I barely slept the entire night. The failed bait attempt had my mind spiraling with worry, and knowing that Matilda—Dante's ex-lover—was behind all of this only made it worse. How did everything get so twisted? Dante and I had never talked about the people he had been involved with in the past, I never tried to ask because it was pretty much not my business. Our marriage was a charade- fake, and so, whatever he did was up to him and the same applies to me. As long as we remained the perfect happy couple in the eyes of the public, that was all that mattered.
Dante didn't sleep either. I could hear him pacing back and forth in the hallway, muttering under his breath. Finally, at the break of dawn, he seemed to have reached a decision. I was still curled up on the bed, but when he walked in, I could see the determination written all over his face.
"I have to confront her," he said, his tone leaving no room for debate.
My heart thumped in my chest. "You're going to see her? Alone?"
He nodded, his eyes softening when he saw the worry spread out on my face. "This is my problem, Sienna. She's doing this because of me. I need to put an end to it."
I pushed myself to sit up, the covers pooling around my waist. "But what if she—what if she tries something? She's clearly a psychopath, just like you said"
He sat next to me, taking my hands in his. "I'll be careful. The detective and his team will be nearby. I just... I need to confront her and make things clear to her, so she can get over all this and move on with her life."
I wanted to argue, to beg him not to go, but I could see the resolve in his eyes. This was something he had to do. Swallowing my fear, I squeezed his hands. "Just... Please promise me you'll be safe, I don't want you getting hurt."
His lips curved into a faint smile. "I promise."
He pulled me into his arms, his lips brushing against my forehead. I let myself sink into his warmth for just a moment longer before he pulled away. "Stay here. Lock the doors. I'll call you as soon as it's done."
And with that, he was gone.
The minutes ticked by like hours. I couldn't stop pacing, my mind racing with possibilities. What if she hurt him? What if this was a trap? I wanted to scream at the helplessness clawing at my chest. My phone buzzed, and I practically lunged for it, but it was just a message from work. I tossed it aside, my focus solely on Dante.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open. I whipped around to see Dante stepping inside. Relief washed over me so intensely that I nearly collapsed.
"Dante!" I rushed into his arms, wrapping myself around him like I'd never let go.
He held me tightly, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. "I'm okay," he whispered.
I pulled back, searching his face. "What happened?"
He guided me to the couch, his shoulders slouching with exhaustion. "It was Matilda, just as we thought. I found her at that upscale hotel she's been staying at. She didn't even bother denying it when I confronted her."
I furrowed my brows. "She admitted it? Just like that?"
Dante nodded, rubbing his temples. "She wasn't even trying to hide it. She was almost... proud of it. Said she did it because I betrayed her. That I left her and replaced her with you."
My heart sank. "That's insane."
He gave a bitter chuckle. "She thinks I owe her something. That I'm supposed to be with her because she was there first. But it was more than jealousy—it was obsession. She said hurting you would bring me back to her."
I shivered at the thought. "That's terrifying."
Dante leaned back, closing his eyes briefly. "The police were there. She's being taken into custody. She confessed to everything—the car accident, the threats, all of it. The police will handle the rest."
A weight lifted off my chest, but the fear still lingered. "Are you sure it's over?"
He looked at me, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Sienna. I never thought she'd go this far. If I had known—"
I placed a hand on his thigh, forcing him to meet my gaze. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have predicted this. She made her choices."
He covered my hand with his, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "I just want you safe. I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt because of me."
I smiled softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "It's all over now, we can put it all behind us… I hope."
He exhaled deeply, pulling me against his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, and it reassured me that we would be okay. We sat there in silence, wrapped up in each other, and for the first time in days, I felt safe.
That night, as we lay in bed, Dante pulled me closer, his arm wrapped securely around my waist. Just as I was drifting off, he whispered, "I almost lost you."
I turned to face him, to see the look in his eyes, but he was already fast asleep, must have been talking in his sleep.
My mind was filled with a lot of thoughts. These past few days made me see how much he cared for me and it gave me a lot of mixed feelings. Was there more to it? And most especially, him allegedly replacing Matilda with me, what did that imply? Did he give up whatever he had going on with her just because of me? That was a lot to take in. I couldn't interpret or read meaning to anything, just to avoid jumping into wrong conclusions. The most important thing was that I and my baby were finally safe and for the first time in days, I slept so well, almost like a log.