“That’s different. I have nothing to gain from lying to you.”
“Don’t you? You want me to report back to your lawyer that you were co-operative, right?”
“Well… yes, but other than that, I don’t have much to gain from lying to you.”
“What does Dante have to gain?”
“I told you; he comes out the winner!” I said in exasperation.
“I did take a moment to look over the contract, and it seems to me Dante is the winner, no matter what happens here.”
“He always fucking is,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “But go on, enlighten me. How is he the winner?”
“Either way, you’re living nearby. His kids are nearby. He’s still a part of your life. He still gets access to the children. If you fail, he gets the children all to himself. So, let me ask you again: what does he have to gain out of deceiving you? If he wanted you to fail, would he be open to communication? Would he be sweet to you? Would he be trying to make a relationship work? Because all he would need to do is force you into running away again, and your life is over. But it seems to me, he’s doing all he can, all he knows how to do, to keep you by his side.”
“I—How did you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked with the same soft smile.
“How did you see things from such a different angle to what I saw them from?”
“Because I’m not in the thick of it. It doesn’t matter to me what happens at the end of these six months. I’m an impartial party, and a fresh pair of eyes. A new perspective. You’re understandably confused, and your history with Mr King is clouding your judgement. Whereas, I can see the things that might be blurry to you. I’m sure there are other members of your club who agree with me. They’re just waiting for you to realise it.”
“Realise what?”
“That you and Mr King could have it all. If only the pair of you could learn to let go of the past and communicate with one another.”
And maybe that was the scariest part of all—realising we could have it all, if I could just stop being me long enough to let it happen.
Chapter 35
Rachel
I don’t know what the fuck happened to Dante in therapy, but it certainly hadn’t helped him reach fucking enlightenment!
I walked out of the therapist’s room, ready to have a talk with him, wanting to clear the air, and finally put some of our grievances to bed. But instead, he stood up and stormed out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind him without even waiting for me.
Fair enough, maybe the therapist’s office wasn’t the best place to have an in-depth conversation, but it was a start. Even if we just made a commitment to talk in more detail tonight, it was something to plan for.
It seemed like he wasn’t even open to the tiniest possibility of resolving this. Which further proved my point that therapists were bullshit. As good as her advice had sounded at the time, it wasn’t based on reality. Dante was the reality, and he wasn’t ready to do what was needed to make this work.
I sighed heavily, not bothering to apologise to the receptionist for his behaviour, and followed him out of thedoors. As I got outside, I blinked rapidly at the bright sun, and then squinted to see where Dante had got to.
“Are you jumping on this bike any time soon or are you fucking walking home?” I heard him snap from behind me, revving the engine of his bike.
“Honey!” I beamed, flinging my arms wide in relief. “That’s where you went! I was soworriedabout you! I almost thought I’d have to go all the way back to your home without being snapped at. Can you imagine? A whole journey home with no bad-tempered man? Mother, have mercy,” I threw my arm up and covered my eyes with the back of my hand and dramatically stumbled towards him.
“Get on the fucking bike,” he snapped at me. “People are staring at you. Why do you have to demand attention?”
“Oh, they’re not staring at me, sweetheart. They’re watching the grown ass man throw a temper tantrum for reasons unknown,” I said, not rising to the bait. I stopped in front of him, and he all but threw the spare helmet at me.
I looked down at it pressed against my stomach and raised an eyebrow. He let go of it, and I called his bluff, stepping back so it dropped to the floor. “Pick up that helmet and try again. Ask me nicely. And then when you’ve done asking me nicely, you can explain what’s got that stick wedged so far up your ass.”
“I’m going to ask one last time before I drive away. Get on the fucking bike.”
I bent down and retrieved the helmet. Dante watched me closely, and as I stood back up, I slammed it into his groin and stepped back, walking out of the car park and flagging a taxi before he could utter another word.
As I climbed inside the car, I heard him take off, his bike thundering past us.
