REINA
I had been sitting inside my car in the school parking lot for the past fifteen minutes, staring at the list Tessa had shoved into my hands the night before like it was a war strategy.
Operation: Make Donico Forget About You.
She even wrote it at the top in capital letters, like she was naming a proper project. I read the first line again for the tenth ti.
"First step to make him stop harbouring any feelings for you is to make him believe you’re happy with your marriage." I read the first line again, the corner of my lips curving upward in a small, disbelieving smile.
"Don’t give him any reason to think you want him." I read the next line and tipped my head back, letting out a loud, ridiculous bark of laughter that echoed around in the car.
"Donico isn’t going to buy this but it’s worth trying." I mumbled to myself, wiping the tears of laughter from the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand.
God. Tessa.
I knew she was trying to help —I truly did—but this whole plan was absurd. Impossible. Laughable. Like trying to convince a wolf that the bleeding rabbit standing in front of it is fine, taken, and absolutely uninterested in being eaten alive.
Still... what other choice did I have?
Donico was getting worse.
He had started calling again. Constantly. Obsessively. As if my number was the only one that existed in his phone. As if the sound of my voice was oxygen and he refused to suffocate quietly. And last night—God, last night—he showed up at my apartnt just a few hours after Tessa left.
He didn’t even try to hide it. He stayed for several minutes, talking to through the door like a man who had all the patience in the world, even though I refused to open it. His voice was deep and low, sliding through the cracks like smoke, curling around my spine, making it impossible to breathe normally. And then he said—so casually, like it was nothing—that he’d be coming back today.
That he wouldn’t leave until I let him in.
My heart jumped rembering it, an anxious, traitorous flutter that made my palms go sweaty.
"I really hope he’ll forget about everything and we can all go back to how things used to be," I sighed under my breath, rubbing my forehead as I shoved the list into my bag with more force than necessary.
It sounded naïve even to my own ears.
"It’s my fault, really," I whispered, biting down on my lower lip as I stared at nothing, the guilt pressing down on my chest like a weight.
If only things were that simple. If only I hadn’t let it get this far. If only I hadn’t reacted the way I did that day.
If only he wasn’t Donico.
"Paolo didn’t have a good relationship with his mother, I don’t want to be the reason he’ll lose his father as well."
"Fuck my life."
Paolo losing his father because of . losing my marriage on top of everything else. And the worst part—knowing a part of didn’t want Donico to forget.
I pushed that thought down so hard it almost hurt.
"Okay," I whispered to myself. "Today, we start."
My wedding ring glinted in my palm, a small, mocking circle of tal. I’d taken it off weeks ago because the guilt made my skin crawl every ti it touched . And now here I was, forcing myself to put it back on like it actually ant sothing.
My fingers trembled as I slid it onto my left hand.
It felt foreign. Wrong. Tight, like it was squeezing a lie into my skin.
I stared at it, waiting—praying—for so dramatic wave of strength or peace or clarity.
Nothing ca.
Just . Just that stupid ring. Just the ss I created with my own reckless need.
With a sigh, I grabbed my bag, inhaled a shaky breath that felt too big for my lungs, and stepped out of my car.
I hugged my bag against my chest and locked the door. My plan was simple—pathetic, but simple: get to class, act normal, and most importantly, rub this ring in everyone’s face until the universe got the mo. And perhaps,my father-in-law too.
I’d only made it halfway across the lot when I collided with sothing—soone—solid enough to nearly knock the air out of .
My bag slipped from my hands and hit the ground with a soft, humiliating thud.
"Oh, shit, I’m so sorry!" a man blurted at the exact sa ti I said, "Sorry, that was my fault."
We both bent down at once, and our heads smacked together with a sharp crack.
"Ah!" I yelped.
"Ow, wow." He winced, rubbing his forehead. "That definitely is my fault this ti. Clumsy ."
A laugh escaped , an awkward, tired puff of air that wasn’t cute in any universe, but he smiled anyway. He reached for my bag, lifting it as if off the floor. Imdiately our eyes t, it felt like the world stood still for a second.
He was... wow. Just... wow. Tall, lean but not skinny, curls falling in that careless way that sohow looks perfect on him, jaw sharp and his eyes... God, his eyes.
Leather jacket, leather pants that hugged his muscle thighs, black tight shirt that showed his lean abs, and a pair of combat boots.
Fuck . He could step on with those on, and I’d say thank you.
Simple. Fucking perfect.
He held my bag out, the corner of his mouth tilted in apology. "Sorry, Ms. I wasn’t looking."
"It’s fine," I said, except I didn’t take the bag because apparently I forgot how to function around attractive strangers.
He gave a soft laugh. Warm. Disarming.
Great. Just what I needed.
Woman, get a grip. You still have a father-in-law problem to get out of.
I snapped out of it and took the bag. "Thank you."
"No problem at all." He shifted slightly, offering a hand. "I’m Philip. Philip White. I’m the new professor filling in for Dr. Collins. He’s out for... sothing family-related, I think? They just dropped in this morning."
"Oh." I nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear—very intentionally using my left hand so the ring flashed.
He noticed instantly.
His brows rose, amusent flickering across his face. "Nice ring. Real?"
I blinked too fast. "Yes. I’m married. Married to Paolo. Paolo Gravano. My husband. He’s my husband."
Jesus... Why was I confessing like I’d committed a cri? This whole ring bullshit wasn’t even to show off but to let my father-in-law back off. What the hell was wrong with ?
Philip’s lips curved, not mocking, just entertained. "Right. That’s... good. Your husband must be proud to have you as his wife."
My stomach twisted. Was he? Did I even care if he did?
"Yeah," I replied, though it sounded more like a shrug dressed up as a word.
Philip glanced at his watch. "I should get to my office before my first class. I’ll probably see you around."
He raised a hand in a quick, casual wave and walked off—confident, unbothered, blissfully unaware of the emotional natural disaster that was my existence.
I let out a breath I’d been strangling in my throat.
One human interaction down. A million more to survive.
I turned toward the building only to walk straight into another body.
A familiar one. A dreaded, aching, absolutely unwanted familiar one.
My heart plumted straight to my feet.
"Oh. Rei... Reina."
His voice. His face. Him.
The universe officially hated . Because why? Why did I have to run into him? Why now? Why here? Why today of all days?
And of all days... he had to appear today.
"Andrew..." I choked out the na I had never wanted to utter with my mouth ever again. Rage, and sothing close to hurt brewing inside of .
Andrew. My ex-boyfriend.
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