Lahat ng Kabanata ng His to Destroy, Mine to Save: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

DANTEThe soft, haunting melody drifted through the mansion, pulling me from my study like a moth to a flame. I followed the sound, and for once, the noise in my mind began to quiet. The calculations and contingencies faded.At the music room door, I stopped and leaned against the frame. Marisol sat at the grand piano. She didn’t even seem to notice me. Her entire world was in those keys, like nothing outside of them mattered. Her fingers moved across the keys with a kind of fluid grace.Her expression was soft, touched by that rare blend of focus and peace I’d only seen a few times before. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, wrapping her in gold. For a second, she didn’t even look real.But it wasn’t just her talent that held me there. It was the way her body moved with the music. She swayed with each note, her shoulders lifting and falling, her head tilting gently like every chord whispered something only she could understand. She and the piano weren’t separate, they were one

DANTEI sat on the sofa, staring at the empty doorway where she’d just walked out. My mind spun, tangled in a mess of words I couldn’t take back. I’d said things I didn’t mean, things that still echoed in my head, twisting like a sickening chant.“You’re pushing me too far.”I had snapped it at her, and she’d turned and walked away, leaving me to stew in the aftermath of my mess.I’m such an asshole.She had every reason to be angry. Hell, I was angry too, angry at myself. I didn’t mean to lash out like that.What the hell is wrong with me?I ran my hands through my hair, frustrated. I should’ve been calm. I should’ve thought it through. I knew better than to let my emotions get the best of me. I wasn’t some dumb kid anymore.But Marisol had a way of pushing me, shoving me into places I didn’t want to go. Into places that scared the hell out of me.And now here I was, feeling like the world’s biggest hypocrite. I wanted her. More than anything. But there were lines I couldn’t cross. No

ROBERTOFelix led me across the estate toward the guest house, its understated luxury impossible to ignore. I glanced around, noting the elegant lines and manicured grounds. For a brief moment, I let myself be impressed, the tension from earlier with Marisol and Dante slipping away as I expected the comforts waiting for me inside.The door opened, revealing opulent interiors: plush furnishings, rich wood flooring, and tasteful decor. I stepped in, my eyes sweeping the space.This is more like it.A sly smile tugged at my mouth.Maybe Dante isn’t as clever as he thinks.Felix followed me in, setting my luggage neatly by the entrance."Mr. Franco, if there’s anything you need, let us know. They’ll bring food shortly. Is there anything else?"I waved him off."No, that will be all."He gave a nod, face unreadable as he slipped out and pulled the door shut behind him.At first, I barely registered the sound. I was too busy admiring the room. I moved deeper inside, appreciating the opulent

MARISOLI ignored him, keeping my face blank as I took my seat.The scent of garlic and roasted meat floated in as Maria carried in plates of food, but the aromas barely touched the knot in my stomach.As we ate, Dante laid out the terms of the potential collaboration.My lips pressed into a line.I forced down the bile rising in my throat at the sound of my father’s voice.Sitting across from the man who had betrayed me more times than I could count made my stomach churn, but I held my expression steady.I wanted him to see my disgust.Let him choke on it.He didn’t.That smug smile said he thought he’d won.That I’d finally folded.A daughter, in his mind, who had learned her place.I picked up my wine glass, took a slow sip, then set it down harder than I meant to.I’d tried.I’d sat through this farce of a dinner, tolerated the weight of his presence, but the room felt too small, too filled with the past.I couldn’t stomach another minute of pretending.“I’ll leave you both to your

DANTEI sat in my office, early morning light filtering through the heavy curtains, casting long shadows across the room.Guilt churned in my gut, heavy and relentless. The weight of last night pressed down on me like a storm cloud I couldn't outrun.I’d hurt the one person I was supposed to protect, proving, again, that I was every bit as dangerous as my past had made me.It hadn’t been passion that drove me. It was fear, anger, and a desperate need to push Marisol away.I’d been rough. Cruel. The kind of man I swore I’d never be again.When she hadn't come, I'd ordered her to finish herself, my voice so cold it echoed back at me like a sentence.The image of her face turned away, breath trembling under the grip of my hands, burned behind my eyes.I had never been that man. Not with her.I’d treated her worse than the women in my past.And for what? To protect myself from feelings I didn’t want to face.But Marisol wasn’t nothing. She meant something. Too much. And that terrified me.