Chapter 12 - Rain and Regret
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The banquet hall descended into chaotic murmurs and hushed, fearful congratulations, but Arabella could barely breathe.
The adrenaline that had kept her standing on the stage of wolves was evaporating rapidly, leaving behind a crushing wave of physical exhaustion and pain.
Her side throbbed where the internal stitches strained against the silk of her dress.
She slipped away from the table while the Commission dons crowded around Vincent to pledge their renewed loyalty.
Pushing through the heavy brass revolving doors of the Plaza Hotel, she stepped out into the freezing November night.
The sky had opened up, unleashing a torrential, blinding downpour that flooded the gutters along Fifth Avenue.
Arabella didn't care about the rain.
She wrapped her black trench coat tightly around her trembling frame and began walking down the stone steps toward the street.
Tears, hot and uncontrollable, finally spilled over her eyelashes, mingling instantly with the cold rainwater streaming down her face.
For six years, she had lived on the periphery of Vincent’s violent, terrifying empire.
She had convinced herself she was just doing a job, just managing spreadsheets and coordinating schedules.
But tonight, seeing the cruelty, the greed, and the casual brutality of that world laid bare, reality hit her like a freight train.
She had almost died in a dirty alley.
She had stood in front of murderers and exposed a criminal conspiracy.
And worst of all, she had realized that she was hopelessly, desperately in love with a man whose hands were covered in blood.
“Arabella!”
A roar cut through the sound of the cascading rain.
She didn't stop; she kept walking toward the edge of Central Park, her heels slipping slightly on the wet pavement.
Heavy, splashing footsteps sprinted down the granite stairs behind her.
A large hand caught her by the shoulder, spinning her around with desperate, breathless urgency.
It was Vincent.
His tuxedo jacket was already soaked black by the storm, his hair plastered against his forehead, his face wild with panic.
“What are you doing?” he shouted over the roar of the thunder.
“Why did you run?”
Arabella looked up at him, her chest heaving as sobs wracked her body.
“Because I can't do this anymore, Vincent!” she cried out into the pouring rain.
“Look at us!”
“Look at what your life is!”
Vincent stepped closer, oblivious to the rain beating down on them, his hands reaching out to steady her shaking shoulders.
“You saved my life tonight, Arabella!”
“I don't want to save your life if it means living like this!” she sobbed, rain pouring down her pale cheeks like a waterfall.
“I am an ordinary woman!”
“I wanted a normal life!”
“And instead, I’m being hunted by hitmen and humiliated in front of mafia bosses!”
Vincent’s expression broke into pure, unvarnished agony.
“I will tear it all down,” he promised, his voice cracking with desperation.
“I will burn the docks, I will surrender the territory, I will walk away from every dollar if it means keeping you safe!”
Arabella shook her head, tears blinding her vision.
“You can't walk away, Vincent.”
“It’s who you are.”
“It’s in your blood.”
“No, it isn't!” Vincent yelled, pulling her violently against his chest, heedless of the freezing water soaking through their clothes.
He grabbed her face with both hands, his thumbs frantically wiping away the tears and rain from her cheeks.
“The only thing in my blood is you!”
“For six years, Arabella!”
“Six damn years I watched you walk into my office every single morning, smelling like rain and coffee, keeping my soul from rotting in hell!”
“I thought I was protecting you by keeping my distance!”
“I thought if I never touched you, my darkness would never touch you!”
He pressed his forehead against hers, his breath coming in ragged, broken gasps.
“I was a coward, Bella.”
“A blind, arrogant coward.”
Arabella looked into his dark eyes, seeing the ruthless Don Cavallo completely stripped away, leaving only a terrified man begging for his salvation.
“Vincent...” she whispered, her lips shivering from the cold.
“Don't leave me,” he pleaded, his voice breaking completely.
“Please, Bella.”
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“I survived the bullets, I survived the betrayals, but I will not survive losing you.”
Before she could answer, Vincent crushed his mouth against hers in the pouring rain.
