The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting golden rays across the sprawling estate. Isla was in the nursery, carefully folding Amara’s tiny clothes, her mind adrift. Life had been slowly inching toward something resembling peace, but a lingering unease always hovered in the background-a feeling that not everything was as it seemed.
She heard faint voices from downstairs, a deep rumble unmistakably Dante’s and another familiar tone that sent a chill down her spine. She stilled, her heart pounding in her chest.
“No,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head. It couldn’t be.
But curiosity and dread got the better of her. Leaving Amara in the crib, Isla crept out of the room and down the hallway, careful to avoid making a sound. The voices grew louder as she approached the study.
The door was slightly ajar, and through the crack, she saw Dante seated behind his desk, his posture relaxed but his tone sharp. Across from him sat her father, the man she had spent years trying to forget.
“You got what you wanted, didn’t you, Dante?” her father’s voice carried a smirk. “A beautiful wife and a child to secure your empire. I kept my end of the deal.”
Isla’s blood turned cold, and her knees threatened to give out.
Dante’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t make it sound like you did me a favor, James. You sold your own daughter to me as if she were nothing more than a commodity.”
James chuckled darkly. “And you paid handsomely for her. Let’s not act like you’re some kind of saint.”
Dante’s fists slammed onto the desk, the sound echoing through the room. “I paid to protect her from you! If it weren’t for me, she’d still be living in that hellhole you called a home.”
Isla gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. The betrayal hit her like a tidal wave, threatening to pull her under.
Unable to stay hidden any longer, Isla pushed the door open, her voice trembling with anger. “Is that true, Dante? Did you buy me?”
Both men turned to her, their expressions a mix of shock and guilt.
“Isla,” Dante began, rising from his chair. “Let me explain.”
She held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. “No, I want the truth. All of it.”
James smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Looks like your little arrangement is falling apart, Dante. I’ll leave you two to sort this out.”
Dante shot him a deadly glare. “Leave. Now.”
With a casual shrug, James stood and walked past Isla, pausing only to say, “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Enjoy your perfect life.”
As the door closed behind him, Isla turned to Dante, her eyes blazing with fury and hurt.
“Did you buy me?” she repeated, her voice breaking.
Dante ran a hand through his hair, his usual composure shattered. “It’s not that simple, Isla.”
“Then make it simple!” she yelled, tears streaming down her face. “Tell me the truth!”
Dante sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. “Yes, I paid your father, but not in the way you think. I didn’t buy you like some object, Isla. I paid him to keep you safe, to get you out of that toxic environment.”
Isla’s hands trembled as she hugged herself, trying to process his words. “And you thought that gave you the right to own me? To control my life?”
“I didn’t want to control you,” he said, his voice pained. “I wanted to protect you. You have no idea what your father is capable of, Isla. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being at his mercy.”
She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “So instead, you became the one I had to fear. You took me from one prison and locked me in another.”
Dante flinched as if she had slapped him. “That was never my intention.”
“But it’s what happened,” she said quietly, the fight draining out of her.
Dante stepped closer, his hands outstretched as if to touch her, but he hesitated. “Isla, please. You have to believe me. Everything I did was for you.”
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “But you never asked me what I wanted, Dante. You never gave me a choice.”
The weight of her words hung heavy in the air, and for once, Dante had no response.
Isla turned and fled the room, needing space to think, to breathe. She found herself in the nursery, where Amara was sleeping peacefully. The sight of her daughter brought a fresh wave of tears, and she sank into the rocking chair, burying her face in her hands.
A few minutes later, Dante appeared in the doorway, his expression conflicted.
“Isla,” he said softly. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but please don’t shut me out. Not now, not after everything we’ve been through.”
She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. “I need time, Dante. Time to figure out if I can forgive you. Time to decide if I can ever trust you again.”
He nodded slowly, his face etched with regret. “Take all the time you need. Just know that I’m not giving up on us. On our family.”
That night, Isla lay awake, her mind racing. The revelation about her father and Dante’s deal had shaken her to her core, but it had also brought clarity. She couldn’t keep running from the truth or from her feelings.
If she was going to move forward, she needed to confront her past and decide what kind of future she wanted-for herself and for Amara.
Would she ever be able to trust Dante again? Or was it time to break free once and for all?
As the first rays of dawn crept through the window, Isla made a silent vow. Whatever happened next, she would no longer let others dictate her life. This time, she would be the one in control.