Amaya POVSlap!The sound of the slap still echoed across the hall.I wasn’t planning to stay here long. So I hoped—really hoped—I wouldn’t be put in a situation like this. But some people just don’t know when to shut up.She stood frozen, one hand pressed against her cheek, clearly stunned, like she couldn’t believe I actually did that.I took a step closer until I was right in front of her. “If you ever speak to me like that again,” I said, “I won’t stop at just a slap.”She opened her mouth again, maybe to give an excuse.“Get out!” I yelled.She hesitated.“Now!”The command in my tone snapped her out of it. She grabbed the suitcase she had tossed earlier, still holding her cheek, and walked away.I stared at the empty hallway for a second after she left, then finally exhaled. My hands were still shaking slightly, but I didn’t regret it.A few minutes later, she came back—head bowed low, like she’d swallowed her pride and choked on it.“The room is ready,” she muttered, then point
Amaya POVMy things were packed, and the car was parked right outside.“I’m going to miss you,” I said to Briella, wrapping her in a tight hug as we said our final goodbye.“Stay safe, okay?” she whispered, patting my back softly. When she pulled away, I crouched down a bit and gently touched her stomach—even though it was still flat.“You too, little guy,” I added with a small smile, and we both laughed.Ryder stepped forward to help carry my luggage, tossing it into the back of the car. He had volunteered to drive me to the airstrip where the private helicopter was waiting, and I was grateful. Really grateful.When we got to the airstrip, Cyrus and Dante were already there. Dante was inside the helicopter, while Cyrus stood outside. He helped load my things and pointed to my seat—which, of course, was right next to Dante.I hesitated at first but sat anyway. My grip tightened on the fabric of my dress, and to distract myself, I glanced outside, just in time to see Cyrus and Ryder hu
Amaya POVJust like I told Dante—I didn’t visit him at the hospital after that day.For the next week, I was busy ordering things to be moved into my new place. Everything had to be exactly how I wanted it, which turned out to be way more complex and stressful than I expected. By the end of each day, I was drained.“And just like that, you’re now legally single,” Ryder said with a sigh as he signed the last page of the divorce papers. “Can you believe we were married for, what, eight months?”“Yeah, it feels so weird, doesn’t it?” I replied, flipping through the pages to be sure everything was in order. “I’m finally leaving this place.”“Is it weird that I don’t want you to?” he asked, stepping closer. Then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”“You know cell phones exist,” I muttered. Unlike before, when I wasn’t even allowed to text him and had to sneak around writing letters, I now had actual freedom.“Yeah, but it’s not the same,” he
Amaya’s POVI should’ve seen the signs. Hell, they were right in front of me.Adam had been quiet for weeks. Every time I mentioned visiting Dante, his grip on me tightened — like he was holding back more than just words. Like something inside him was about to break.And I ignored it. I ignored it on purpose because I never believed it would lead to something this serious.“You betrayed me!” Adam’s voice cracked through the garden like lightning. “You betrayed Suri! How can you go back to the same man who killed her?!”My breath caught. My eyes widened in horror.And in that same frozen second, I saw Dante’s hands still. The blade he had just torn from his palm now trembled in his grip.He was piecing it together too. Every shard of truth was falling into place.I opened my mouth to speak, but Dante beat me to it.“What… what’s your relationship with Suri?” he asked, his voice calm but sharp like broken glass.Adam hesitated. He hadn’t come here to face Dante — he came for me.And he
Dante’s POV“How could I not love him?”I only meant to return her phone. That was it.I hadn’t meant to overhear anything. And a part of me wished I hadn’t.She didn’t see me right away. Not until she turned the corner, eyes glossy and red, and reached out to take her phone from my hand. She didn’t say a word. Neither did I.But the second she disappeared down the hall, a tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it.I quietly wheeled myself back to my room as more tears fell, until I was practically sobbing.I hated it. I hated how broken I sounded. I hated that her words were the only thing echoing in my head over and over again.“Love had never been enough.”That night, I barely slept. I couldn’t even toss and turn since I couldn’t move my legs, so I ended up staring up at the ceiling until the first light of dawn crept into my room.****“We need to go over some things,” Cyrus said, holding a stack of files. I had just finished breakfast—even though I barely tasted it—and now I
Amaya POV“Do I still love him?”His question caught me off guard.I almost laughed, wanted to brush it off, pretend it was silly, pretend I was fine. But the way Ryder looked at me… like he could see right through the mask… the laugh died in my throat.Do I still love him?“How could I not love him?” My voice cracked.Ryder’s eyes widened like he hadn’t expected me to actually admit it.“Even after everything we’ve been through, even when I convinced myself I hated him… even when I did hate him…” my throat tightened. “I still love him.”Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.“And that’s what hurts the most,” I continued, wiping at my cheek. “Because he hurt me, Ryder. He hurt me so much. And yet… yet I still love him.”Ryder was quiet for a long second before he finally spoke.“If you love him and he loves you… then why are you still hesitating?” he asked gently, and I scoffed.“Because don’t you get it?” I choked out a breath. “Love isn’t enough. Love has never been enough.”