Chapter 20
She walked out in a white coat, hair pulled back, face glowing like she owned the world. Ten doctors trailed after her like she was a queen. People stopped to greet her, to bow almost, like she was untouchable.
And fuck, she was untouchable.
I stood. My heart slammed hard against my ribs. She saw me. For a second, just a flicker, thought I saw her flinch. But then her eyes went cold as steel.
I stepped forward. “Dahlia, can we talk?”
She nodded, almost like I was another patient. “Follow me.”
Her office was huge, all clean lines and power. She didn’t even sit. She just leaned on the edge o her desk, arms crossed. “What do you want, Austin?”
My throat went dry. “I want you back.”
Her lips curved-not into a smile, but a smirk. “If you came here to ask me that, forget it. I wil never go back to you.”
The words gutted me. I stepped closer, desperate. “Dahlia, don’t do this. Remember us Remember how we were before I got my memory back. We were in love. You love me.”
Her eyes cut right through me. “That was before. Before you remembered Yvette. Before you reated me like dirt. Before you killed me.”
froze. My stomach twisted. “What the hell do you mean I killed you?”
Her voice was sharp, calm, final. “You killed the last piece of love I had for you when you bough ny silence for a billion. You made me worthless in your eyes. Now there’s nothing left.”
My chest cracked open. I shook my head. “No. No, don’t say that. Dahlia, you don’t mean that You can’t mean that.”
She pushed off the desk, walking toward the door like I was already gone. Then she stopped, urned once, her hand on the knob.
Oh, and thank your wife. She hired thugs to kill me in that car accident.” Her tone was almost casual, but her eyes burned. “But that accident gave me back my real family.”
My knees almost gave out.
She opened the door wider. “I forgive her this time. But if she tries again, Austin, I’ll bury her in prison myself. And with my power, trust me, it won’t be hard.”
And then she was gone.
I collapsed in her chair, her scent still lingering in the room. My chest heaved, my hands shook. For the first time in years, I felt small. Weak.
Because I lost her. And this time, I knew I wasn’t getting her back.
I drank until the world blurred. Whiskey, vodka, hell, I didn’t even know what else Allen kept pouring. My chest burned like fire, my hands shook, and all I could see was her face. Dahlia, looking at me like I was nothing. Like I was already dead to her.
3:27 pm ££
Then the door slammed open.
“Austin!” Yvette’s voice shrieked through the penthouse like nails on glass. “You humiliated met You humiliated us! Do you know what people are saying? That you waited eight damn hours for that woman like some pathetic dog!”
I groaned, grabbed the nearest glass, and hurled it against the wall. Shards rained down. “Shut the fuck up, Yvette.”
Her face twisted. “Excuse me?”
I stood, swaying, pointing at her. “Don’t play innocent with me. You sent those thugs after Dahlia Don’t lie. Don’t you dare.”
She froze for a second, then forced a laugh. “Austin, you’ve lost your mind. Why would I-‘
I slammed my hand on the bar counter. “I will fucking end you if you touch her again.” My voice was low, sharp, the kind of tone I never used with her before.
Her lips trembled, then she dropped to the floor suddenly, clutching her stomach. “Ahh! Austin The baby!” She screamed, rolling on the floor.
Allen rushed in, panicked. “Boss-”
“Take her to the hospital,” I snapped, sitting back down, pouring another drink.
Allen blinked. “What about you-”
“Alone,” I cut him off. “Just take her and leave.”
Yvette’s shrieks grew louder. “Austin! You don’t love me? I’m bleeding! Our child! How can you so heartless?”
b
I didn’t even look at her. I lit a cigar, smoke curling through my hair. “Then bleed. You think I give a damn right now? You made your move. I saw it. Don’t ever test me again.”
Her sobs echoed as Allen dragged her out. I poured myself another glass and stared at the TV. The screen showed her. Dahlia. Not just a surgeon anymore, but announced as the next CEO of Castillo Group. Regal, untouchable, beautiful as hell. Cameras flashing, microphones shoved at her, reporters eating out of her palm. She smiled, calm and confident, and Maximilian stood just a step behind her, protective. Always fucking protective.
I slammed the glass down. “That should’ve been me.”
Every newspaper headline. Every glossy magazine. Every TV screen. Dahlia Castillo. Chief surgeon. Future CEO. Heiress of the empire. And I was the fool watching her from the shadows, drunk, ruined, begging for scraps.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I put on my suit, straightened my tie, and went to the gala. The charity hall glittered with chandeliers and diamonds, but none of it mattered. All I saw was her, standing in the center, dressed in white like royalty, Maximilian at her side. Cameras popping like fireworks.
I cut through the crowd, ignoring whispers, ignoring stares. My heart hammered as I grabbed her wrist. “Dahlia, please. Just five minutes.”
She turned her head slowly, calm as ever, her eyes colder than ice. “Let go of me, Mr. Livingston.” The words sliced me open. Still, I held on. “Dahlia, I can’t live without you. I fucked up, I know, but
Chapter 20.
2/3 78.7%
3:27 pm
I need you. Give me one more chance.”
Her lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. “You’re not my second chance. You’re my ex mistake.” Gasps rippled around us. Cameras flashed like lightning.
My chest tightened. “Don’t say that. Don’t-”
Maximilian stepped forward, sliding between us. “She asked you to let go,” he said firmly, eyes hard on mine.
wanted to punch him, to crush his smug face, but the cameras were everywhere. I released her vrist. My hand felt empty.
Dahlia turned, her voice carrying through the crowd. “Gentlemen, please excuse me. I need tc greet the next guests.” She walked away like nothing happened, Maximilian shadowing her like a
night.
And me? I stood there, Austin Livingston, heir to billions, mafia-bred, feared by men who killed or a living-looking like a damn fool.
The flashes didn’t stop. Paparazzi circled me, recording every angle of my downfall. The eadlines were already writing themselves.
Austin Livingston. Desperate. Pathetic. Rejected.”
clenched my fists, chest heaving. “Fuck this. She still loves me. I know she does. And I’m etting her back. No matter what it takes.”
