Shattered Longings Novel



Chapter 50 You Have Got Some Nerve

Instinctively, Bella straightened up and tried to mask her unease. "Did you not sleep, or have you just woken up?"

Dominic crossed his arms and looked at her coldly. "What do you think?"

Bella chuckled awkwardly. "I think you've just woken up. I'm exhausted from the night shift, so I'm going to take a shower and get some sleep. Please take care of breakfast on your own."

"Bella Jones!" he growled.

Her body stiffened. "I'm not deaf... I heard you. What's your problem?"

He stood up and walked up to her, pressing one hand against the wall and trapping her between him and the wall. His ice-cold gaze bore into her. "How dare you hide from me? You've got some nerve, Bella!"

"I just got back from the hospital. I'm a walking petri dish right now," she said weakly.

Sure enough, he backed away as if he was avoiding the plague. But this time, he was genuinely pissed. "Didn't you want to leave? Then, you should let me play with you until I'm bored!"

Her heart sank, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she plastered a smile on her face. "I can be at your beck and call, but I'm not a prostitute. There's no need to insult me like that. I've already learned how hurtful your words can be. I used to be willing because I liked you, but not anymore."

Dominic noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and fell silent for a while. Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other.

Those 30 seconds felt like an eternity to her, longer and more exhausting than any surgery she'd ever been through.

Slamming the door shut behind him, he spat out, "You seem to have forgotten who's in control here."

After he left, she took a shower and didn't feel sleepy despite staying up all night. She ate breakfast absentmindedly, tended to the new plants on the balcony, and spent some time on her phone.

She was well aware of her current state-her body was crying out for sleep, but the worry gnawing at her heart kept her awake. Soon, she had a piercing headache.

All of a sudden, she heard the door open. Instinctively, she sat up in bed and tried to figure out who it was.

It wasn't Dominic... His footsteps were always heavy, never this light.

Sure enough, Leonard's voice soon sounded outside her bedroom. "Dominic has gone back to Joville, so I'll be crashing here for a few days. Pardon the intrusion!

"I know it's not ideal, but I don't want to stay with my mom. She's always nagging me about getting married, and I'm sick of it. We simply can't see eye to eye."Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Bella just hummed in response, closed her eyes, and tried to force herself to get some sleep. After all, the master bedroom was Dominic's. It was up to him to decide who could stay there. Besides, from their past interactions, Leonard seemed like a decent guy.

By the time she woke up, it was already evening. While she was cooking dinner, Leonard emerged from the bedroom, drawn by the aroma.

Bella ate in silence at the dining table. Her head was killing her.

Leonard, on the other hand, seemed to be in a good mood as he chattered away. She hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying until he said, "I bet you think I look nothing like my dad, don't you?"

It was only natural for her to be curious. Bella glanced at him. "Isn't it obvious? I've never come across a mixed-race individual where one set of genes completely overshadows the other."

Leonard didn't shy away from the topic. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Everyone knows I'm not his biological child. My mom was pregnant with me when my dad took her in, and I was born that same night. Not long after, he married her. She was his third wife. Quite the story, huh?"