Lahat ng Kabanata ng Shattered Attraction: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

GabriellaShe was starting classes today.The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass and warm coffee from a nearby café. Students bustled around her, their chatter blending into a hum of excitement and nerves. She stood at the foot of the grand administrative building, its imposing columns and intricate stonework a stark contrast to the turmoil within her.Enzo stood just behind her, ever-watchful, ever-present. Dante had assigned him as her shadow, a bodyguard in the guise of a fellow student. She had protested at first—how much danger could she possibly be in, surrounded by college kids? But Dante had been unyielding, his dark gaze silencing any further argument. She hadn't felt a need to prod him, not when over the course of the last few days there had been a semblance of normalcy.And yet, in the midst of the streaming multitude of students, she felt a dissonance strike her unexpectantly. She had dressed informally—a bright yellow sundress, sneakers, and ha

“Elio, please,” she tried again, stepping forward slightly.But Enzo didn’t move, his presence still a solid wall between them.“I don’t like the way you’re talking to her,” Enzo said, his voice low, deliberate. “And I'm certain her husband won't like the way you’re looking at her. So unless you want me to rearrange that pretty face of yours, I suggest you walk away.”Elio let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Wow. Real tough guy.”Enzo took a slow step forward. “You have no idea.”The tension was suffocating. Gabriella could feel people passing by, throwing curious glances their way, sensing the charged energy between the three of them. The mention of Dante sent a cold chill down her spine and she desperately wished Elio took the warning and left.Elio clenched his jaw, glaring at Enzo before his eyes flicked back to hers, searching for something—an explanation, maybe. But she had none to give.“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath, then shook his head and turned on his heel, disappea

DanteThe door banged shut behind me, rattling the walls as I stormed out of the study. My chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles cracked. I needed a drink—something to dull the fire coursing through my veins before I burned everything to the ground.I stumbled to the small bar by the corner of the living room, grabbing the half-empty bottle of whisky on the shelf. Brown liquid splashed into the glass as I poured with my shaky fingers. I didn’t stop. I guzzled it in one swift gulp, the burning liquid churning in my throat. But that wasn’t enough. It didn’t subdue the fire in me.I was beyond angry as I hurled the glass against the wall. It shattered in an instant, pieces splintering in all directions, shining in the low lights like tiny knives. I ran a hand down my face, exhaling heavily. I shouldn’t have let her push me this far. I shouldn’t have let her get to me like that.Gabriella swore we were good. Said things were great between us. And

GabriellaI jolted out of sleep, my body cramped and painful from having rested against the unrelenting wood. Wincing as I struggled to remember where I was. The room remained veiled in darkness, the sky outside my open window painted in fading hues of orange and deepening blue. I had slept longer than I intended.Like water bursting through a damaged dam, what had happened earlier rushed through my mind once again. Sofia’s face, her smug smirk, and Dante’s expression of impassive indifference threatened to engulf my mind once more. But I pushed them aside. No. Not this night. Not here, I refused to be huddled under the uneasy feeling that there was nothing I could do but relive what had happened.I willed my body to move, compelling my legs to make my way to the bathroom. A soak of warm water—this is what I needed. The water engulfed my body, offering to cleanse my body of the weight of what had happened that day. By the time I got out, swathed in a bathrobe, my body had loosened up

The guilt gnawed at him like a weight upon his chest as he made the climb up the stairs the second time that evening. Every step was a struggle, heavy with the unreconciled words and the raw fragments of their argument that cut into his brain like a raw memory. He expelled a harsh breath, raking a hand down his face. He had to sort this out. Needed to patch the cracks between them.A soft light seeped out of the area under the door, illuminating the empty corridor with a warm light to indicate that she was awake. He glanced at his wristwatch—12:07 AM. Too late, but not very late at all. He rapped twice, then a third time, then at the silence that greeted him rapped louder.“Gabriella,” he spoke softly but firmly. “Can I speak with you?”Silence.A muscle tightened in his jaw as he pushed his hand hard into the door, hesitating a moment about whether to open it. But when he tried the knob, it refused to budge. She was angry. Maybe she needed space. Or maybe…He sighed, turning away. Th