Chapter 40: 40| twice
D I A N E
I felt like all eyes were on me, and it was like they were burning my skin.
My tears made everything blurry, and I felt like I was going to faint. My heart sank when I saw Isaak walking out the door. I had to do something. I couldn't just stand there and let him leave. I had to stop him.
I wanted to run after him, to stop him from leaving. But Luka held me tight, his grip like a vice. I ground my teeth, and I yanked my hand out of his grasp. "Let go!" I shouted, my voice shrill. I felt like I was losing control, and I didn't know what to do. I just knew I had to get out of there. I had to find Isaak.
My heels clicked on the floor as I ran, tears streaming down my face. He couldn't leave, I thought. He couldn't leave Yulia. Not like this. Not when they were supposed to be getting married. I had to stop him, I had to make him see reason. I had to save him from making the biggest mistake of his life.
Claudia stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Diane, what's going on?" she asked, worry in her voice. "I have to go after him," I said, my voice breathless. "He can't leave, not like this. Not when he's supposed to marry Yulia." I was rambling, but I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth.
I hurried past her, ignoring her attempts to call me back.
The voices of the guests faded into the background, drowned out by the blood rushing in my ears. I looked from side to side, searching for Isaak. I knew this place well, having visited it so many times over the past few months, but my thoughts were racing, making it hard to concentrate.
I made my way down the empty hallways, the place closed for the day to allow for the wedding to take place. But Isaak couldn't be in any of the rooms, because they were all locked. I rushed outside, searching for the familiar figure of the man I loved. I had to find him, I had to make him see that this was all wrong.
I stopped suddenly, my heart pounding in my chest. I could smell cigar smoke, the scent was strong and overwhelming. I grimaced, my nose wrinkling at the pungent smell. But that scent was also familiar, and it led me to a small garden at the side of the building.
I followed the scent, my heart beating so fast that I thought it might burst. The smell led me to a small garden that was at the side of the building, and my breath caught in my throat. I saw him, his back facing me.
He was smoking a cigar, the smoke curling around him. I was frozen, not sure what to do.
I let out a shaky breath, reaching down and grabbing the fabric of my dress. I walked towards him, my footsteps echoing in the silence. The only sound was the rustle of my dress and the sound of his footsteps as he paced. I stopped a few feet away from him, not sure what to say.
"You have to go back," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. He turned to face me, and his eyes were cold, his smile cruel. "And why is that?" he asked, his voice a mockery of the man I knew and loved. I swallowed hard, trying to find the words to convince him.
"Because she loves you," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
He took a long drag of his cigar, blowing the smoke in my direction. I held my breath, hating the smell and the fact that he knew I hated it. "You claim to love me, yet you went and slept with another man merely for revenge," he said, his words cutting deep. I tried to hide my pain, but his eyes bore into mine, and he could see right through me.
"How dare you?"
"How dare I?"
He began to walk away, and I reached out to catch his forearm. He tensed at my touch, and I quickly pulled my hand back. I knew he hated being touched when he was angry. "No, you're going to listen to me," I said, my voice determined. "I won't allow you to push me away again,"
Not twice.
"You have no right to be angry with me." I spat, my eyes flashing with fury. I was shaking with rage. "No right. I didn't see you, I didn't hear from you for five years, five whole years!" I yelled, my voice hoarse.
"And after all of that, I had to find out that the man I fell in love with was getting married to another woman? And you didn't trust me enough to tell me it was fake? Better yet, your arrangement was at the expense of my sister, my sister! You sat at the same table as her, Isaak. You once saw the smile on her face, and now you've stolen it. You've taken away the spark she had, and now I don't know if I'll ever see it again." My voice broke, and I felt the tears begin to fall.
"If you knew that I was going to be a Don when we met, why did you get involved with me?" he asked, his voice calm and collected. I felt like he was throwing my words back in my face, trying to hurt me even more. I couldn't believe that he was so cold.
You wouldn't understand, he'd never understand.
I took a deep breath, the wedding music coming to a stop. I don't know if the music had actually stopped, or if I had just tuned it out. The guests began to file out, and I felt the urge to follow them, to get away from this situation.
My heart was telling me to stay, but my head was telling me I needed space. I had to sort through my feelings, I had to make sense of this mess.
Before I could say or do anything, my eyes landed on Viktor, and I looked away as soon as our eyes met.
I couldn't bear to see him, not at this moment. "Diane, don't worry, I come in peace." he said, his hands held up in a gesture of surrender. I looked at Isaak, and I could see that he was struggling to keep his anger in check.
"What do you want, Viktor?" I asked, my voice hoarse from the strain of holding back my tears. "I just came to congratulate you," he said, his tone patronizing.
"I thought you were some innocent civilian but you went through with what we discussed. You did what I never thought you'd do,"
"You ruined my daughter's life."
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theAkuhle
theAkuhle I know I haven't been updating as much but I've been so busy and even contemplated stopping this book but I hope you guys enjoyed
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