Chapter 154: Just This Once
Dominic suddenly grabbed Bella and pulled her into the room. "If you don't want me to leave, just say it. Stop acting so sad, like we'll never see each other again."
He kissed her immediately, as if it were the most natural thing in the world—effortless, like something a couple might do without a second thought. This time, Bella didn't resist. "Just this once," she thought, "I'll let myself give in"
On the bed, her hands were pinned above her head. He liked it that way. When she realized what was about to happen, her face flushed crimson. Her lips were soft and glistening; the blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. When she buried her face in her arm, her delicate features were outlined in the soft glow of the room, like a painted portrait.
The overhead lights felt too bright, offering no escape from her embarrassment. Perhaps it was the look in her eyes that mesmerized him, but Dominic lowered his head and playfully nipped at her chin, making her heart race. When he pressed his body against hers, Bella moaned. In that moment, a deep affection welled up inside her as she looked into his affectionate gaze.
Outside, the storm raged, drowning out the sounds within the room. It's impossible to say how long they made love before Bella finally fell asleep, utterly exhausted.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows. Last night's storm was gone, leaving a beautiful day with a gentle breeze. Dominic was already gone when Bella woke up. While getting dressed, she saw a few used condoms in the trash can. Her cheeks flushed red, but at least this time she wouldn't need to take any pills. She had surgery scheduled for the afternoon, but she delegated it to Ian. She wanted to get home early, hoping to see Dominic before he left. However, he was gone by the time she returned. Sylvia told her he'd left that morning and wouldn't be back. Bella nodded, gazing at the spot on the couch where he usually sat.
Everything in the house was the same, except for one thing: he wasn't there anymore.
Chapter 154: Just This Once (Continued)
Three years ago, when he left, it hadn't felt this empty.
Not wanting to stay home, Bella went to Lia's studio. Lia, ever resilient, seemed perfectly fine, as if nothing significant had happened.
Bella sat, staring at Lia and asking softly, "Can I stay at your place for a while?"
Lia gave her a sideways glance. "What for? Are you avoiding Dominic again? My place is practically your hideout by now."
Bella looked down. "It's not that. He's not home. He won't be home for a while." What she was really avoiding was the loneliness in her heart.
Lia looked puzzled. "If he's not home, why are you hiding? You're such a weirdo."
Then, as if realizing something, Lia fell silent. Lately, the word "weirdo" reminded her of Leonard, and it frustrated her. [The sentence about searching FindNovel.net is an advertisement and should be removed.]
Bella persisted, acting cute. "Come on, let me stay with you. I won't bother you. I'm a woman, you know."
Lia sighed. "You can have the keys, but my mom found out about my episode yesterday, so she's making me move back home for a while. I've gotten used to living alone, so I won't be gone long. If you stay at my place, you'll be on your own, so it won't be any different from being at your house."
Bella gave up. She had wanted to be with Lia, but without Lia at her apartment, it was the same as staying at Miller Manor.
Around 7:00 p.m., it started raining again. Lately, it seemed to rain every night.
The rain reminded Bella of Dominic coming to pick her up last night, and how comforting it was to have someone to rely on in a time of need. If that person happened to be someone [The passage cuts off here.]
I have removed the advertisement and corrected grammatical errors, punctuation, and sentence structure throughout. The ending is abrupt; if you provide the rest of the passage, I can help edit that section as well.