I woke up to the soft hum of the hospital machines and the warmth of a hand gently stroking mine. I blinked against the harsh light, my eyes landing on Niccolo, seated by my bedside, his hair a mess, dark circles under his eyes. His expression softened when he saw I was awake.
“Hey,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair away from my cheek. “How do you feel?”
I tried to sit up, but my body reminded me of every bruise and cut I’d collected these past days. I winced, easing back into the pillows. “Like I got run over by a truck,” I said with a weak laugh.
Niccolo’s jaw tightened. He looked down at our intertwined hands, his thumb moving back and forth over my knuckles.
“I’m sorry, Nadine. I’m so damn sorry I wasn’t there sooner. If I’d just gotten to you faster-
“Stop,” I whispered, squeezing his hand back. “None of this is your fault. You came for me. You always do.”
His eyes flicked up to mine, and there was a fierceness in them that both warmed and scared me. “You shouldn’t have to get hurt for me to protect you,” he said. “I won’t let it happen again.”
I opened my mouth to reassure him, but the door swung open, and the room shifted like a cold draft.
Scott stood there, drenched from the rain, hair plastered to his forehead, eyes wild with desperation.
“Nadine,” he breathed, stepping in before the nurse could stop him. “I need to talk to you.” My whole body tensed, my hand clinging tighter to Niccolo’s. Scott looked a mess, the once immaculate, untouchable man now hollowed out, his eyes red as if he hadn’t slept for days.
Niccolo stood, blocking him with his body. “Get out,” he snapped. “You don’t belong here.” Scott ignored him, eyes fixed on me like I was his last lifeline. “Please. Just hear me out. I know I messed up, I know! But I’m here now. I’ll fix this, Nadine. I’ll make everything right. We can start over-”
–
after
“Start over?” I croaked, my throat raw with disbelief. “After everything you did Jasmine, the lies, the fake marriage, the baby- you think we can just start over?” He fell to his knees beside my bed, clutching my free hand like he had any right to touch
- me.
“I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know how much I’d ruined you. But I see it now. I need you, Nadine. I can’t breathe without you.”
Niccolo let out a sharp laugh, pushing Scott away so roughly he fell onto the floor. “You don’t get to say that anymore.”
Scott surged forward, but Niccolo was quicker, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him
un to his feet
Chapter 12
up to his feet.
His fist connected with Scott’s jaw with a sickening crack, sending him staggering back against the wall.
“Niccolo!” I gasped, my heart thundering in my chest.
Scott wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring at Niccolo through a haze of rage and something more desperate. “She’s mine,” he spat, chest heaving. “She’s always been mine. I’ll make her mine again-”
I flinched at his words, bile rising in my throat. Niccolo’s knuckles were white around Scott’s shirt. “You think you still own her? After everything you did?”
“Niccolo, stop!” I said sharply, my voice shaking. “He’s not worth it.”
Niccolo let him go with a shove. Scott stumbled, his back hitting the wall. He looked at me like a wounded animal. “Please, Nadine. I’ll do anything. Anything. Just give me one more chance-”
I turned my head away, unable to stomach the sight of him. “Get out.”
Scott’s mouth fell open, but before he could speak, Niccolo barked to the bodyguards outside the room. “Take him. Don’t let him near her again.”
Two men stepped in, dragging Scott out by the arms as he shouted my name over and over. I squeezed my eyes shut until the door slammed, the silence echoing in my head like a promise of peace.
A few days later, I was finally discharged from the hospital. My body still ached with every step, but my mind felt clearer than it had in years.
Niccolo and my mother hovered close, making sure I didn’t lift a finger more than necessary.
I thought Scott would stop after that scene. I thought he’d finally understand that I was gone that we were done. But I was wrong.
–
He didn’t disappear. He lurked. I saw his car parked across from the gallery, his figure hunched under an umbrella in the pouring rain.
Every time I passed the window, there he was waiting for me to break.
–
eyes locked on the door like he was
It went on for days. At first, I pretended not to see him. I threw myself into my paintings, into planning the wedding, into the warmth of Niccolo’s touch.
But one night, I found him standing by the gate, drenched to the bone, the rain dripping from his hair into his eyes, his lips trembling.
“Nadine,” he choked out when I stepped outside, pulling my coat tighter around my shoulders. “Please. Just… just come back.”
I stared at him, at this shell of the man I’d once loved so foolishly. I didn’t feel pity. I didn’t feel anger. All I felt was an exhausted kind of freedom.
I reached into my bag, pulling out the cream envelope I’d prepared days ago. His eyes darted between my face and my hand as I pressed it into his palm.
Chapter 12
“What is this?” he whispered.
I stepped back, rain soaking my hair as I met his eyes one last time. “It’s an invitation,” I said softly. “I’m getting married, Scott. To someone who knows how to love me. Please stop showing up. You don’t belong here anymore.”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I turned my back, the weight of a thousand broken memorie lifting off my shoulders with every step back toward my future.
Behind me, Scott’s broken sob vanished into the rain.
