Esztar Is Falling

C H A P T E R 74

My eyes were still glued to the storming sea but my hand instinctively clutched his wrist in an attempt to stop him from leaving.

"It was all fake." I blurted, playing my last card.

He didn't speak. He didn't move. I finally bundled the courage to look at him and found his face blank and emotionless as he pried my fingers away.

"I'm not following you, Vittoria?" His eyes narrowed as he sat back down next to me.

The gesture ignited a ray of hope within me. I crosses my legs, turning to the side to face him.

"Harri and I..our relationship wasn't real. It was just a stupid game I played to win you back." I whispered, feeling ashamed of myself.

His jaw dropped down but his face was still devoid of any expression.

"Say something, Rafael."

"I'm trying to figure out how to react to that." He shook his head, his eyes trained down at the ground. "What were you thinking, Vittoria?"

"I don't know. Maybe the same thing you were thinking when you kidnapped me to France?" I threw my hands up.

"You wanted to make me feel jealous, make me fear losing you to someone else and use that to convince me to get back with you. Am I right?"

I didn't reply but yes, that's precisely what I must've thought.

"I love you, alright. I was just trying to win you back. And don't try and act all cool now. You were jealous seeing me with him. Admit it."

"Yes I was." He spat, his hands balling into a fist. "But that was just it. Get this thing straight through your head, Vittoria. We're over."

His words felt like a harsh hit right over my face. The pain was so strong that it travelled right through my heart.

"Don't say that, Rafael." I sobbed, my eyes hurting from crying so much. That's all of had been doing for days now— cry to sleep, wake up and cry again. Pathetic.

"Then what do you expect me to say. What do you expect me to do? Leave Camila again? Like I did last time? For you."

"She doesn't love you, Rafael." I pulled my hair, starting to get frustrated. "She's not who she appears to be. Don't you see she's lying about anything and everything."

"I'm not going to hear you bitch about her, Vittoria." He warned, his tone sharp and stern.

What kind of a black magic had she done on him!

"Fine! Ask Mason if you don't-"

"Are you really going to stoop so low, Vittoria?"

My mind went blank for a second. The trees around me disappeared and what replaced them were the white walls and working isles. It reminded me of the day I slapped Camila in the office. Nothing had changed really.

He still believed her over me.

How was that possible? Why can't he even try considering my point? When it comes to me over her, it's always her. Always.

"You, Vittoria have the audacity to say that she doesn't love me. First, I don't care even if she really doesn't. And second, as far as I remember, you yourself confessed about this thing between us not being love."

"And I've fucking apologized for it." I jumped up to my feet, pacing along the area. "We say things we don't really mean at times. You of all people should know it. Tell me Rafael, did you mean it when you called me a whore? Did you? Answer me."

His winning stance crumbled. His head hung low and he averted his eyes from me. He chose not to speak. I waited patiently. I couldn't see the struggle over his face as he desperately tried getting words out.