His smile faltered. “What do you mean?”
I swallowed hard, hating myself for the test I was about to give him, but needing to know. “I mean, I’m doing better now. You’re not obligated to be my support system anymore. I can take care of myself from here.”
His face changed so fast it almost gave me whiplash. The relief vanished, replaced by something darker, fiercer.
“Obligated?” he asked, raising his voice. “You think I’ve been here out of obligation?”
“I don’t know why you’ve been here,” I said, standing up to face him properly. “That’s the problem.”
“The problem,” he took a step closer, “is that after everything we’ve been through, you still don’t get it.”
“Get what?” I challenged, my heart racing.
“That I’m not going anywhere!” he shouted, his composure finally cracking. “That there is no world, no reality, no version of this life where I leave you to face any of this alone!”
“Why?” I demanded, my voice rising to match his. “Why are you so determined to stay?”
“Because I love you!” The words exploded from him like they’d been fighting to get out. “I have always loved you, Alisa! Even when I walked away four years ago, I loved you! Every day since then, I loved you! And these past months, watching you fight through all this hell, seeing your strength, your compassion—even for a father who didn’t deserve it—I’ve fallen even more in love with you!”
I stood frozen, my heart thundering in my chest.
“So don’t you dare stand there and tell me I’m here out of obligation,” he continued, his voice breaking. “I’m here because there is nowhere else in this world I would rather be than by your side, whether you’re falling apart or putting yourself back together.”
The tears of joy started falling down my cheeks. He loved me. Everything I feared was for nothing, and he had said what I needed to hear most.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
He froze, like he wasn’t sure he’d heard me correctly.
“I love you,” I said again, louder this time so he could hear me right. “I think I’ve loved you for years now. And I never stopped, not even when I thought I hated you. Or maybe I said I hated you because it hurt too much to want you and not have you.”
“Oh, Alisa,” he whispered, his face softening as he reached out to cup my face, his large hands softly wiping away my tears. “Say it again.”
I smiled through my tears. “I love you, Dante Lebedev.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” His lips parted, and he dipped his head low to brush up against mine. “I love you more than you know.”
Chapter 23 - Dante
“How is Alisa doing, by the way?” Luca turned to me with a concerned look when he finished pouring himself some coffee and settled down in a chair across my desk.
“Yes, how is she?” Caspian asked what was on everyone’s mind.
“She’s doing much better,” I said with honesty. Every one of my brothers looked relieved.
“Poor thing,” Federico whispered. “We’ve been worried sick. Do let her know Autumn’s been asking about her every single day.”
“Yeah,” Gio smiled. “Bea and Elena have been trying to convince me we need to have a get-together for Alisa’s sake, but I said I’d check with you first.”
“She’s been swimming a little nowadays, and loves her time in the gardens.” I pondered over this proposition. “But let me pass it by her. I have a feeling Alisa might enjoy a party!”
“Perfect!” Achille grinned. “I can host.”
“Oh, fuck no,” Luca groaned and chucked a pencil at our youngest brother. “The last time you hosted, you fed us chips for dinner.”
“I’ll borrow Caspian’s chef,” Achille protested.
“Hell, no. Kate will kill me if I send him over to yours to be traumatized, and let me tell you, brother, I don’t dare interrupt the way my wife runs our home.”
