Page 153 of Dex

“I don’t love you, I never will.But this man, he loves me, and I love him, and nothing can break that.He’s my future.He always was.My mistake?Coming to you thinking I’d run out of options.”Her eyes turn to mine, shiny, bright.“I should have trusted you, like you asked me to.”

I nod.

“But you left him,” Ramos hisses, breaking our tender moment.“What makes you think he won’t go back to his old ways?”

“I know this man.I know the deepest parts of him, and still I choose him.He might not be perfect, but he’s mine, and this time, I’m not walking away.”

Ramos’s face is flushed, his chest heaving.“You think this is over?”

I step in front of Daniela, shielding her with my body.“This is me being polite, old man.Disappear.Now.”He blinks.I lean in just enough for only him to hear.“You come near her again, I won’t sue, I won’t negotiate.I’ll bury you so deep your own men won’t find the body.”

Ramos stiffens, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of waiting for a reply.I take Daniela’s hand and we walk out of the restaurant without looking back.

“Asshole,” I mutter, as we stand outside in the balmy night air.

“You came for me, Dexter.”Her voice is soft, with a hint of surprise, like she can’t believe I’m here, for her.Claiming her back.My thumb brushes her cheek, and I don’t care who sees.

Behind her, Ramos leaves a few minutes later, with his bodyguard in tow.I bring my gaze back to Daniela.“I can’t live without you,” I confess.“It took me losing you to realize that.”

Tears glimmer in her eyes, but she smiles through them, soft, fierce, herself.And in that moment, I know.We’ve survived betrayal and trickery.Power dynamics and the old man’s scheming.We’ve come out the other end, and I know now that we can survive anything.

But there’s something I need to know.

“Why did you do this, Daniela?Why did you run to him, when I told you I needed some time and space?”

“How could I trust you?”she whispers, looking at me like she’s torn in two.Like she so badly wants to believe I’m going to do the decent thing, but she’s been so broken by all the lies, too distrustful of anything touched by the Knights.

“But I asked you for some—”

“Time and space, Dexter.I know, but I thought you were pushing me away again.”

I shake my head, catch her hands in mine, pressing them firmly, like I never want to let go.

“Never.You were finding out about the old man, and as soon as I heard what he did, I knew we needed to fight back.All I could think about was how to get your father his company back.I’m sorry I didn’t put you first.I thought you knew how I felt about you.I know how much your family means to you.I know what you did was out of love, you sacrificed your happiness to fly here, to meet a crazy American billionaire, from an even crazier family.I knew your main worry would be your parents.That’s all I was thinking of, how to put things right.I thought you and I were tight.”

I lift one trembling hand to her face, brushing my thumb along her jawline, feeling the way she shudders at my touch.I love her so much.I don’t just need her, I can’t live without her.She’s my oxygen, my redemption, my soul mate.She saved me from myself.

“But you were already thinking of an exit strategy.You weren’t even going to last the year.”

My face falls.“I was.I wasn’t thinking of you, I admit that.I wasn’t thinking of anything but revenge, at that time.You have to know that was before I went into this.And then I did start to think about leaving sooner, after three months …”

Her eyes widen, I see her flinch, and put my hand to her face.Needing her to listen and understand.I don’t want any lies between us.

“Hear me out, amor.That was after we came back from our honeymoon, when I was battling with my heart, warring with my emotions, denying that you meant anything to me.Denying that I was falling in love with you.Love is scary, Daniela,” I whisper.“I thought I wasn’t capable of love,” I continue, my voice wavering.“But you proved me wrong.I can’t let you marry someone else, because you’re the only woman who’s ever seen me.Trulyseen me, and loved me anyway.”

Her eyes shine.A solitary tear slides down each cheek.

“I ran because I thought you were retreating again.You were pushing me away.”

“Never.”

“It felt like it.”

“I understand, and I’m sorry.”

“I wanted to believe you,” she whispers.“But I’ve been burned so many times, Dexter.Lied to.Used.And you’re a Knight.I didn’t know if you were any different.I thought you were back to your old tricks, coming home so late.”

I sigh with exasperation, seeing it through her eyes now.“I was on it the second you told me about the majority share.”

---