Chapter 60


    Chapter 60


    | was absolutely stunned. | might be dreaming. Surely, it must be that | was sleep walking perhaps. Perhaps this was just some


    lucid, hallucinating dream that people had. It felt like the only believable exnation.


    How on earth did he know?


    My fingers felt the velvet of the box brush against it as | held the box in my hand. My eyes were entirely fixated on it and I


    couldn’t think of any thing else except the contents of the box in my hand.


    It sparkled beneath the lighting in the kitchen sending a kaleidoscope of shapes and colours bouncing of the ceiling as the light


    caught each precise cut of the string of diamonds set against the white gold band.


    It was the very same tennis bracelet that | had fallen in love with at the jewellery store earlier today. My eyes widened once |


    snapped out of my surprise and | immediately brushed my fingers over the diamonds like | wanted to make sure it was actually


    real and not some holographic image that was some how in my hold.


    My finger felt ever prong, ever smoothened polished cravice of the diamonds cut, and the coolness of the metal. It was more


    beautiful now than it had even looked in the store and that was when | recalled the price tag.


    “Dante, this is- | can’t, it is too much.” | shook my head closing the box but | didn’t put it back on the counter yet..


    Dante shrugged like this was nothing. Like he hadn''t just dropped arge sum of money to buy me the exact bracelet that had


    caught my eye.


    “It''s a gift, Soph. He called me by that nickname with no much of familiarity. You can’t refuse a gift.” He threw me a disapproving


    look but | still shook my head.


    “| can. This is too much and there isn’t a reason for me to be gifted this.” | fought against him and he inhaled deeply like he was


    trying to keep his calm.


    “Why must every thing be a struggle with you?” He ran a hand through his hair as his question hung in the air. “I do not need a


    reason to buy the mother of my child a gift. Consider it a very dyed push present.” Dante spoke gently looking at me with this


    rxed softness in his eyes.


    “Dante, but- | began to protest again.


    “Please, Soph, it’s just a gift. Stop making such a fuss over it.” He said sounding exhausted and | couldn’t tell if it was from the


    day or from me.


    “Fine. | ept it as a push present. | reasoned feeling less guilty for taking it as opposed to if he had bought it for me without


    reason.


    Sure, it was stillvish but maybe in his head he was repaying me in some way for giving him a child and not for any other


    reason.


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    Chapter 60


    His shoulders rxed and the corners of his I*ps lifted. “See, that wasn’t so hard. He said sarcastically and | rolled my eyes at


    him.


    “But what made you choose this bracelet?” | asked curios to know how he had managed to choose the same one | wanted. Was


    it truly a freaky coincidence?


    Dante smirked and | instantly knew that it was no coincidence. “Just a strong guess.” He replied vaguely and | knew that there


    was more to it but he was not going to fess up.


    “Thank you for this. | really love it. | brushed my thumb against the box still in my hand feeling a small smile over take my I*ps


    that I could not control.


    He opened his mouth to speak but a spec of dust or something hadnded in my eyes just as | blinked. | winced as it brushed


    against my pupil each time | moved my eye. | left it closed and was about to instinctively rub it but Dante was already standing


    right in front of me. His one hand cupped my fave gentle and his other moved to hold my eye open. He did a quick inspection


    before he inhaled then blew in to my eye flushing out what ever foreign object that had gotten in.


    | blinked then moved my eye feeling nothing there any more but my eye teared and Dante’s thumb was quick to wipe it away.


    His concerned eyes were now entirely engrossed with mine and | felt myself slowly begin to get lost in his deep, yearning gaze


    until | was frozen in time with him. It might have been seconds or minutes or decades that we could have stood there like that.


    For a moment it felt like the old Dante stood in front of me. The Dante that | had married long ago. The Dante that | had a good


    life with. The Dante who didn’t chase after Pheobe.


    The Dante that stood in front of me was the one that | had shared many things with. The one who had been a part of my every


    day. The one who would care for me in a heart beat. It was why it had taken so long to move on because of how much we had


    shared.


    “Dante.” His name was a heavy whisper.


    “Yes?” His I*ps moved to utter the single word and | could almost feel it brush against mine at how close he had been.


    “Kiss me.” | begged breathless. | needed to k*ss him in that moment for no other reason but it felt right.


    He didn’t hesitate at all and obliged my wish. His I*ps met mine in the soften most sweetest k*ss we had ever shared. It was


    patient. It was consuming. It was satisfying..


    He k*ssed me once then twice then again but the third time his I*ps did not break away from mine. | k*ssed him just as gently as


    he had k*ssed me and felt him smile against my I*ps,


    | felt my cheeks heat up and | looked at him through myshes with a smile if my own toying about my I*ps. | was all too


    consumed by this moment and how giddy it had made me feel. Suddenly, | was not a mature woman but some teenager having


    her first k*ss for the first tine. That was how it had felt from that mming of my heart against my chest to the nerves and


    shyness.


    | couldn’t understand why this had felt so different to every other k*ss that we had shared before.


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    Chapter 60


    There was nothing expectant about it. It felt sweet and gentle and lov-


    No. No.


    | cleared my throat and took moved away from him just enough to create some distance between out bodies. Dante didn’t stop


    me and continued looking at me like | was the air that breathed. It was so... new. He never looked at me that way iebhad my


    giddiness lead me to believe otherwise in its hazy state?


    “It iste. | should get to bed. My voice was small and sounded foreign to even my own ears.


    Dante saw me withdraw and a crease formed between his brows. “Didn''t you just wake up?” He asked with a skeptically raised


    brow.


    | nodded then opened my mouth to make an excuse to leave but he spoke before me.


    “Come, join me for a friendly drink.” His offer was much less an offer as it has been amand.


    | could use a drink about now. It would help put me to sleep and ease my mind but | had to be sure not to have too much to drink


    around Dante.


    Dante had popped open a bottle and carried out two sses before leading me over to the front porch. The nights air was fresh


    and the ind amply lit to still allow us the liberty of admiring the scenery.


    | settled in to one of the cushion lined seats and Dante did the same in one next to mine. He handed me a ss before he


    poured the bubbly liquid in to it before he helped himself to a ss.


    It was quiet between us for a long while. We both just sat there sipping slowly on our drinks, admiring the view, and the sound of


    the many crickets in the greenery surrounding us. Despite thefort that settled over us, my mind still lingered on that k*ss that


    transpired inside.


    It was just a k*ss. An innocent maybe even a thank you k*ss but | couldn''t let it sI*p in to nothingness because it felt like it was


    more. My inner self battled with what | felt and what | had known until | knew | needed more wine to numb out these thoughts.


    “Did you enjoy this week away?” Dante’s question disturbed the silence but it had also caught me off-guard.


    “Yes, | did. Dare | say not as much as Hayley though. | said lightly and Dante chuckled heartily.


    | sensed a sense of pride in hisughter knowing that he had given Hayley a week vacation that she would never forget any time


    soon. | could only prepare myself to hear about her speak of this week when we returned back home.


    “She is an amazing little girl.” He said with so much of tenderness in his tone. “You know | never spared much thought to being a


    father or having a family but in the rare instances that | did have the thought, | always saw myself with a son.” He nced at me


    and | narrowed my eyes at him but | knew he had more to say.


    “Before you blow my head off, let me finish.” He warned with a small chuckle. “I thought it would be easier to raise a boy being


    one myself. You know, all the rough and tumble activites to sporty fun


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    but, having said that. Hayley is far better than any son | could imagine having. She is smart and witty and utterly entertaining.”


    He concluded with a big ol’ proud, living smile on his face.


    “My only regret is not having known her sooner.” He said in a right tone | looked away from him and down at the ss in my


    head.


    “| know but | had to do what | thought was best for her especially with Pheobe around you.” | said speaking freely since there


    was no reason for me to not expose her to Dante.


    His eyes tightened at the mention of Pheobe and | felt like he had known more than he lead me to believe.


    “It doesn’t matter any more. All that does is that | have Hayley and she has a father figure in her life. I''m very pleased that she


    likes me.” Dante admitted giving of the impression that he had once feared that Hayley would not like him at all.


    “Oh, please. | have never seen her so quickly attach to someone before.” | said but Dante pursed his I*ps.


    “Really? Not even Adam?” He said the name like it was poison rolling of his tongue.


    | rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. “She does like Adam alot but she doesn’t feel like fatherly connection with him.


    Adam never tried to full that role with her because he knew better. Hayley and him are just as much of friends and him and | are.


    With you, | think Hayley sees the fatherly figure that she always felt the absence of.” | shrugged and Dante nodded slowly as he


    took a swig of his drink.


    “| can’t say I’m not satisfied to hear that.” The hautiness in his voice made me re at him before | grinned shaking my head at


    him.


    “Although you can’t quite link your friendship with Adam to his and Hayley’s. | mean the man did. propose to marry you ina


    restaurant full of people.” | groaned and ran a hand over my face,


    “Yes but we cleared the air about that. Besides, it isn’t any of your business.” | said seriously but Dante’s eyes


    darkened.


    “Of course, it is.” He responded stubbornly. “You are the mother of my child. What ever you do is


    business.” He said with authority in his words.


    my


    “| disagree. I’m your ex- wife. Whatever | do in my personal life is none of your concern.” | said firmly but he chuckled and


    drained the contents of his ss..


    Annoyed at him, | woke up from my seat and headed in to the house.


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