Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ruin me, Gently : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

ISABELLE “I still can’t keep them,” I said, but even I could hear how hollow it sounded.Sage just smiled. “Sure.”“I’m serious. These and the blazer—I need to return everything.”“Okay.”“I mean it.”“I believe you.” But her smile said she didn’t believe me at all.I was about to take them off—I really was—when my phone buzzed on the counter.“Heather.” I reached for it and brought it to my ear.“Babe, are you okay?”My brows drew together. “What do you mean?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t Enrico and his troubles again.“A colleague forwarded me a post. From Aurora.”“Oh, that. I saw it two days ago.”“No, Bella. This one is recent.”My stomach dropped. “She posted again?”“She did, the comments are…”“I’ll call you back.” I ended the call and went straight to the app.Her post was the first thing on my feed.A photo of her and Dave. His hand resting protectively over her belly, both of them smiling at the camera like they were starring in their own perfect love story. The caption made

ISABELLE The house was dark when we arrived, just the automatic lights clicking on as Matt unlocked the front door and gestured for me to enter first.I stepped inside, and even in the dim lighting, I could tell this place was different from the penthouse where we’d first met, different from the estate where I’d spent last night. This felt… lived in. Personal.The foyer opened into a massive living space—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city lights in the distance, modern furniture that looked both expensive and comfortable, artwork on the walls that seemed carefully chosen rather than just decorative.“This is beautiful,” I said quietly, taking it all in.“Thank you.” He closed the door behind us, the lock clicking into place with a finality that made my pulse quicken.I turned to face him, suddenly aware of how disheveled I must look. My dress wrinkled from being pushed up in the car, my hair probably a mess, my lips still swollen from his kisses.He looked exactly as wreck

ISABELLE Did I feel sorry for Dave after everything I’d just heard? I couldn’t even say anymore. He cheated. So how was I ever supposed to trust him again?And Matt. The thought of him looking at another woman the way he looked at me sent something sharp and irrational through my chest. Why did it bother me? With someone I barely knew? And the strangest part, a part of me genuinely didn’t want to let go. I had no idea if this was about revenge, desire, or some reckless mixture of both.Matteo’s hand settled on my thigh. Warm, unhurried, and pulled me out of my thoughts.“Care to share what’s going through your mind?”“I need time,” I said quietly.“Just when I thought we had addressed that.”“Not that. Not me running away.” I shook my head. “I came here for revenge. And now I’m not sure I want it anymore.”“You’re fine with her continuing to ruin your name?”“No.” The word came out immediately.“I’m just not used to hurting people. Having heard your strategies, I don’t think I want t

ISABELLE.“Maybe I like dangerous games,” I whispered.For a moment, we just looked at each other — his hand still at my jaw, my heart loud in my ears, the air between us carrying that particular charge that had no clean name.Then Matteo kissed me.Not the way he had in the car. Not the desperate, hungry kind, or the claiming, possessive kind that came during everything else. This was different.Slower. Deeper. Deliberate in a way that made my chest ache.His hand moved from my jaw to cup the back of my head, fingers curling into my hair. His other hand found my waist and pulled me closer, until there was nothing left between us.I melted. My hands found his chest, his heartbeat racing beneath my palm — every bit as fast as mine.This wasn’t only physical. This was him saying something he wouldn’t put into words — that I was his, that the thought of anyone else touching me stirred something primal in him, something he wasn’t willing to reason with.God help me, I felt the same.When

MATTEOThe next morning.I wasn’t sure how long I’d been awake. Long enough that the room had shifted from dark to grey, the early light creeping in at the edges of the curtains. Long enough to have done nothing but watch her.Isabelle slept soundly, her face turned into my chest, her legs tangled with mine beneath the sheets. She looked peaceful in a way I hadn’t seen when she was awake — all the tension she carried gone from her expression, her breathing slow and even.Before I could think better of it, my mouth pressed a light kiss to her forehead.What the hell are you doing, Matteo?Honestly? I had no idea.This was supposed to be simple. Clear. A neat arrangement with terms that kept everything in its proper place. And yet here I was, having negotiated conditions I’d never extended to anyone. Conceding in ways I didn’t recognise in myself because the alternative was letting her go. And I wasn’t ready for that.I’d told myself that having her a second time would be enough to get