Sensual Redamancy

Chapter 21

•SOFIA•

"I'm sorry."

I'd never felt so many sharp blades stab into my chest at once, daggering out my heart and feeding it to ruthless, ravenous predators like Teodoro Bernardi and subjecting me to such crippling torture.

Pretending to be asleep when deep down I felt like folding entirely, throwing myself into his arms and bawling like a baby was one thing.

Trying to fight the hot giant tears clogged inside my eyes, competing with the solid lump in my throat was another beast I feared I'd be unable to slay.

As if the torturous restraint wasn't enough already, the scalding sensation of his lips pressed to my forehead as he kissed me lingered longer than acceptable, reminding me of the fading piece of the intimacy we'd built together.

Tears spilt out of my eyes, soaking right into my pillow as his scent disappeared, his footsteps retracting from me.

I missed him. I missed him so fucking much it hurt both physically and emotionally. I hated everything about this moment and the people who'd forced us into such an inconvenient situation.

Asshole. Freaking goddamn bastard.

I'd had my suspicions when his mood had suddenly changed and his actions confirmed my assumptions. He could have given me a heads-up his father had roped him into his diabolical plans, threatening him with some ultimatums I probably knew nothing of.

He was in as much pain as I was in. I could feel it in his light touch, in the restraint in his deep voice and the aura he exuded close to me and even further away as he walked away.

The further he walked from me, the lower my heart sank, shattering into a million useless pieces as more tears silently cascaded down my ashen cheeks.

I patiently waited for minutes, silently craving his warmth and a solace embrace in his strong arms while I cried the night away.

Whatever he'd done to calm me on the island after my ugly encounter with monsters was something I deeply yearned for at this moment, yet he was too far from my reach.

My hopes were shattered when I heard him deeply sigh across the room. He wasn't coming to bed with me. Didn't he know I needed him?

I clenched my fist hard, quietly whimpering into the pillow.

His father was an unpredictably horrible man. He could be watching us right now and listening in on our conversations to confirm Dominic's coldness froze my heart and shattered me completely.

Maybe that was why Dom had been so quiet, his voice barely audible but speaking straight to my trembling core.

Painful and torturous as it was, I knew I had to trust in him and whatever schemes he was making behind the scenes. I had to put my faith in the connection we'd formed, that he'd eventually find his way back to me when the time was right. In the meantime, I had to play along and make this rift as believable as possible.

Deep inside, I knew I needed this time as well for myself. I couldn't continue like this, pathetic and worthless. I'd never felt so weak in my entire life, both physically and emotionally.

Teodoro's ruthlessness had given me a rude awakening of how much I let people trample on my dignity, treating me like a spineless doormat piece of shit they could crush beneath their feet.

No. That wasn't the person I could afford to be at this moment. Not when Ava needed my strength the most to keep on breathing and getting back on her feet.