Page 53 of Seductive Desires

I jerked my gaze to his, gasping. His hand tightened around mine but he was frowning at me. I was so shocked that it took me a minute to comprehend what he said to me. I scowled.

“That would’ve been a stupid idea, and you know it.”

“I would have kept you safe.”

“You can’t even keep yourself safe!” I snapped, yanking my hand from his. “You’ve been attacked twice and I’m the one who had to save you! Don’t pretend it's the other way around!”

His eyes narrowed. Well, as much as they could, anyway. His face was still pretty swollen. “I do not need you to protect me, Mariana. Besides, I have my own security team, they would have kept you safe.”

“Oh really? And where were they when you got taken by Stephen? Where are they now, Mateo? Because from what I can tell, you’re here alone!” I gestured around the room, as if that would prove my point. “You need to stop ditching them every chance you get! They have to be able to do their job. You can’t protect yourself!”

“And you can? He was going to shoot you, Mariana!”

I rolled my eyes. “I had it covered! Dmitriy made me wear a damn vest! I was there to save you, not the other way around, Mateo! What the hell were you thinking?”

He scowled. “I do not need to explain myself to you.”

My eyebrows flew up. It felt like he just slapped me across the face. “Oh really? So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?”

“Mariana, I–”

I cut him off with a swipe of my hand. “No. You know what?” I clenched my hands into fists. “I’m done. I’ve had enough of men making decisions for me. It wasn’t your place to go after Stephen. You aren’t my boyfriend.” I could tell I was hurting him with what I was saying, I was hurting myself too. But I was tired of fighting to have my voice heard.

“What are you saying, Mariana?”

I sucked in a breath. “I’m saying goodbye, Mateo. We both knew this wouldn’t work out, not with what you do and with all the baggage I have. So I’m going to walk away now, before we both get more hurt.”

I spun on my heel, heading toward the door. For the second time since I met him, I was leaving him alone in the hospital. Things come full circle in a strange way. This time, though, he didn’t call out to me, didn’t try to follow me. I made it all the way to the elevator without any interruptions. When the door swung open, Amari bumped into me on her way out. She looked surprised to see me. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Do me a favor this time, don't follow me.”

She looked confused as I brushed past her, jabbing my finger on the button for the lobby. She jerked her head towards Mateo’s room then swung back to me. She looked like she was about to say something when the doors slid closed.

Jo and Gabi were waiting in the waiting room with Liam and Dmitriy. I was going to go right past them, but that felt cruel. They didn’t do anything to deserve me treating them that way. Instead, I walked up to them, thrusting my hand out to Dmitriy.

“Thank you for all your help.” I shook his hand then did the same to Liam. “I really appreciate it. If there’s anything I can do in the future to pay you back, please let me know.” My voice was curt, like I was finishing a business transaction instead of thanking the people who had taken care of me. Jo looked confused when I pulled her in for a hug.

“Thank you both for being my friends. You’re really good people.” I hugged Gabi and stepped back.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Liam guessed. When I nodded, Jo protested.

“No way! You can’t! Not after everything–” Liam pulled her against him tightly, shaking his head.

“It’s her choice, Jo. Let her go.”

“Thank you,” I nodded to him. Making eye contact with each of them one more time, I smiled softly. “You really changed my mind about the mafia. Stay safe, okay?”

With a wave, I spun on my heel and walked away. Away from the friends I made, away from the life I had been living, away from the man I was hopelessly in love with… It was time to start living life on my terms. And as I stepped outside and the sunset washed over me, I felt it for the first time. Relief. I am finally free.

ChapterTwenty-Six

I spenta week trying to sort out my emotions and deal with my apartment. Stephen had trashed it while he waited for me to come home. There was a lot to sort through. The one picture I had of my mother was torn in half, the plants all ripped out of their pots and thrown around the room. Every dish I owned was broken. Most of my clothes were thrown around my room. I didn’t feel comfortable wearing most of it since I didn’t want to wear something he touched so I ended up having to dip into my savings to replace the necessities. I was heartbroken when I saw the dress I wore to the gala. Stephen had shredded it beyond repair.

Liam had one of his men drop off my stuff so I didn’t have to go back to his house. I was grateful for that. I didn’t want to face the memories that I gained in that house. I was more broken up about leaving Mateo than I thought I would be since I was the one who chose to leave. And this time, he didn’t come chasing after me. No phone calls, no flowers, no visits.

Eventually, I got tired of crying myself to sleep at night. I called Carlos, telling him everything, and requested an extra week off. I need to get the hell out of Chicago for a while, to clear my head. I have been living in fear for so long, I felt like I couldn’t cope.

Carlos was pissed, of course, that I didn’t call him sooner. No matter how many times I told him it was too dangerous, he still bitched at me. But he gave me the time off anyway. He was the only person I told where I was going. Jo and Gabi tried texting and calling, but I never answered them. I was trying to close that chapter of my life and move on, and even though they became really good friends, I couldn’t separate them from everything that happened.

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