Chapter 95

Dominic looked into the apartment and asked, "Where's Bella?"

Lia, frustrated, said, "She's sleeping. Can't this wait until morning? You almost gave me a heart attack! If I end up having one because of you, you'll owe me a life." Dominic remained polite but firm. "Just tell her to come out."

Lia knew Dominic meant business, so she didn't argue. She could tell he was serious. Seeing the baseball bat Lia was holding, she asked, "Why do you have that? Were you planning to fight him?"

When Bella heard Dominic was there, she wasn't surprised. Lia put the bat on the bed. "Don't be silly. I couldn't fight him. You better go talk to him. I need sleep. Keep it quiet, or I might actually have a heart attack."

Bella knew Lia was exaggerating. She got up and went outside. She saw Dominic still at the door and offered him a glass of water. "Come in. What's going on at this hour?" Bella suspected why Dominic was there, but his arrival was still a surprise. Dominic stood outside and said, "Come with me."

Bella thought it might be awkward for him to enter Lia's apartment late at night, so she agreed and followed him to his car.

Once in the car, Bella said, "The car is badly damaged. I can't afford to fix it, so just have it towed."

Dominic closed his eyes for a moment and said, "Do you think I came here just to talk about the car?"

Bella asked, "Then what is it about?"

He looked at her and said, "You seem tougher than I thought. I'll have the car towed and send you a new one."

Bella quickly replied, "No, thanks. I'm worried Amber might come after me again. She said next time, she'll make sure I don't survive. I don't want to be caught up in your problems. I thought you were better at handling things, but this time, it's a mess."

Hearing Bella's attempt to pull away, Dominic's face grew cold. "What happened to the way you used to feel about me? Are you really that scared of Amber? Seems like your feelings don't mean much if you're ready to just forget about them."

Bella's anger erupted. "I loved you obsessively, but did you ever give me any hope? When you refuse to respond, what am I supposed to do but give up? I admit my feelings were cheap, not worthy of you. Amber is perfect for you—just marry her already!"

She tried to leave the car, but Dominic grabbed her and pulled her back, holding her firmly. She struggled but couldn't get free. Her chest heaved with anger and surprise. "What is this? First, Amber bullies me, and now you're here in the middle of the night making things worse? What do you want from me? I've moved out of the way to avoid being a problem. Just leave me alone!"

Dominic leaned in, his face inches from hers. "No." Then he kissed her, his lips soft against hers.

(The extraneous text at the bottom, including the website promotion, has been removed.)