Erica’s POV
“We need to leave, Javier.”
I pulled him back outside the room and closed the door firmly behind him.
He looked at me confused and I felt my body quivering. My eyes were stinging but I fought to keep the tears at bay. I couldn’t risk crying in front of him.
“Erica, what…what is going on?”
I refused to say a word and walked away from the door. I was fast and had to pull out my handkerchief to dab my eyes every few minutes so that he wouldn’t notice my tears.
My heart felt broken. I was shattered and my wolf howled painfully inside of me.
My face was pale and my lips were thin and chapped.
I was just about to step outside when I felt someone grab me on my arm.
“Erica.”
Javier spun me around and made me look at him. His golden eyes bore into me and I nearly burst out crying.
I bit my tongue to hold it all in. I had to hold it all in.
“Erica, I’ve been calling after you. What’s going on? You pulled me out of the room. I was only gone for a few minutes. What happened in there?”
I sighed and took a deep breath. I had to compose myself. I was shattering inside. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.
“Dante had a little problem with one of his lady friends. She is pregnant for him and she came to confront him about it.”
I thought I saw a happy glint in Javier’s eyes but I could have been mistaken.
His eyes were a delicious gold. Lots of things reflected in them.
“Ok. That was a surprise that I wished that I could have seen.”
I moved uncomfortably and wanted to dab my eyes with my handkerchief. He held my hand before I could reach my face.
“Erica, you’re crying. What’s the matter?”
I sniffed hard. Why did he have to ask? I fought harder. I couldn’t let the tears drip down my face.
“She…she said a lot of hurtful things to me,” I lied, trying my best to keep my voice from shaking.
“She said that I was seducing Dante and keeping him away from her. She said a lot of things and I don’t want to talk about…”
He pulled me into a hug and I froze.
My body went taunt and I was uncertain. He nestled his chin on my head and squeezed me tight.
I had been holding my breath but I couldn’t bear it anymore.
I took a large gulp of air and his perfume invaded my nostrils.
Soft and comforting, he smelled of expensive flowers, roses, my favorite.
“Erica, you are an amazing woman. No one should make you feel less about yourself. If she thinks that you are seducing the guy who got her pregnant, well, take it as a compliment…”
He chuckled and pulled away from me slightly. His eyes surveyed me and a blush spread on my face.
“… you are that sexy and attractive. It’s little wonder why he is obsessed with you.”
I sniffed and managed a smile. What kind of person was Javier? How did he always know the right things to say?
“Hey, let’s get you home. You have had a rough day and I think you need some rest.”
He guided me to his car that was parked outside and I got in.
His silky voice rang in my ears but my heart was still shattered. His words made me feel good, but they were born out of the lie that I had told him.
I couldn’t explain to him that Dante was my mate who abandoned me six years ago and I was engaged to someone else who I didn’t love.
What would he think of me? I was still disgusted by myself.
He pulled out of the parking lot and the entire time we drove, I kept my eyes fixed on the window. I didn’t look at him and I didn’t speak.
I bore my pain in silence.
************************************
I got home. I had asked Javier to drop me at the mall so I could get a few things for myself. He offered to stay with me but I waved him off, telling him that I needed time to myself.
I sighed. I could tell that I couldn’t keep up the lie for too long. The question was in his eyes every time we met.
“Why don’t you let me pick you up at home?”
I shuddered. I wasn’t ready to answer that yet.
I didn’t pick up anything for myself. I soon as I saw him turn the corner, I flagged down a taxi and went home.
I got inside my house. It was quiet.
I went to Lorenzo’s room and saw him sleeping deeply. His hair was a ruffled mess.
The house was impeccably clean; Clarissa had come over. It was likely that she had left.
The kids didn’t rush down to see me. They were probably asleep. This was perfect.
I went up to my room and locked the door behind me.
I was alone and in my solitude, I sobbed freely.
I sank to the floor and tossed my bag away.
My shattered heart felt like it was stabbing my insides. All I could feel was raw and intense pain. A pain that lingered and would probably never go away.
“It was my fault anyway. This is probably my punishment for keeping my kids away from him. Someone else now gets to have them.”
The hard truth made it even more unbearable. I had been greedy, stingy, foolish.
How could I think that I could have him and still keep Lorenzo? I couldn’t make up my mind and now, Laura had him.
The thought of Laura brought in a new thought.
Dante probably never loved me in the first place.
He had been insisting that he wanted only me but he had been fucking Laura.
Two possibilities and they both brought hurt and pain. I huddled closer to the floor, curled myself into a ball, and cried even more.