BROKEN HOPE

“Stay away from Aiden.”

Dante’s voice was like a blade cutting through the sound of chatter and music as we exited the ballroom. I blinked up at him. He towered over me, his tone calm but cold.

“What?” I said. My head was still all over the place as I processed the fact that Aiden was his brother.

Dante leaned in closer to me. “He doesn’t care about you. Whatever he told you, it’s bait.”

I crossed my arms, heart pounding. “So this is jealousy now?”

He laughed coldly. “Don’t flatter yourself. This marriage isn’t real. You mean nothing to me.”

My chest tightened.

That hurt more than I wanted to admit. Before I could respond, he turned and walked towards the car. And just like that, I was left standing alone.

Again.

At least, this time, there was hope.

The drive back was silent. Dante was fixed on his phone, and I sat as far away from him as possible. He was the last person I wanted to be around now.

I didn’t know which part stung more, that he was clearly hiding something important from me… or that he’d said I meant nothing to him—this part I wasn't supposed to care about. Afterall, he was right. Our marriage was fake.

When we reached the mansion, he didn’t say a word. He just vanished down the hallway and shut himself inside his room.

I returned to mine too, pacing its length and width for well over an hour.

My thoughts spun in a thousand directions. Aiden’s words. The way Dante’s shoulders had tensed. The things left unsaid. My father, alone in a prison cell.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I'd done enough for Dante. It was his turn to do something for me.

I threw on a robe and walked barefoot to his room, heart hammering.

I knocked once.

He spoke from inside, “What are you doing here?”

“Let me in.”

There was silence and then the sound of the locks being undone. I opened the door. 

Dante was already walking back to the fireplace, wearing grey sweatpants and a shirt which was unbuttoned at the collar. I spotted his hoodie lying on his bed. His brown hair was tousled, like he’d run his fingers through it a hundred times.

He kept his back turned to me. I was well aware of the fact that he only needed to turn. 

Just a small motion and I'd finally get to see his face.

“It appears I'll have to add staying away from my room to the rules.” He said.

I ignored him.

“I need to know the truth,” I said quietly, stepping in. “What was Aiden trying to tell me?”

“I told you to stay away from Aiden—”

“And I’m not here about him. I’m here about you. I need to know who you really are.”

He didn’t move.

“You… you know about my fathers case and you're wealthy and you seem to be really bent on hiding your identity. Are you a Devereux?” I asked.

His back tensed.

“Were you involved in what happened to my father? Is this your way of torturing me and giving me false hope?”

He turned slightly, barely enough to reveal anything. “I’m not your enemy, Selena. Don't let people like Aiden get into your head.”

“Then prove it.”

The words came out like a challenge.

He went still for a moment, the seconds felt stretched out into minutes. 

Then, in one slow, deliberate motion, he turned, stepping into the light.

No hood. No shadows.

Just him.

And my breath caught in my throat.

He was… he was out of this world, the kind of person one could easily describe as a descendant of the Greek gods.

Chiseled jaw, sculpted cheekbones. His eyes were an icy blue so sharp and fierce they looked like they could turn me to ice with just one look.

He was hauntingly beautiful.

I went quiet, didn't speak.

I couldn’t even if I tried.

He watched me, letting me absorb him.

“You wanted truth,” he said softly. “There it is.”

I stepped closer without thinking. “You… you’re not what I expected.”

He gave a ghost of a smile. “Few people are.”

“But why me?” I whispered. “Why help me? Why this marriage?”

He dropped his gaze, then looked back at me. “Because I know what it’s like to feel powerless. To be angry. To want revenge.”

“And my father?”

He nodded. “I’ll get him out.”

“Swear it.”

“I’ll make a call first thing in the morning.”

I stared at him for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave.

I stopped at the door. 

“I guess you’re not as terrible as I thought you were,” I said without looking back.

And I could've sworn I heard him whisper back, 

“Neither are you.”

That night, I slept peacefully. It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off my chest. Soon, my father would be free and with Dante’s help, I'd take back what the Devereuxs stole from us.

The next morning, I woke to the ringing of my phone.

Still sleepy, I fumbled for it, blinking my eyes open.

Unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Is this Selena Blake?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is Memorial General Hospital. Your father, Richard Blake was brought in early this morning. He’s in critical condition.”

My body went cold. “W-what?”

“He suffered a heart attack. The guards found him passed out in his cell. He’s in a coma.”

“What? No, no…”

“We need you to come in immediately.”

The phone slipped from my hands as I slid off the bed and dropped to my knees.

This wasn’t happening. 

This wasn't real.

I’d just started to hope again.

And now?

Now the only person I had left was slipping away from me. Maybe for good this time.