You Can Leave
604 Words
📖 Chapter 10: You Can Leave… But Not Escape
The silence after Victoria left felt heavy.
Too heavy.
I stood there, my thoughts spinning.
This place…
This life…
Her words echoed in my head.
Men like him don’t keep girls like you for long.
I took a step back.
“Dante… I can’t stay here.”
He looked at me immediately.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean this,” I said, gesturing around. “This isn’t my world.”
His gaze hardened slightly.
“You chose me.”
“I did,” I replied quickly. “But that doesn’t mean I have to lose myself.”
Silence.
Tension.
Real tension.
“I’m still a student,” I continued. “I have school, my life… I can’t just move into a mansion like this and pretend everything is normal.”
His jaw tightened.
“And you think leaving changes anything?”
I swallowed.
“No… but staying like this will.”
For a moment—
Neither of us spoke.
Then he exhaled slowly.
Like he was forcing himself to stay calm.
“You want to go back?” he asked.
“Yes.”
The word came out softer this time.
But it was firm.
He walked closer.
Slow.
Measured.
Until he was right in front of me again.
“You think distance will make this easier?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I need to breathe.”
His eyes searched mine.
Like he was trying to see if I was pulling away.
If I was regretting him.
I wasn’t.
But I needed space.
“Fine,” he said finally.
One word.
But it carried weight.
“You can go.”
Relief hit me—
But it didn’t last long.
Because he leaned in slightly.
His voice dropping.
“But don’t mistake that for freedom.”
My heart skipped.
“You’re still mine, Liana.”
The way he said it—
Possessive.
Certain.
Unshakable.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t,” I whispered.
Something flickered in his eyes again.
That same dangerous softness.
The ride back was quieter.
Different from before.
Now—
There was something real between us.
Something neither of us could ignore anymore.
When the car stopped in front of my place, I hesitated.
My hand on the door.
“Dante…”
He didn’t look at me.
“Yes?”
“This… us…” I struggled to find the right words. “It’s not going to be easy.”
“I never said it would be.”
I turned slightly toward him.
“Then why me?”
That question had been sitting in my chest for a while now.
He finally looked at me.
And the answer?
Came without hesitation.
“Because you didn’t chase me.”
My breath caught.
“You didn’t want anything from me,” he continued. “And you still don’t fully trust me.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“It’s the only honest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”
Silence.
Then—
“And because,” he added quietly, “I wanted you the moment I saw you.”
My heart skipped again.
I opened the door slowly.
Stepping out.
But before I closed it—
“Goodnight, Dante.”
“Goodnight, Liana.”
I walked inside.
Closed the door behind me.
I'm leaning against it.
My heart racing.
My life…
Was no longer simple.
Not anymore.
Outside—
Dante didn’t drive off immediately.
He sat there.
Watching the house.
Thinking.
Planning.
Because letting her leave?
Didn’t mean letting her go.
Not even close.
- Writer
