Page 36 of Forsaken Promises

16

DOMINICO

Iwake up to the feeling of Sofia’s warm body pressed against mine, her soft curves fitting perfectly into the contours of my own. For a moment, I allow myself to simply bask in the sensation, to savor the sweet ache of my muscles and the lingering scent of sex on the sheets.

But then the memories of last night come rushing back, and I feel a sharp pain of something that feels dangerously close to heartbreak. Sofia’s words echo in my mind, a haunting reminder of the chasm that still lies between us.

“I'll never love you again,” she had said, her voice cold and final even as her body melted into my touch. “But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy fucking you.”

The words had cut me deeper than I cared to admit, the casual cruelty of them like a knife to the gut. But even as the pain of her rejection washes over me, I feel a flicker of something else. Something hot and fierce and unyielding, something that feels like a challenge rising up to meet me head-on.

She says she’ll never love me again? We’ll see about that.

Because I know Sofia better than anyone, know the depths of passion and vulnerability that lie beneath her icy exterior. I’ve seen the way her eyes light up when she laughs, the way her face softens with tenderness when she thinks no one is looking.

And I’ll be damned if I let her push me away, if I let her convince herself that what we have is nothing more than a physical attraction. I know better, and deep down, so does she.

And if I’m being honest with myself, there's more than just pride and stubbornness driving me forward. There’s a desperate ache in my own heart, a longing that I’ve tried so hard to deny and bury but that comes roaring back to life every time I look into her eyes.

Because the truth is, my feelings for Sofia never really went away. They were always there, simmering beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to burst into flame once more.

I thought I had buried those feelings long ago, thought I had locked them away in some dark, forgotten corner of my heart. But being with her again, touching her and tasting her and losing myself in the heat of our passion… it’s like a dam has burst inside me, releasing a flood of emotions that I can no longer deny or control.

I love her. I love her with a depth and intensity that takes my breath away, that makes my heart ache and my soul sing. I love her in a way that I’ve never loved anyone before, in a way that I know I’ll never love anyone again.

And I want her to love me back again. I want it with a desperate, clawing need that consumes me from the inside out, that drives me forward with a single-minded focus and determination.

I’ve never failed to win a woman's heart before. I’ve always been able to charm and seduce and persuade, to make them fall for me with a smile and a wink and a few well-chosen words.

But with Sofia, it’s different. She knows me too well, knows all my tricks and all my flaws. She’s seen the ugliest parts of me, the selfish and reckless and cruel sides that I try so hard to keep hidden from the world.

And yet, despite all of that… I still want her. I still need her like I need air to breathe and water to drink. I still ache for her with a hunger that never seems to be satisfied, no matter how many times I lose myself in the warmth of her body.

So, I’ll take her challenge and raise her one of my own. I’ll make it my mission to change her mind, to prove to her that the love we once shared is still alive and burning between us. I’ll court her like I did when we were young, show her all the ways I’ve changed and grown and become the man she always hoped I could be.

And I’ll do it all while keeping my own feelings hidden, while pretending that this is just another conquest, just another challenge to be met and overcome.

Because I’m not ready to admit the truth to myself, not ready to face the depth and intensity of my own emotions. I’m not ready to confront the fact that losing Sofia again might just be the thing that breaks me, that shatters me beyond repair.

I’ll play the game, put on the mask, and hope that somewhere along the way… she starts to see me differently, starts to remember the love that we once shared, the connection that still simmers between us even after all these years.

And maybe, just maybe… she’ll start to fall for me again, start to see me as more than just a mistake from her past, more than just a convenient body to use for her own pleasure.

It’s a long shot, I know, a gamble that might just blow up in my face and leave me more broken than ever before. But it’s a risk I have to take, a chance I have to seize with both hands.

Because the alternative… a life without Sofia, a future where she never looks at me with love in her eyes again…

It’s not a future I’m willing to accept, not a fate I’m willing to resign myself to.

So, I’ll fight for her with every ounce of charm and skill and relentless devotion I possess, and I’ll hope that somehow, some way… she finds her way back to me.

I carefully extract myself from Sofia’s sleeping form, taking care not to wake her. She looks so peaceful, so beautiful in the soft morning light that filters through the curtains, and I can’t resist pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before slipping out of bed.

I quickly throw on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, running a hand through my tousled hair in a half-hearted attempt to tame it. But my mind is already racing ahead, forming a plan that I hope will be the first step in winning Sofia’s heart all over again.

I make my way downstairs to the kitchen where I find our cook, Maria, already hard at work preparing breakfast for the family. She looks up as I enter, her weathered face breaking into a warm smile.

“Ah, Young Master Dominico,” she says, her accent thick and musical. “What brings you to my kitchen so early in the morning?”

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