by Adom Sample
“He’d have these episodes where he was the kindest man you’d ever want to meet, then five minutes later he’d be screaming at me for no reason at all. He’d kick me out of his apartment and threaten to call another girl to have sex with, just to make me jealous. It got to a point where I would be afraid to answer his calls. But I knew if I didn’t, he would leave insane voice messages accusing me of being with another guy. I would make excuse after excuse for him, blaming myself, saying I must have done something to set him off, or that he was drunk, or some other foolishness to convince myself to run back to him.
“It wasn’t until he saw me talking to one of my guy friends at Starbucks that he went totally psychotic. He invited me over to his apartment and told me he had a surprise for me. When I walked through those doors, I entered a nightmare I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Without saying a word, he punched me in the face, and then slapped me repeatedly. He called me every name you could think of. When I woke up the next morning, I was chained to his bed in a puddle of blood. He raped me for hours and beat me with chains and whips.
“When it was over, the only words he said to me before leaving me for dead were, Sluts deserve cuts. Then he threw pictures of himself having sex with all these women in my face. He got dressed and left me there, bloody and naked. If it weren’t for his neighbor who heard my screams, I probably wouldn’t have made it. Do you remember that time I called you and said I was going on vacation for a while? Well, I was actually in the hospital that whole time.”
“Dear Lord, Maya, I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?” I was both heartbroken and speechless by her story. I couldn’t believe she would keep something like that from me.
“I was ashamed and embarrassed,” she said. I sat there stunned. I couldn’t believe she went through that. Of all the things that could happen and of all the things she could have kept from me, this definitely wasn’t one I’d expect. “Now do you see, Isabella? You have to leave him. Don’t let that happen to you. I beg you.”
She grabbed my knees and pleaded with me, but I knew my husband, and I knew he would never do something like that. Her situation was entirely different from mine, as my husband and I had known each other since we were kids, and I was confident he could never do something like that to me.
“Did you seek counseling?” I asked. Without saying a word, she just stared at me. She wasn’t very forthcoming about what happened afterward, but I was sure she would tell me when the time was right. I just hoped that bastard was behind bars.
She grabbed my knees again. “That was in the past. We need to focus on you right now, Isabella. Promise me you’ll leave him.”
“Maya, I’ve known him since we were children. I think I know him pretty well. He was drunk, and he just needs time to cool off, that’s all.”
She stood up and looked at me with worry. I hoped she was not reflecting her own experience on me. I just wished she had told me about what happened to her sooner. We could have talked it out, found a way for her to cope with the trauma.
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said. I stood up and put my arm on her shoulder, wrapping it around her neck and pulling her closer to me. I hugged her tight, giving her comfort and letting her know she wasn’t alone.
“I’ll be fine, I swear.”
“I hope so, Isabella. I hope so.” She took her purse and put it on her shoulder. “Would you like for me to stay with you?”
I sat back on the bed. “I think I’ll be fine. Dante is on his way here anyway.” I allowed the words to slip from my mouth. I hadn’t been sure if I was going to tell her or not.
“Did you just say Dante is on his way here?” she exclaimed. She sat beside me. “There is no way I’m leaving now. Why is he coming here?”
“I told him what happened.”
She stared at me, shocked. “Tell me what he said when you told him.”
But before I could give her the details, my phone rang. It was Oliver. Why would he be calling me at this time of night? “Hold on, Maya. I have to take this. It’s Oliver.”
“Hello?” I answered. Maya frowned.
“Hello, Isabella. I heard something happened between you and Nathan. Is everything okay?”
I looked at Maya, confused. “Yes, everything is fine. How did you find out about us?”
“Maya told me.”
“I see.”
“Listen, Isabella. I know it’s hard, but I think you should go back to him and try to talk this out. As a man, I know we make mistakes. I think you should go back home and straighten things out with him. You’ll solve nothing apart,” he said. It was somewhat bewildering that he would have all this knowledge about my situation. Did Maya tell him all this before she came here? Why the hell would Maya call Oliver and tell him anything about this?
“Thanks, Oliver. But I think I can handle it from here. We’ll talk in the morning.” I hung up before he could say anything else.
“What did he want?” she said.
Again, I looked at her in confusion. “He told me you told him everything that happened.”
“I haven’t told anyone anything. I haven’t had the time to tell anyone else, and as a matter of fact, I don’t have his number, so there’s no way for me to contact him during off hours.”
“He said you told him everything.”
“I’ve been talking to you this whole time, Isabella. When would I have had a chance to tell him anything? More importantly, I have no reason to tell Oliver anything about us. We don’t even communicate socially,” she said firmly.
“Then how the hell did he know?”
“Beats me.”
I gazed at my phone and wondered. Did he just lie to me? He had never been concerned with my private life before, so why would he show concern now? I would ask him tomorrow.
“So, are you going to tell me what Dante said or not? Why is he coming here? I thought he had some business in London.” This woman lived for gossip. If I told her he became furious, it would only reinforce her notion that he had feelings for me. But I already knew the truth after our lunch date in South Korea.
“Earth to Isabella!” She waved her hands in front of my face.
“He was upset when I told him,” I said hastily.
“How upset?” she questioned. As usual, I tried to hold back information, but she always knew how to drag it out of me.
“He was just upset,” I said again.
“I see.” She gave me a suspicious yet delighted grin. I already knew what was going to come out of her mouth.
“Don’t say it,” I exclaimed before she could say a word.
“What?” she asked, with that same little smile adorning her face.
“You know what.” We gazed at each other for a moment. She knew what I meant, yet she would say it anyway, just to tease me. We both knew Dante had feelings for me. With the way things were going, I thought I might be developing feelings for him too. And then there was the issue of my secret admirer and his letters. I was all over the place. What I needed was sleep. When Dante got here, I would try to find out how he truly felt about me.
I’d wanted to get this off my chest since we left South Korea, and I wasn’t going to allow any more interruptions. He was going to finish the sentence he started the last time we were together. With my marriage in limbo, now was as good a time as any.
Chapter 25
Dante
Exhaustion weighed me down as we left the airstrip. Our limo had been waiting to take me to Isabella’s hotel at the Viceroy L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills. I hadn’t slept at all the whole trip. Thoughts of that piece of shit forcing Isabella down, kissing her, and ripping off her clothes had me on the breaking point.
Gaspard was able to shake the thoughts of murder out of my mind and console the better part of my nature. I was glad for him because I had every intention of strangling Nathan to death when we got there. This could not go on for much longer. She had to come to her senses and leave that idiot. What more proof did
she need?
While her cousin Maya and I may have had our differences, we could agree on one thing—Isabella must seek refuge from him. I was sure she’d told Maya the same thing she’d said to me, and if she had, no doubt they had been talking all night. I hoped Maya would be able to persuade her to leave her destructive marriage. Otherwise, what else could be done to convince her?
I might have to go back on my promise and confess everything I was withholding to her. My undying love, my heart and soul, the letters—everything. I had been wondering, though. What would she think of me if I were to tell her now? Would she shun me? Would she be shocked or feel betrayed?
The truth would be shown to her eventually, but it must be subtle. Actually, no. Thinking of it now, I knew I couldn’t tell her yet. Not in the dismayed emotional state she was in right now. I couldn’t make any judgment calls based on how I was feeling. I had to wait. Compounding her turmoil with my affection was the last thing she needed.
“Sir, we’re here,” said the driver, pulling up to the hotel. I just wanted to see if she was all right. I had to see her. After she emailed me the name of the hotel she was staying in, I had my people put her up in the presidential suite. We made our way into the hotel and up the elevator. Having stayed there many times before, I knew exactly where to go once I got there. The moment Gaspard and I stepped out of the elevator we heard shouting.
“Get out of here, Nathan. She doesn’t want to see you!” someone yelled down the hallway. We followed the voice until we saw them. It was Nathan banging on the door of the presidential suite where Isabella was staying. My rage skyrocketed. How the hell did he find her? I knew she didn’t call him. She promised me she wouldn’t. At that point, I didn’t know how I was going to keep myself from beating the shit out of him. He was right there asking for it.
“Let me in, Maya! I want to see my wife!” he shouted, kicking at the door. This was the perfect opportunity. The sack of shit is finished.
“Hey, you remember me, you piece of sh—” I hollered before Gaspard grabbed me and placed his hand around my mouth, keeping me from saying another word. He pulled me into a corner out of their view when security rushed to the door. They dragged Nathan to the elevator and put him in restraints. He never saw me, and I had lost my chance.
“Let go of me! I had him!” I shouted.
“Understand, Dante, the last thing you want to be involved in is a brawl. How do you think Isabella will react if you beat the crap out of her husband? I understand you’re emotionally disconcerted right now, but try to think about this logically,” he said. I sighed. This was infuriating. “Try to calm down. He’s gone now. Why don’t you go see how she’s doing? She’s the reason you came here, not him,” he said, pointing me toward the door. I took a deep frustrated breath and made my way over. I gave the door a knock and waited for it to open.
“I thought I told you to go away, Nathan!” shouted Maya.
“It’s Dante,” I said calmly. I could see her little eye looking through the peephole.
“I’m sorry, Dante. Give us a minute,” she said. “It’s Dante,” I heard her whisper through the door. After that, I heard a loud thump. I stood outside for a good fifteen minutes before they opened the door for me. There she was, sitting on a couch across from the doorway in a pink silk robe, her long black hair soaked as if she’d just gotten out of the shower. How was I to contain myself in the face of such beauty?
I couldn’t say a word, nor could I move. Her beauty had me frozen. As I stood speechless in the doorway, she looked at me with a smile of relief. How I’d missed her so. I could not do without her. I never wanted to leave her side again.
“You might want to wipe the drool off your bottom lip,” Maya whispered in my ear jokingly.
“What did you say?” Isabella asked.
“Nothing,” she said with a sly grin.
“Thanks for coming, Dante. You don’t know how much I appreciate all this. The presidential suite here is amazing.” She seemed cheerful, but I knew that was simply a façade. Underneath her joyous tone was sadness. I could see it in her eyes.
“It was the least I could do,” I responded. She crossed her legs and the robe fell slightly, revealing her upper thigh. My heart started racing.
“Could you give us a minute?” she asked.
“Of course.” Maya closed the door, leaving Gaspard outside by himself. She then made her way to the guest room and sat on one of the leather couches.
“I meant for you to leave. As in, leave the suite.” Isabella gave her a stern look.
“Fine.” Maya frowned. Joining Gaspard outside, she closed the door behind her. For the first time, I didn’t want Maya to leave. While I had good control over my impulses, there was no telling what I might do if left alone with this beautiful angel. Isabella walked past me and smiled before she went to the door to lock it. I got a whiff of her euphoric, hypnotizing scent calling me to hold her tight in my arms again.
“I’m so glad you decided to come, Dante.” To my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I shivered in passionate serenity as I returned the favor, pulling her close, breathing her essence into my lungs. I didn’t want to let her go, and she didn’t pull away from my embrace. In fact, she welcomed it and hugged me even tighter.
“I don’t ever want to let you go,” I let slip off my tongue, hoping she didn’t hear me.
“I don’t want to let you go either,” she whispered. My heart dropped down near my ankles. I couldn’t believe this was happening. After all this time.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Isabella. I-I didn’t mean to say that,” I stuttered. She unclenched her arms from around my waist and looked me in the eyes.
“Yes, you did.” She smiled.
“Is everything all right now?” I tried to change the subject. I noticed her cut lip and black eye. She turned around and put her back to me.
“Dante, is it okay if I show you something?” Her voice was fretful.
“You can show me anything you wish.” She turned back around to face me, revealing her upper chest just above her breast. Bruises and scratches were spread all over her as if a wild animal had bitten and clawed her blue and purple.
“Did he do this?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“Yes, but he was just a little excited. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea!” I shouted. She withdrew and covered herself up, walking over to the bed to sit. “Isabella, you can’t go on like this. How long will it be before he does something irreversible? When I described the meaning of making love to you in Seoul, you cried tears of envy. How many times does he have to break your heart before you realize you deserve so much more?”
She put her face in the palms of her hands and started to cry. Hoping I hadn’t been too forceful in my tone, I walked over to the bed and sat beside her. She put her arms around my neck, crawled into my lap, curled into a ball, and sobbed with her face in my chest.
“Despite all the things he’s done and how he treats me, I still love him,” she said in a raspy voice. The words I still love him threw me into a whirlwind of dismay coupled with disbelief and anger. How could she love this man? It just didn’t make sense to me. “I know this may sound silly, but he’s the only man I’ve ever been with. He’s the only man I’ve ever made love to. He’s the only man I’ve ever known,” she confided in me.
It all made sense now. How could she know there were better options out there if she had never known anything but this?
“Isabella, I know it hurts, and I know what you’re going through is emotionally painful, but please believe me when I tell you that abusive relationships are never the answer, no matter how much you love him.”
“But he’s not abusive. It was just this one time and . . .”
“One time is enough. From what we talked about in Seoul and the fact that you are in this hotel room, I can tell he is extremely abusive to you mentally and now physically. You are a strong woman. I ho
pe you see how much I care for you, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“And how much do you care about me?”
“More than you know.”
“Why do you care about me?”
I struggled to find tactful words to describe how much I cared about her without telling her I was in love with her. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. I wiped away the little droplets of sorrow on her face and pulled her hair away from her lips and eyes. She was beautiful—everything I desired.
“We haven’t known each other long. Why do you care about me so much, Dante?” she repeated.
“Because everything you are is the epitome of everything a man could want.”
She pushed herself closer to my body and wrapped her legs around my waist. Taking my head in both her hands, she forced me to look her in the eyes. That’s when I noticed she was wearing nothing underneath her robe. This was maddening. The warmth of her semi-nude body gave me chills and caused my self-control to fall by the wayside. I could take her right now if I wanted to—Lord knew I had dreamed of nothing else.
“Dante, please just tell me. Are you in love with me?”
I fell silent. I couldn’t tell her I was in love with her—not yet. But she had me. How did I get out of this situation? She was sitting on top of me with my face in her hands in a somewhat tight grip. Tears were still forming in her eyes, and I could see the desperation of wanting to be loved on her face. What was I going to do? She was still a married woman, and if I told her my feelings, it would mean she’d left her husband for me and not because it was what she needed to do. I was caught in a conundrum with no way out.
“Dante, please! Tell me!” she demanded, shaking my head back and forth.