awake, his mind consumed by one thing—how deeply he had wronged Madonna. He wasn’t heartless. He knew the weight of his actions, and guilt gnawed at him. Any other woman would have erupted in fury by now, but Madonna’s quiet endurance only amplified his shame.“What’s keeping you up?” Nana’s voice broke the silence as she descended the stairs, finding Dante brooding on the sofa.“Nothing, Nana. Why are you awake?” he asked, trying to mask his troubled thoughts. Nana, however, was one of the few who knew how to see past his hard exterior.“When you reach my age, sleep becomes a luxury,” she sighed, a touch of bitterness clouding her face.“You’re not that old, Nana,” Dante scoffed softly, a rare tenderness in his voice.“For all our sakes, I hope you’re right.” Nana chuckled softly as she settled into her chair, her sharp eyes studying him. She had known Dante long enough to feel the turmoil brewing in him, even when he wouldn’t voice it
Dante followed his wife obediently as they entered their room. The silence between them was so thick that it made breathing difficult for him. If his enemies and allies saw him now, they wouldn’t believe their eyes.“Are you hungry?” Madonna finally spoke, but she still didn’t look him in the face, which unnerved him even more.“No.” How could he be hungry in such a situation?“You should go and bathe. I’ll make you something to eat,” she said, seemingly ignoring his response or simply not caring.“I said I’m not hungry,” he repeated louder, frustrated. This time, Madonna raised her head to look at him. Dante sat at the edge of the bed, while Madonna stood closer to the door.“You shouldn’t cultivate the habit of not eating when you come home. I won’t allow that,” she said firmly. Though anger laced her voice, the care in her eyes was heartwarming.“I could settle for fettuccine al pomodoro,” Dante relented, knowing it was late but certain Madonna would ask the maids to prepare it.“Al
Dante drove to Anthony’s apartment since he couldn’t spend the night at the mansion. He parked and waited outside, knowing Anthony had to drop Nana off before coming home. Dante didn't call to rush him; instead, he decided to help himself to some whiskey while waiting. He had a lot on his mind.“What’s keeping this fool?” Dante checked his watch. It was already past 10 p.m. “I should be in the arms of my woman, not here waiting for him,” he muttered, scoffing as he thought about how much he'd resisted the temptation of being intimate with Madonna.“If only she knew what she had,” he smiled softly, reflecting on how innocently unaware Madonna was of her beauty.Lost in thoughts of her, Dante finally heard the sound of Anthony’s car pulling up, and he let out a sigh of relief, downing the remaining whiskey in his glass.“Tonight will be like no other,” Anthony’s voice rang out as he entered the hallway. Dante couldn’t help but smirk.“I look forward to it,” a sweet female voice responded
"He did?" Madonna never thought that Dante was involved in the school war."Yes, he conquered every school and made an ironclad rule that is still in use till today.""Isn't that a good thing? He stopped the fights. I can remember how my friends would always complain about their fear of coming to school, it was a sad period. After the fight stopped, students became happy and school became fun again.""I suppose you can say that, but do you imagine what he had to do in order to end the war.""What happened? Please, tell me everything." Francesco felt that what he was saying is beginning to get to Madonna so he decided to tell her everything, starting from the beginning."I was always bullied in school, I wasn't even strong enough to protect my sister, Kenny. Because she was beautiful, our school strongest forcefully took her as his girlfriend. Our students were constantly fighting against themselves, or other schools. The fights sometimes get bloody but no one ever died. One day, Dante
Madonna wasn't the one holding Williams, but she felt like she did something wrong. She removed her hand from Williams's hold and clasped her hands together before answering Dante's question."Williams was just inviting me to our school get-together.""What did you say?" Dante had come here to break things off with her, but seeing her with another man, made him forget what he came to do."I wouldn't be able to come," Madonna answered with a pinch of sadness. It didn't escape Dante's notice and it made his heart soften. He felt guilty that he hasn't been giving the poor girl the freedom and love she deserved."Why wouldn't be able to do that?" Dante climbed up the stairs to meet with the beautiful lady."Because you..." She didn't want Williams to hear what she was about to say. Dante knew what she wanted to say."I think it would be good to go see your old schoolmate.""Really?" Madonna was happy about that."Sure, they should see how beautiful you still are." Dante smiled."I would c