CHAPTER 41
Nirah
“YOU… LIED TO me?” I whispered, sitting down on the bed in our hotel room. “All this time you’ve been lying to me?”
He sat across from me—on a chair, with his elbows on his knees—and didn’t look up at me.
His voice was cold. “Yes.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me the truth?” I scoffed, shaking my head.
“Nirah, I know you’re mad—”
“I’m not mad, I’m hurt!” I quickly interrupted him. “Know the difference—how could you?” I asked n disbelief. “I thought—I thought you loved me, but,” I shook my head, looking at him, but he still couldn’t look at me.
“I do love you—”
“No, you don’t, Antonio! You don’t lie to someone you love like this. You don’t fuck with their life and pretend like you had nothing to do with it.”
His eyes were everywhere except on me. “It’s different now—”
“Is that supposed to make everything okay? Because you changed your mind?”
“No, of course not, but—”
“Would you look at me?” I cut him off, and he kept his eyes fixed on the corner of the room. I scoffed in disbelief, getting up.
Taking his face in my hand, I forced him to look at me. “ You hurt me . You lied about why you were at my house, about our relationship, about who you were and now you can’t even look at me?”
“Do you think I want to see you like this?” he snapped, standing up, and my hand immediately dropped from his face. “I don’t want to see the redness in your eyes or the tears roll down your face!”
I placed my hand on his shoulder, forcing him back down so that he stayed seated. “Don’t try to intimidate me with your figure,” I hurtfully warned and he didn’t move, turning his head towards the window.
“Maybe if you had told me the truth, I wouldn’t—”
“Yes, you would have. You would have hated me,” he immediately cut me off. I bit down on my quivering bottom lip, slightly tilting my head to the side. Would I have hated him?
He pulled me onto his lap by my waist and held me in place.
“I drove your father out of your life, and already set your future in stone, Nirah, so no matter what you say now… I know, that you would’ve hated me.”
“Were you ever planning on telling me the truth, or were you just going to wait until you fucked me, married me, knocked me up to then suddenly drop the bomb?”
He scoffed in disbelief, shaking his head. “You’re insulting me,” he warned, and I threw my hands in the air, dropping them in defeat.
“ You don’t get to feel hurt, or insulted or God knows what when you lied. You betrayed my trust and you made me fall in love with you,” I raised my voice.
The bedroom door opened and our heads snapped towards it. “Hey sis, I was wondering if—” Nereus mumbled, cutting himself off when he saw us.
He held a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.
He also had a croissant in his mouth and a box underneath his arm.
Wiping my tears, I stood up, walking over to him.
“Oh…” he mumbled and I took the wine bottle and two glasses from him, placing it on the table.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t…” he mumbled before pulling the croissant out of his mouth.
“What is it?” I softly asked, shaking my head as he stuffed the croissant into his mouth. He swallowed before stepping towards me and placing both hands on either of my shoulders.
“Blink twice if you need help,” he whispered, and I showed him a sad smile. “You okay?” he asked and I nodded.
“I’m fine, we just need to talk about a few things.”
Nereus nodded and looked behind me at Antonio. “I can’t believe you’re making my sister cry on her wedding day,” he narrowed his eyes. “How. Dare. You.”
Antonio got to his feet and Nereus jolted back. “I’ll be right down the hall,” he quickly said, kissing my cheek. “Call if you need me. No, matter-of-fact, scream. Scream if you need me,” he said and I couldn’t help but sadly laugh at his silliness.
He turned around to leave and I sadly smiled, watching the door close behind him.
Antonio walked up from behind, wrapping both arms around me. He rested his head on my shoulder and I closed my eyes, feeling comfort in his arms.
I didn’t hold onto him. I didn’t touch him. I just stood, feeling my heart ache.
“You did this. You hurt me,” I softly said, feeling my throat close up.
“Hey…” he trailed off as he turned me around to face him. “Nirah, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I know my intentions were horrible, but after I met you, everything changed. You became more than just a way to make your father suffer.”
“How can I believe you now?” I whispered and he gently cupped my face.
“Because I had to kidnap you that day, but I didn’t.
I couldn’t. I could have taken you at any given moment and made you marry me unwillingly, but I didn’t, because I couldn’t imagine doing something like that to you.
Whatever happened between us had to be your choice, because you wanted it. Because you were okay with it.”
“So what, you had a change of heart?” I sarcastically scoffed.
“You can say that, yeah.”
I shook my head, looking away from him. “What I did was fucked up, I know and I’m sorry,” he apologetically said. “But, I can’t change the past. Yes, it started as something business-related and cruel, but now it’s so much more to me than that. I can’t lose you.”
He rubbed his thumb across my cheek, wiping off the tears.
“What if I hated you now?” I asked, feeling bile rise in my throat. “What if I never wanted to see you again?”
“Then you’d be ripping my heart out,” he almost immediately answered, and my stomach knotted. “Because you have that much power over me—but baby please , don’t leave,” he pleaded, as he held onto my face even tighter. “I’ll do anything you want, just don’t leave or give up on us.”
I was silent as my mind raced at a million miles, scattering my thoughts everywhere. I only shook my head with reluctance.
He dropped his hands from my face and took both of my hands in his. He kneeled in front of me, and my heart rate slowed. “What are you doing?”
“Kneeling and asking for your forgiveness,” he said, and my brows knitted together in sadness. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you, no matter how long it takes. You’re my life now, Nirah, I can’t lose you.”
I swallowed hard, exhaling slowly.
“I’ll do anything ,” he emphasized and gave my hands a little squeeze.
“Anything?” I asked and he nodded in confirmation. “Will you let me have two more dogs?”
“As many as you want.”
“And a cat?” I asked and he almost immediately nodded.
“Yes, you can have a cat.”
“Even though you’re allergic?”
His voice was soft and tiny. “Even though I’m allergic, yeah.”
“But, you’ll get sick…”
“Yes, but you’ll still be with me,” he said and I felt my stomach fill with butterflies. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. Nothing, will ever stop me from having you be mine. My wife. The mother of my children. The woman I want to grow old with. It’s you , Nirah.”
Different tears—happy tears—filled my eyes as I lowered to my knees, wrapping my arms around his neck. I buried my face in his shoulder, feeling him hold me against his body.
He lifted me as he stood up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, not letting go.
He had confessed all of his feelings right then and there. He was vulnerable with me. His reasoning behind it was that I would’ve hated him. True . That I would not have agreed to anything he’d set out in front of me. Also true.
He was afraid. Antonio De Luca was afraid of losing me.
He had no fears. Until he met me. Losing me became his biggest fear.
His worst nightmare. And all I could do was sit back and watch the strong, emotionless devil reveal his truths to me.
I became the source of all his fears—they all revolved around me.
I never thought I could have so much power over someone, much less a man like him. But I did. And I wouldn’t dare use it against him. Because in the end, his feelings were mine.
I felt every emotion he did. It was inevitable.
Although he had lied to me, I still couldn’t find enough strength to end things with him right now.
* * *
One minute I was putting a bullet through my father’s chest. The next I was crying because my fiancé lied to me. And the next I was crying because my fiancé—now husband—surprised me by flying our friends and family out for the celebration.
Never, have I felt so many emotions in a single day. But, it all came together with two simple words. ‘I do .’
I called the shots today. I made it clear that I wanted a wedding. No family drama, no lying husband and no more interruptions.
I hadn’t forgiven him just yet, but his reasoning took away some of the hurt and betrayal I felt. Plus, everyone was here. I already disappointed them once by disappearing. I couldn’t do it a second time.
After our conversation in the room, he asked me to go somewhere with him, so I did. He brought me to a beautiful wedding venue that made my face light up immediately. The sun had already set, so the lights illuminated the venue beautifully.
Everyone was already here, hiding and waiting for me to arrive.
They were too happy about us finally being married to even be upset that we had run away. Of course, Silvia was a little sad because she was my maid of honor, but she brushed it off.
And, it all came together when I heard barking and my eyes immediately found my little brown bundle of joy in the arms of Amelia.
My smile grew as big as it possibly could, and when I walked towards him, he started wiggling out of her arms and leaped into mine.
“Hey boy,” I smiled as he licked my face. I pulled back, holding him up in the air. “Did you miss me?” I asked, and he barked in excitement, wagging his tail. I brought him close to my chest, holding him tightly. I missed my little guy.
After some catching up—gossiping—with Kingsley, I cleaned my face where he had licked and handed him over to Ezekiel—Aurora’s eldest son.
It seemed as though he was the only child here. Probably because he was seventeen and the eldest grandkid.
Antonio eventually appeared at my side. “Come with me.”
I nodded, following behind him. “I don’t think the bride and groom should disappear from their wedding,” I teased as he led me away.
“Too late for that, don’t you think?” he grinned back at me, and I playfully rolled my eyes.
He opened the door to a room and froze.
“Oh. My. God,” my hands flew to my mouth as my eyes grew wider and wider.
“Cesar?” Antonio said in confusion.
“Nereus!” I gasped.
“What the fuck?” Antonio and I said in unison.