All Chapters of My Obsessed Mafia Ex Wants Me Back: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

DamienI watched in silence as Ariana gathered the grocery bags she'd brought with her, neatly tying the handles together before reaching for her handbag.My fingers tightened slightly around the wine glass in my hand.She was leaving. And I didn't want her to. The realization was as unsettling as it was undeniable.What the hell was wrong with me?This was Ariana. The woman I'd spent six years convincing myself I hated.The woman I'd blamed. The woman I'd sworn I'd never forgive.So why...Why did the thought of watching her walk out that door leave an unfamiliar heaviness settling in my chest?Because you're lying to yourself. I scoffed inwardly.No.Was I?I looked at her again. She was checking the contents of one of the bags to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.Her hair had slipped loose from the clip she'd worn earlier. A few strands framed her face as she tucked them behind her ear without thinking.The sight stirred memories I'd buried long ago.She used to do that when

ArianaI let out a long sigh as I lowered myself onto the toilet seat. "Finally."I raked a hand through my hair, closing my eyes for a brief second. "I feel so much better."I'd been holding it in for almost an hour because I wanted to finish organizing the files Damien had left behind before disappearing for his morning meeting.Surprisingly...he hadn't taken me with him. He'd simply walked into the office, handed me a stack of documents, and said he had somewhere to be.No unnecessary conversations. I wasn't exactly surprised.After all...I'd been the one to tell him that dinner at his house had been a mistake. I'd drawn the line myself. So why did a small part of me still feel disappointed by how distant he'd been today?I frowned at my own reflection in the stall door.Get a grip, Ariana.What exactly were you expecting? That he'd suddenly forget everything that happened between the two of you?You were the one who reminded him.I shook my head before flushing and washing my hand

DamienI didn't know how I'd ended up here. No. That wasn't true. I knew exactly how.The moment she'd stood in my office that afternoon, file in hand, looking as composed as ever and said those words, "Congratulations, sir. I hope everything goes well."It felt like someone had driven a knife straight through my chest.After that...Nothing had gone right.I'd signed documents without reading them. Asked for reports I'd already approved. Dan had repeated the same question three times before I'd realized he was talking to me.Then Vanessa had insisted we have dinner to discuss the wedding. I'd gone. I'd sat across from her in one of the most expensive restaurants in the city while she excitedly talked about invitations, photographers, and honeymoon destinations.I'd nodded in all the right places. Answered when necessary. All the while...My mind had been somewhere else. With another woman.How insane was that? Worse than pathetic.Cowardly.Because I wasn't even trying to move on anymo

ArianaIt had been three days since Damien had declared, without asking for my opinion, that I was starting driving lessons.Three days since he'd completely ignored my protests. Three days since I'd foolishly allowed it.Sometimes I genuinely questioned my own sanity.Wasn't I supposed to be avoiding him?After everything that had happened—the dinner, the kiss, the conversation in his car, the confession that still echoed in the back of my mind whenever I tried to sleep, I should have been putting as much distance between us as possible.Instead, every single day seemed to throw us together.It was almost laughable. I'd had every logical reason to stay away from Damien Valmont. My heart, unfortunately, had developed a very annoying habit of refusing to listen to logic.The first driving lesson had been nothing short of a catastrophe.I'd spent the first fifteen minutes insisting I wasn't getting behind the steering wheel while Damien had stood there looking entirely unimpressed by my

ArianaI had expected Damien to ignore my request. Because that was what Damien Valmont did.He listened. Then he did whatever he wanted anyway.So when I stepped out of the elevator the following morning, coffee in one hand and my handbag hanging from my shoulder, I was mentally preparing myself to walk into his office as though last night's conversation had never happened.Instead...Dan intercepted me halfway down the corridor."Morning, Miss Ariana.""Good morning."He motioned for me to follow him. "I'll show you your new workspace."I blinked.For a second, I simply stared at him. Then the meaning of his words finally sank in. He actually did it.I followed Dan down the corridor until we stopped in front of a spacious corner cubicle surrounded by glass partitions. It wasn't completely enclosed like Damien's office, but it was private enough to work without constant interruptions.A brand-new computer sat neatly on the desk beside my files, stationery, and everything else that had