Second Chance With Dr. Dreamy

Chapter Four

Ninas pov-

I was exhausted, last month I had broken myself down to the point where just getting through each day required every drop of strength I could muster, but I’d held steady. It had all unraveled so much. Aria, my friend had turned on me, slipping Selene secrets I’d never even known she’d known out of a jealous crush I never suspected. Her tearful, guilt ridden confession was devastating, betrayed years of trust. Then Daniel broke the news, shamed, the money he’d been secretly hiding away to break free from Selene’s toxic grip — gone, stolen by her to feed her gambling problem. My heart hurt for him, imagining the hope he’d held onto, now adrift.

I trusted Daniel completely now, and I’d bet my life on him. Finally, thoughts swirled through my mind as I sat in the humming airport terminal: the buzz of people and announcements, and these thoughts. Daniel had asked, his voice shaky as it was full of hope, asked me to leave Boston and begin life newly with him. I’d said yes automatically, my heart soaring at the chance to build a life without once looking over my shoulder for Selene. Today would be the day we left, the flight toward something new just hours off the ground.

I looked over at Daniel, just a few meters away, chatting with a security guard about our baggage. But he was also so brave, even in the midst of this upheaval, and I could feel myself smiling. The ring on my finger, plain and weighty with promise, felt like an anchor. Sitting back in the uncomfortable airport chair, my chestnut hair coming loose from my sleep dehydration, I let myself envision the future: the lazy mornings, the laughter and a home where love didn’t need to be hidden. The last month’s burden — Aria’s betrayal, Selene’s machinations, the courtroom threat to Daniel’s kids — still weighed upon me, but next to him, I felt invincible.

Maxine and Alex were safe, for the moment, living with a close family friend while Daniel battled for custody. Selene’s pregnancy allegation had disoriented us, but Daniel assured me it was one more lie, a desperate ruse to keep him from taking off. I believed him, not just because I wanted to, but because I’d seen the truth in his eyes as he held me, making me a promise we’d take it all on together. Our moment — kisses in his office, nights I slumbered in my apartment — had bound us together in a way no one could unwind. I was willing to give it all up and start over where Selene wouldn’t be able to reach us.

The officer moved away from Daniel and looked at me, his smile surprisingly gentle but fatigued. I returned it back, my heart swollen. We were so near to getting out from under that and having a life where we could openly love. I took his hand, ready to yank him close, when a voice sliced through the noise of the terminal, high and desperate. “Daniel!”

I snapped my head up, my breath catching. Selene was among the disheveled visages in the crowd. Her designer coat wrinkled, and her green eyes were red rimmed and wild. She looked like a mess and not the sleek influencer who had us. Daniel stood at my side, gripping my hand with his, mouth frozen in a shocked expression. Selene, tears streaming down her face, her voice breaking, staggered to her knees. “Daniel, please,” she sobbed, her hands clenched as if she were a supplicant. “I regret it all. I’m so sorry. Forgive me!”

My heart raced and as I closed my grip on the hem of my sweater, panic gripping my chest. Daniel’s hand squeezed mine; he was the only thing that kept me from floating away as Selene begged for her life, her voice ragged with remorse. “My sweet, sweet Daniel — I’m so sorry, please,” she cried, tears streaming down her face. I steeled myself, afraid he might falter, that her desperation would yank him back into her gravitational pull. But Daniel’s expression turned to stone, his eyes cold as he stepped forward, his voice lancing through her wailing.

“You destroyed my life, Selene,” he said, deliberately sharpening every word. “I despise you for it. Was I wrong to marry you? I regret every time I spent with you.” His voice wavered with years of unexpressed pain, and I gasped, a faint hope rising. “All I seek is peace, a life with Nina. You can carry on with whatever schemes you are after — I won’t pester you again. Your whole life you thought I was whatever, a nobody — let me go.”

Selene’s sobs stuttered, her green eyes wide with disbelief as if she couldn’t believe he was defying her. I looked at Daniel, my heart swelling, a nervous smile cracking through my fright. He had chosen me, us, over her tricking him. And then, stealing the breath from my body, Daniel took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine in a firm grip, a silent promise. With no further comment he turned and led me away from Selene’s hunched figure, the clatter of the terminal consuming her form.

I was aghast, dumbfounded even. I had braced myself for him to pick her, for guilt or her tears to get the better of him, but his determination was unbreachable. I felt my smile stretching as we walked, my steps lighter. I felt we could handle anything with Daniel holding my hand. The new life we sought was so near, just a plane ride away. But as we approached the gate, Selene’s voice cut across the crowd, cold and venomous.

“You’ll regret leaving me if you walk out of here!” she said, now with less of a plea, and more of a venomous voice. “Why don’t you try this first, dear husband?”

Daniel stopped dead, my hand tugged in his thumb’s clasp. I whirled around, my stomach doing a flip and curdling as Selene stood up, now not a mess but grinning. I felt the bottom of my heart dropping out, with fear pooling at the bottom. What new trap was this? Daniel’s jaw tightened, curiosity and regret fighting with caution in his eyes. He looked at me and then at her, and walked towards her, as I stumbled along.

Selene handed him the file, and she watched in delight as Daniel accepted it, the tips of his fingers stalling as he contemplated whether or not to open it. And I watched his face, my breath shallow, as he flipped through the pages. His visage changed and all the color disappeared from his cheeks and his blue eyes grew twice their normal size with the shock of surprise. The more he read the whiter he grew, his hands shaking slightly. My heart was pounding, and I was terrified. What had rattled him to this degree? Then he stared up suddenly. “What do you mean by this?! ”

Selene laughed. “What will you do?” she winked, glancing back and forth to each of us. "Come with me or go with her?"