His Cursed Mate ✔️

Ch 62: Grayley

Ashley :

  "Damian's coming back."
That's what Ravens message said.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but I didn't know what to reply.
    So many thoughts ran through my head but I couldn't sort them out.
It had been almost three weeks since Damian had left, without so much as a text from him ever since. Of course I understood why he felt the need to leave, I had treated him like crap since he had come back. I hadn't given him a chance.
   A part of me feared that he would never come back, that he would leave just like last time. But he said he would come back and it seems as if he was keeping to his word.
I just couldn't  disipher how I was feeling at this exact moment.
     My feelings had been all over the place since he had left. Grayson had noticed my distance, everyone had. My mother and father had questioned me about Damian's departure but after a while they stopped asking.

   I couldn't tell them that I had caused him to leave, that I had done nothing but push him away since he came back.
   That I had accused him of using his own children to gain the attention of women when in reality that hadn't been the reason of my anger. He was right, I was jealous. I admit that now. I had been jealous of the obvious allure he had on  the opposite sex, I didn't like seeing anyone touch him. Touching him or touching my children. Because they were mine. My family.
I didn't want to love him, not after he had hurt me. But in the past few weeks a damn had broken.
  All the feelings I was repressing came back to bite me in the ass. I still loved Damian, no matter how hard I tried not too. He had made mistakes, but so had I . He wasn't a saint nor was I. He had called me out that night, I hadn't tried to give him a chance. Because if I did that would only open myself up to be hurt again. And he was the one person in this world who could shatter me into a million pieces.
      He could destroy me.
It sounded dramatic but it was the truth. I stared down at the words on the screen as my mind flashed me back to a few hours ago:

"What's on your mind ?" My head snapped up as Dante walked up and sat down beside me. I was sitting down on a blanket beneath the large tree beside the cabin, where my father had set up a swing set and playground for the twins.
Madison and Micah we're currently running around with Issac. Just two weeks ago they had finally walked properly, and now they were running around without a care in the world.
My mom had been correct, they were an even bigger handful now that they walked.
"Hey, talk to me." Dante nudged my shoulder with his, a tender smile on his face.
I let out a sigh as I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my hands around them.
"I messed up."
"Im assuming you're talking about Damian leaving ?" Dante raised a brow and I nodded.
"He hurt me." I whispered.
"I know." Dante nodded.
"He left me, shattering me into millions of pieces to the point where I didn't even recognize myself anymore. To the point where I didn't know if I could put myself back together ."
"I know."
"And then I found Grayson. Sweet loving Grayson who loves me so much."
"I know."
"Stop saying I know." I let out a strangled laugh while Dante let out a soft chuckle.
"What am I supposed to do Dante ?" I asked desperate for some guidance. I didn't know what to do.
He turned pale blue eyes towards me.
"What is your heart telling you ?"
"That's the problem, I don't know what I want anymore. There's so much hurt and anger in me. Grayson never hurt me. He is obviously the better choice for me."
"I can't tell you who to choose, or who to love. That you have to figure out for yourself. One thing I do know is that a heart can be broken so many times yet still have the capacity to forgive." Dante wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I laid my head on his chest "I love you Ashley, and I only want the best for you. I want you to be happy and I know that you will figure out what your heart truly wants."
I listened to the beating of his heart and closed my eyes.
"I don't know what I would do without you." I whispered . Love for my friend overwhelmed me.
"Well it's a good thing you'll never had to know what that feels like. I'm always going to be here for you Ashley. I love you and I hate seeing you like this."
"I know you do. " I pulled away and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I love you too."
We had stayed under the tree watching Issac, Micah and Maddy run around laughing and having the time of their life.
Dante had left to go help my father, but his last words to me where what led to this moment.
"Do me a favor, will ya?" I'd nodded my head. "Imagine your future, ten, twenty years from now. And who do you see ?"
An image had immediately flashed before my eyes.
Dantes lips turned up into a smile. He had seen it as well.
"That's your answer." Then he had walked away leaving me to my troubled thoughts.