Just Tell Me You Love Me (Book 1 in the Just Series) *under editing*

Chapter 40

Massimo

"Arabella..."

"You're still in love with her. You're still in love with your wife."

I shook my head fiercely. "Cara, no please just..."

"Don't." One word from her and it silenced me.

I clenched my hands into a tight fist, holding them at my side.

I want to reach out to her and hold her in my arms. I want to tell her how sorry I am for last night. For everything. For hurting her. But I was afraid that she'd reject me. She has been stopping my advances, and I couldn't bear to hear her tell me to get away from her and never to touch her again.

"Arabella, sweetheart. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Last night, it's just that. I just felt so guilty..."

She removed her hands from her face and looked up at me. My heart twisted painfully at the pain in her eyes. It terrified me to see that look on her face.

"Guilty for what? For having me as your wife instead her? For me being here instead of her?"

"Arabella...no that's not..."

"I love you," she said dejectedly. "I love you so much."

I wanted to tell her I loved her back, but something was still holding me back. I don't know what it is. I just feel like I'm betraying Cassie.

"Arabella, you must know how I feel about you. I... I care about you."

"Care is not love, Massimo."

I tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"I know how much you loved Cassie. I know that you will always love her, and a part of you will always belong to her. I'm okay with that. I don't begrudge her that. I fell deeper in love with you, when you told me about her, because I heard the love you have for her, when you spoke of her. I saw the love in your eyes, when you recalled the things you shared. I love the fact that you have such a big heart. That you are capable of loving someone so honestly and deeply. But she's been gone a long time Massimo. I'm the one who's here. I'm you're wife. I thought that you were finally moving on, and that you've finally given us a chance. Given yourself a chance. But last night just proved how wrong I was," she said brokenly.

"Arabella last night, I..."

"I would never ask you to forget about her. That's not what I want. I meant it when I said that I accept the fact that a part of you will always belong to her; but I won't have you longing for her, and wishing that she was still alive. I won't have you grieve about what could have been - because that hurts. I can't share you with her that way. I deserve better than that."

Her words struck me hard. I have been a horrible husband. She has done nothing but love me and my daughter, and all I've done was take her for granted. Hurt her with the past.

"I love you. I love you more than I can say. And I love Lia. I love the both of you with not just my heart, but with all of me. And I want you the same way. I want all of you. Even the part that will always belong to Cassie."

I closed my eyes and I allowed her words to envelop me.

"I did myself a huge disservice when I made myself believe that what I had with you was enough. That loving you and Lia was enough. Because it isn't. I want to hear you say I love you," she said as she sobbed.

She wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. "You don't have to love me the way you loved her. You don't have to love me as much as you loved her. Just love me in a way that you can. I just want to hear you say it. Just tell me you love me," she said as she cried.