CHASING TEMPTATIONS
1774 Words
CHAPTER 3: CHASING TEMPTATIONS
Mary Jane knew—she should have buried him among the sins of that island, like everything had never happened in the first place. Dimitri wasn’t just a memory, he was temptation incarnate, the kind of danger that tasted like paradise and burned like hell after. But her heart… it refused to forget the memories they shared, the stolen kisses, and freedom that she felt for the very first time with him. It clung to that night—how her body had arched for him, how she cried out his name while her wedding ring weighed heavy on her finger. That night, she didn't belong to Ignacio. She belonged to Dimitri. And he made her forget the misery she was married into.
He had kissed away every wound and scar on her body delicately, tracing over her torment like he was trying to erase it. But when she rejected him, when she chose duty over desire, she thought it was over. That the cruel thread of fate between them had finally snapped, and that everything would get back to normal again, she was wrong.
Because there he was—Dimitri Del Valle—standing like a ghost from the past at the charity ball she'd reluctantly attended with her mother. Alive. Regal. Dangerous.
“Tired of pretending, Mrs. Rosewood?” His voice, smooth and slow, crawled over her skin like smoke. She startled, instinctively stepping back.
“Am I that frightening?” he asked, a hint of mockery playing in his smile.
She steadied herself. She castigated herself to get a grip, because if she lose her composure now, her mother might grow suspicious and all hell might break loose.
Don’t do anything stupid, Jane. Don’t invite pain in again. Her heart begged her to retreat, reminded her of Igancio’s wrath the night after she returned from Boracay. The bruises had faded, but the terror still echoed.
Sensing her reluctance, Dimitri exhaled, the sharp edges of his composure softening. His gaze drifted toward the garden, as though he couldn't bear to meet her eyes.
“I looked for you,” he confessed. “After you left. I went back to Bora. I waited. I searched. But it was like you vanished.” His voice trembled, just slightly. “I told myself a few months would be enough to forget you. That I could move on, distract myself with someone else. But I couldn’t. I kept looking, Jane…..I never stopped.”
Her chest tightened, the truth of his words striking something raw. But she couldn’t risk it—not again. Hope was a cruel thing, and she was too tired to chase illusions. If she ran away with Dimitri, Igancio would find her. And he wouldn’t stop until she was broken beyond repair.
“Dimitri, I—”
“There you are! I’ve been searching everywhere, Dimitri!” A high-pitched voice sliced through the moment like glass.
Jane seized her chance to leave. She didn’t even glance back. Her heels clicked urgently on the marble floor, the sound of retreat.
She hoped he was taken. That woman’s tone, the way she latched onto Eliot, it was all she needed. He deserved someone untouched by scars. Someone free to love him out in the open.
“Where have you been?” her mother snapped the moment she caught her. “I told you not to stray.”
“Just… just outside,” Jane murmured, lying effortlessly.
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Write me a cheque. Now. I won’t let my amigas outshine me.”
“Ma...” she hesitated. “I don’t have any more money.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” her mother scoffed. “Of course you do.”
“I really don’t—”
“Hush!” Her mother’s voice lashed like a whip. “Write it!”
Swallowing her pride, Jane scribbled the amount on the cheque and handed it to the organizer. From across the room, she caught Dimitri’s eyes. He smiled. She looked away. Beside him, that same woman clung to his side.
She knew that look. Territorial. Possessive.
“Oh my! A generous donation from Mrs. Rosewood!” the host announced gleefully.
The crowd clapped politely. Jane forced a shy smile. She turned to leave—until the murmurs behind her cut deeper than any slap.
“Gold digger. If it wasn’t for Ignacio’s money…”
“She’s from a poor family. We all know it.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, jaw clenched. She said nothing.
Returning to her mother’s side, her eyes dulled, her spirit dimming like a dying ember.
Dimitri watched her from afar, treated like a stranger. He laughed bitterly beneath his breath. The great Dimitri Del Valle—billionaire tycoon of a global jewelry empire—rejected, chasing after a woman he couldn’t even touch.
“You okay?” Eliana placed a hand on his arm.
“I’m not feeling well,” he said, voice tight.
“Do you want me to take you home?” Her fingers lingered.
“No, someone’s picking me up.”
“Dimitri!” Another woman appeared.
Eliana’s smile faded.
“Cherry,” Dimitri greeted with forced politeness.
“You called me to pick you up, didn’t you?” Cherry’s grin widened when she noticed Eliana’s sudden change of expression.
“Oh. I didn’t realize you were with someone,” she added, tone innocent, eyes anything but.
“Not feeling well,” Dimitri muttered. “Cherru, this is Eliana. Eliana, meet Cherry.”
“More than a friend,” Cherry added with a wink.
“Well…pleased to meet you,” Eliana said, offering her hand with a venomous smile. “If you need to lie down, Dimitri, I’ve got a room upstairs—”
“I can’t. We’re leaving soon—”
“Or not,” Cherry teased, vanishing before he could stop her.
“So, about that dinner?” Eliana pressed.
“I’m booked.”
“I can wait.”
She just wouldn’t quit. Dimitri sighed internally.
“Eliana, I appreciate you, but I’m in love with someone else. I’m sorry.”
Eliana leaned in, biting her lip. “I can be your secret. She never has to know—”
“I’m not that kind of man,” he said firmly, removing her hand.
Her face darkened.
“What if I tell Daddy to pull his investments from your company?” she hissed.
“Then he’ll lose his seat at my table forever,” Dimitri shot back, already walking away.
His eyes searched for Jane. Relief and dread hit him simultaneously when he saw her leaving—only to freeze.
A woman slapped Mary Jane.
Hard.
“What the f**k…” Dimitribreathed.
It got worse.
The woman removed her heel and smashed it into her face.
Dimitri flinched, horror tightening in his chest—but Jane didn’t even react.
As if she was used to it.
Rage overtook him. He bolted—but the Lamborghini was already speeding away with her inside.
“Hey—” Cherry caught up, startled.
“Follow that car!” He barked.
“What—?”
“Damn it, just drive!”
Cherry ran to her Mercedes, and without further question, followed the car he was pointing.
“Who was that? What happened?” she asked, wide-eyed.
But Dimitri was silent. His thoughts were a storm. Was that why Jane had pushed him away? Was she… being abused?
They followed the car until it entered a private estate.
“You’re trespassing,” Cherry warned as he threw open the car door.
“I don’t care,” Dimitri growled. “She’s being hurt, Cherry.”
“You can’t just—”
“f**k!” he exploded, fists clenched.
He saw Jane outside, cradling her bruised cheek. That was it. That was all it took to shatter the rest of his restraint.
“Jane,” he called, approaching.
She startled. Pale. Guarded.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“I followed you.” His hand reached out, grazing the corner of her lip. “I wasn’t supposed to be here. But I saw what happened. I saw her hit you—”
“Leave,” she begged, pulling back.
“Jane…”
“Please, Eliot.” Her voice trembled. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“Sweetheart, who are you talking to?” A voice from inside.
“S-someone asking for directions, Ma.” Panic twisted her features as she shoved Dimitri toward the gate. “Go!”
He pressed his card into her hand. “If you ever need me. Anything. Don’t hesitate, Jane….”
Footsteps echoed. He stared at her longer than he ever could, and with a heavy heart, he ran towards the waiting car.
Her mother appeared, eyes cold.
“I told you never to speak to strangers.”
“I’m sorry, Ma.” Her head lowered, meek and mechanical.
But her fingers curled around the card hidden in her pocket.
Could he really help?
***
Dimitri waited. Days turned into weeks. No text. No call.
God didn’t answer his prayers.
He sat alone at the bar, the amber liquid in his glass long gone, but he hadn’t moved. The ice had melted into watery ruin—much like the remnants of his hope.
A bitter laugh slipped from his lips, hoarse and empty.
He wasn’t the type to chase. Women came to him. Fell for him. Worshipped him like a god carved from temptation.
He knew it wasn’t right. He knew she was married, had walked away from the sin-stained promise they had once whispered beneath moonlight and breathless kisses.
Jane… she made him feel alive. Seen. Real.
The memory of her—naked in his arms, laughing against his chest, whispering his name like a confession—was a ghost that clung to him, cruel and constant.
His fists clenched, jaw tightening. He hated this feeling.
Helplessness.
He had power, wealth, and influence. He could move countries if he wanted. But not her.
Not Jane.
She was the one thing he could not force to stay.
And still… he waited. Each sunrise brought a new sliver of hope. Each sunset reminded him how foolish he’d become.
Maybe she’d call. Maybe she’d break.
Maybe—just maybe—she missed him too.
But the phone never rang.
And the glass, like his heart, stayed empty.
And now that he had found her again?
The scariest part was—he still didn’t care that she wore another man’s name.
- Writer
