I looked at her at the altar, she was looking breathtakingly beautiful that I could not take my eyes off her. She was not destined to be mine but I'm making her mine anyway. But what will be the consequences of my choices? After knowing the truth will she remain mine or will I lose her forever? Because at that moment, when I saw her, walking down the aisle in a stunning white gown with love in her oceanic eyes, I realized that I had fallen for a girl who is destined to hate me when the truth will reveal. That, I married her not for love but for a BET.
Chapter 1 Prologue
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"He broke my heart. He shattered my essence. He crushed my soul."
~Dina Husseini
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"I'm sorry, Càra. I'm really so sorry," Dominic's voice, filled with regret, reached my ears as I turned around, not wanting to face him.
"Don't call me that, Dominic. I'm not your darling," I replied firmly, my emotions raw and unfiltered.
My naive self had once believed that I meant something to him, but reality had shattered that illusion. He was the notorious playboy, Dominic Russo, and for him, a woman's feelings were just another conquest. How foolish I had been to think otherwise.
I refused to break down in front of him, to show him how vulnerable I am. No, not this time. "I don't want to talk to you right now," I declared firmly.
Without waiting for his response, I turned around, intending to leave the room. But just as I was about to make my escape, he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him.
He gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek tenderly, as if I were precious to him. But deep down, I knew I was only fooling myself.
"Tell me, what can I do to make it up to you?" His voice was tinged with desperation, but this time he stabbed my heart deeply, shattered it into countless pieces.
His tender touch and earnest words were like salt in my wounds, a painful reminder of the love I had foolishly believed in. In that moment, I realized that there was nothing he could do to mend the brokenness he had caused. The damage was irreparable, and I was left to pick up the shattered pieces of my heart alone.
"There's nothing you can do," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper, my heart heavy with sorrow. "You've already done enough, please leave."
"No, not possible, Càra," he insisted, his voice pleading despite my earlier request.
"I told you, don't call me that," I protested, attempting to wriggle free from his embrace, but his grip around my waist only tightened.
"Dominic, let me go!" I demanded, glaring at him with frustration. But before I could say anything more, he silenced me with a rough yet surprisingly sweet kiss, his lips meeting mine with an intensity that took me by surprise.
He kissed me with a fervor that seemed to consume him, as if his very existence depended on it. But despite his passionate embrace, I couldn't ignore the truth that lingered in the depths of my heart. The old me would have melted under his touch, but I was no longer that person. Not anymore.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I pushed him away with all the strength I could muster. He stumbled backward, his eyes widening in disbelief as he gazed at me, his expression a mix of shock and hurt.
A bitter smile played on my lips as tears cascaded from my eyes. "Very well, Dominic... very well," I whispered, the words heavy with the weight of my sorrow.
It was the first time I had ever felt such intense hatred towards him. He looked at me with a shocked expression, as if my words had pierced through to his core.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me," I said bitterly, my voice tremble as tears escaped from my eyes.
"Càra..." he began, but I cut him off, refusing to listen his words any longer.
"You've done this to me our whole life, Dominic," I continued, My voice trembled with every word, each syllable a reminder of the shattered pieces of my heart. "Every time, you've taken me for granted. You took advantage of the fact that I can do anything for you just a drop of a hat."
"Victoria, love, please listen to..." he pleaded, but I refused to entertain any more of his excuses.
"Please leave," I demanded, my tone firm and unwavering. As I turned my back towards him, In that fleeting moment, he caught a glimpse of the depth of my misery, the weight of my shattered dreams and broken heart laid bare for him to witness. And in the silence that followed, I couldn't help but acknowledge the bitter irony of my unrequited love-the tragic beauty of this BEAUTIFUL BETRAYAL.