Chapter 24: Possession isn’t Protection
1413 Words
Emily’s POV
After dinner and boring speeches and the endless boring conversations, the orchestra began to play a slow, elegant waltz.
Couples sweetly drifted towards the dance floor as their laughter echoed.
Dario appeared beside me. “Dance with me.”
I blinked. “Is that supposed to be a request? Plus.. You think that’s a good idea? After what just..”
“It’s the perfect idea.” His voice was low and a bit intimate. “Let them see what they want. Let them see us.. I want them to see us.”
I hesitated, but his hand was already there, waiting.. The weight of the room’s attention pressed down on me as I placed my hand in his.
He carefully led me to the floor.
The music swelled and his palm rested at my waist, I could clearly feel the heat of it seeping through my gown as he moved with slow, deliberate grace.. every step calculated, every turn precise.
“You handled that beautifully,” he murmured.
“You didn’t give me much choice,” I replied while I tried to steady my voice as well as my footsteps.
Because dancing had never really been my thing.
“You always have a choice, Emily,” he said, as he locked his gaze with mine. “You just.. Well you just haven’t realized which ones are worth taking.”
His breath brushed my ear, and my pulse betrayed me in an uneven and wild way.
“Careful with your words,” I slowly whispered back. “People are watching.”
“Good,” he simply said. “Let them watch.. You see my dear, sometimes its a good thing to have some eyewitness just incase you need alibis”
And just like that, a proud set of applause broke out as the music ended, but before I could step away, a woman with a kind of brightly red cherry lipstick that loudly screamed ‘pick me’ holding a glass of champagne appeared before us.
“Davin Darling,” she purred, with a smile sharper than a jagged edged mirror. “You must personally introduce me to the special woman who managed to break you stone cold heart that I didn’t know was still beating.”
“Angela,” he said, with a tone that was polite and cool despite her obvious shade.
He turned to me. “She's a.. Board member.”
She turned her gaze to me, as though she was assessing me, with her smile that never quite reached her eyes.
“So this is the mysterious Mrs. Davin. You look oddly familiar, dear.. where oh where have I seen your little cute face.”
For a reason I had no idea about, I felt my stomach sink.
Angela tilted her head slightly and spoke loud enough for nearby guests to hear.
“Ahh Yessssss.. it is you.. Davin, Isn’t Emily your son’s ex-girlfriend? Rumor has it he announced their breakup days after your wedding. Is that why Austin isn’t here tonight?”
The words sliced through the air like a missile.
Conversations paused without warning, the sound of their laughter also faded and I felt every gaze turn toward us.
Before I could breathe, Dario’s calm and precise voice cut through the quiet hall.. ballroom whatever they called it.
“Well I’ve always admired your photographic memory Angela and what you said is true,” he calmly said. “.. But whatever my son had with Emily is in the past. Their relationship was done, dusted and buried before we got married.”
Whispers immediately swept through the room.
“So she knew he was her ex boyfriends father”
“Do you think she’s blackmailing him?”
Then someone.. I never saw who.. whispered too loudly.. probably on purpose, “Isn’t she young enough to be his child?”
Dario turned his head toward the voice with an expression as cold as ice.
“My marriage,” he said, “is built on mutual love and respect. Age and circumstance don’t define love, it never has.. Character does.”
The silence that followed was complete.
Then came the applause again.. although it felt forced at first before it grew.
Angela’s smile faltered and she excused herself with a tight nod.
“Of course, if you’re both happy then to hell with your past mistakes.. if you’ll excuse me”
And boy, was she quite excused.
Dario turned to me. “Shall we?” he said, offering his arm again as though nothing had happened.
But my pulse was already in a frenzy.. it was literally a drumbeat of anger and humiliation.
Hours later, after we had left the so called gala.. the city lay quiet beneath us, I stepped out onto the patio while I drank my wine directly from its bottle.
The night air was cool against my flushed skin but not cool enough to calm my temper and the wine only made it worse.
The echoes of laughter and music still clung faintly in my head and I wanted to shatter them.
Footsteps sounded behind me.. I didn’t have to turn to know who it was.
It was the husband of the moment.. the great Dario Davin.
He stopped beside me and was silent for a moment.
“You had no right to say that,” I spat out.
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand but his answer fueled my anger even more. “Say what exactly?”
“That our marriage is built on love.”
“Would you rather I said nothing?”
“Yes,” I said sharply. “I’d rather you hadn’t turned me into a headline.”
He studied me, expression unreadable. “I turned you into something untouchable.”
“Untouchable? Your son broke me and you?..” I let out a bitter laugh. “You turned me into a scandal, Dario.”
“Scandals fade,” he said softly. “Legends don’t.”
“How wonderful that this is coming from a man who.. And you stand there saying.. you’ve ruined my life.. Arghhh.. I’m pretty sure it’s all over the internet..”
“Emily”
“I’m pretty sure everyone thinks I’m some sort of cheap slut who when she couldn’t bag the don she went for the dad”
“Emily.. Stop it”
“Stop what? Were you the one whose character was questioned? Were you the one? And what was my offense? I needed a one night stand.. I needed a break.. A way to escape..”
“Emily! That’s enough” His voice echoed, but who cared.
“Enough? What’s enough? I didn’t want any of this.. I didn’t want to get broken and betrayed by those fools, I definitely didn’t want to be your wife and I definitely didn’t marry you for your wealth.. I may not have been as crazy rich as you but.. I had my own money..”
“Emily!! You’re going too far” He replied but this time in a calmer way that confused me.
“I was okay, I was happy to an extent.. me and my sister we were fine despite my fathers death.. but now? Thanks to you and your stupid son my life is ruined.. I’m being painted as a..”
“You’re mine now Emily.. I will protect you”
I turned to him and pointed a finger, anger written all over my face. “You think possession is protection.”
“And you think distance and being low-key will keep you safe,” he replied, his tone calm.. too calm. “We’re both wrong.. You are mine Emily, and I promise what happened tonight will never ever repeat itself.”
“You can’t control everything that happens Dario”
“For you Emily.. I’d burn the world”
Silence stretched between us.. tense, hot.. No! electric.
For a moment, neither of us looked away.
He stepped closer again, not enough to touch, but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him.
The city lights glittered from afar, a thousand tiny stars twinkled in the air.
“You did well tonight,” he said quietly.
I looked at him, searching for the man behind the control, the armor. Maybe he was looking for the same in me.
“I hate you ,” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.. He didn’t need to.
The silence and heat between us said everything.
- Writer
