I Crossed the World for Him, But He Chose Her Chapter 02
While I waited for the shower water to heat up, Mia posted again.
[My bestie stood in line for an hour just to get me this latte. Took one sip and packed the rest for someone special.]
That “someone” was Dante, smiling faintly at the camera.
I never imagined that my germaphobe boyfriend, the man who refused to share a straw with me, would drink from another woman’s cup.
I sighed quietly, tapped the like button, and called my boss. The line was noisy on his end, the dull clang of shipping containers echoing somewhere near a dock.
“Mr. Solentino? I changed my mind. I’ll take the assignment.”
His voice carried a note of relief. In the background, someone was murmuring a report in Russian.
“Thank God. Wrap this project up and you’ll jump two ranks when you’re back. One year abroad. Real love can survive a year, Jo. Trust me.”
I didn’t argue.
The truth was, the moment I accepted, it was already over.
I took my time in the shower. When I came out, the post was gone.
So Mia did care about appearances after all.
Then Dante called.
“What the hell is going on? First you ignore me, then you throw a fit on Mia’s post?”
He sounded breathless, carrying a tenderness he had never once used on me.
I felt hollow. A month of overtime. All for this.
“Dante, who exactly is your girlfriend?”
A long silence. Then his voice came back, laced with disappointment.
“You’re really going to do this? Over something this small?”
“Dante maybe I should talk to her?” Mia’s timid voice drifted through.
I checked the time. Eleven p.m. From eight in the morning until now, they’d been together.
“No,” Dante said flatly. “The more we indulge her, the worse she gets.”
“But she’s my best friend…” Mia whispered.
Their hushed argument faded into nothing, replaced by the click of a disconnected line.
That effortless intimacy, unbothered by anyone else’s gaze. That rhythm of two people who belonged together as a matter of course.
It hit me then: this didn’t start yesterday.
I slept badly. My frostbitten feet throbbed worse than before.
I hobbled to the clinic on a crutch.
The doctor cleaned the wounds. I bit down hard and bore it.
After picking up my medication, I went home.
The moment I opened the door, I saw a solid black metal case leaning against the entryway wall.
A wave of clean, expensive cologne hit me. Dante.
He looked down at me, his smile sculpted with practiced charm.
“You ignore me, so I have to come to you. That how this works?”
My eyes burned.
I was about to speak when he roughly snatched the pill bottles from my hand.
“What are these?”
“Frostbite medication.”
An “oh,” and then he set them on the entryway table. No questions. No concern.
His phone rang. That same grating rock song.
Mia’s voice came through bright and cheerful, saying something that made Dante laugh.
“You think I’d bail on you when you summon me?”
My heart dropped. Whatever faint warmth had flickered to life inside me snuffed out instantly.
I limped to the table and dry-swallowed two pills.
Dante hung up, walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Stop being mad. I had my phone on silent that day. When I saw you were gone I almost had the whole block locked down.”
I nearly laughed. His face hadn’t looked the least bit haggard this morning.
“Besides, she’s been here plenty of times. I was planning to wrap things up quickly so I could focus on you…”
I froze mid-sip. “She comes here often?”
He scoffed. “Jealous? Don’t take it so seriously. She’s basically one of the guys. Not my type.”
“Just the occasional trip together. You’re always too busy, Jo.”
He seemed done with the topic.
“I’m going to shower,” he muttered, deliberately sliding his phone into his pocket.