Checkmate.

Chapter 34- Class

  
ZARIA'S POV

He turns to face me, and my whole body goes numb. The man who was supposed to love me. The man I've been avoiding for years. Now stood in front of me. "Missed me?" He chuckles flashing that pearly white smile. I shake my head in disbelief as I turn back to the door.

He grabs me by the arm pulling me further into the room. "Let me fucking go! Now! I mean it!" I snarl snatching my arm from him. You aren't the weak 16 year old anymore Zaria. Remember that. Fight.

I take large steps towards the door choosing to ignore the ones behind me. "You think you have a choice in this love? You belong to me. We've been together for years." He practically yells pushing me into a nearby bookshelf.

"Correction. I broke up with your sorry ass when you put your fucking hands on me. You hurt me, Giovanni. Do you get that?!" I glare at him as I feel my anger rising. I fix myself before discreetly sliding my phone out my purse and calling Dante.

"I did it out of anger- you always acted like a fucking prude. Never giving me what I wanted.." his eyes ran over my body and I suddenly got that feeling from 5 years ago all over again. No. I froze. But I wouldn't let him see that.

"That doesn't  give you the right to fucking hit me. Hurt me.  And I won't let you do that shit again." I show him the ongoing call with Dante. "You bitch." He shoves me once more making me hiss as my back hit the shelf. I fall to my knees trying to gather myself once again.

"I'll be back when the time is right... and I'll be watching." With that, he disappears through another door as Dante violently swings open the main door.

I try my best to stand as I feel a throbbing pain in my back. "Ria!" Dante's eyes land on me as he strides across the room helping me up. Gio was here. He was watching me. What am I going to do?. "Are you ok? Fuck I should've came sooner-" he places his hand on the small of my back and I flinch lightly.

"I'm fine." I mutter finally meeting his gaze. His eyes are filled with emotions. Worry? Guilt? I'm not sure. "I haven't been honest, Dante. I- I saw him, Gio. He's here." Any emotion in Dante's eyes slipped away as rage consumed him.

"You saw him and you didn't fucking tell me, Ria?" He snaps, his voice raising as he speaks. "I was going to- then I saw  him coming this way so I followed him-" "You, were alone. In this room. With that fucker. You should've fucking told me when you saw him Zaria! Think!"

"I was thinking!" I snap back. Sudden anger taking over me as well. Here I am, stuck between Dante, and the bookshelf. "If you were fucking thinking, you wouldn't have followed him into this room, Zaria." He brings his face closer to mine as he speaks.

He was right. But what did I say? Something stupid. "I needed to see for myself, that it was him. That my mind wasn't playing tricks on me, Dante." His tongue pokes at his cheek as he sighs. "And you think doing that alone was smart? After he put you through fucking hell?  you're stupid."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I was stupid. Here I was once again letting someone get the best of me. Why did I follow Gio? Truthfully, I thought I was losing it. I wanted it to be someone else so damn bad. I wanted Gio gone. Out of life. Out of my memory.

"You're right. I am." I drop my gaze as I slip under his arm. "Please take me back to the dorm. I don't want to stay here any longer." Dante doesn't say a word, he just begins walking out the room as I follow.

We make our way through the dinning room before he briefly stops to talk to his parents. "I'm sorry about leaving early, I just... don't feel the best." I offer them a tight-lipped smile. "Oh that's quite alright! We hope to see more of you." His mom pulls me in for a hug and I bite my lip as her arms come in contact with my back.