09.25
Hove You So Much Rut I Just Don’t Like V
30.0%
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Back at the apartment, Aria emptied her drawers into a suitcase, packing the last of her belongings
She worked through the night. Alessandro never came home. It no longer mattered
The next morning, after collecting her immigration paperwork, she booked a flight leaving that afternoon
When her Uber pulled up to their building, she spotted Alessandro’s car in the parking spot. Her heart raced on the hurried inside.
Entering the bedroom, she found him standing over her half packed suitcase, his hand hovering over the lid
“I thought you were with Sofia,” she blurted. “Why are you back?”
Alessandro went rigid.
He turned slowly, his eyes flashing with unexpected irritation. He closed the distance between them, exasperation evident in his voice. “Aria, what’s going on in your head now? How many times do I need to tell you there’s nothing
between Sofia and me?”
Nothing between them? Yet he’d literally married the woman.
Aria laughed through tears, still choosing to keep his secret
“Just my imagination, then.”
Seeing no challenge in her expression, Alessandro visibly relaxed. “My family’s hosting dinner tonight. They’ve finally agreed to meet you properly.”
This caught her off guard. His parents had agreed?
Noticing her surprise, he brushed a strand of hair from her face and handed her his platinum card.
“It’ll all work out. One day, they’ll accept you completely. You’ll be by my side with everyone’s blessing” He rubbed his temples. “I’m exhausted. Could you go pick something appropriate to wear? My assistant can drive you.”
Aria stared at the card before taking it. “You rest. I can manage alone.”
Alessandro nodded gratefully and collapsed onto the bed, asleep almost instantly.
She studied his face–still so much like the teenager she’d fallen for all those years ago. She reached out one final time, her fingertips hovering over his features.
In his sleep, he caught her hand, murmuring: “Sofia… don’t…”
At those whispered words, Aria smiled sadly.
She pulled away, lifted her suitcase, and slipped downstairs.
08:35
I Love You So Much. But I Just Don’t Like
32.0%
Chapter 9
The house was quiet–staff on break, no witnesses to her departure.
In the taxi to the airport, she blocked Alessandro’s number and removed him from all her contacts. Then she deactivated her social media profiles one by one.
Standing amid the airport crowd, watching the departure board, she made one final call.
“Mrs. Valentini? I’m at the airport as we agreed. Boarding soon.”
The satisfaction in his mother’s voice was unmistakable. “Excellent. Stay away from tonight’s dinner, and the rest of the money will be transferred immediately. Goodbye, Miss Collins.”
The final boarding call echoed through the terminal as Aria shook her head.
“No, Mrs. Valentini. Not goodbye–farewell.”
She ended the call, tossed her phone into a recycling bin, and walked toward her gate with determined steps.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
08:35
