CHAPTER 21: WHEN LOVE TURNS DESPERATE

Rafael drove his car at an insane speed. Adrian’s words at the restaurant earlier kept echoing in his head. With a storm raging inside him, he headed straight to the one place he’d been wanting to go. The second he arrived at Bianca’s place, Rafael rushed toward her apartment unit. A million questions burned in his mind.

Without bothering to press the doorbell, he entered Bianca’s door code and invited himself in.

His eyes narrowed when he found no sign of her in the living room or the kitchen. A white door down the hallway caught his attention. Without a second thought, he stormed toward it. As the bedroom door opened, a strange sense of relief washed over him. There she was, the woman he hadn’t seen in almost three weeks. The woman who had unknowingly wrecked his life just by existing.

Afraid to wake her, Rafael tiptoed to the bed and sat on the edge, silently staring at Bianca’s sleeping face. Just looking at her wasn’t enough. He missed her so much it physically hurt. He reached out and gently brushed her cheek.

Feeling something on her face, Bianca stirred and quickly turned her head away from his touch.

Rafael let out a soft smile, then slowly stripped off his clothes. Wearing only his boxers, he slid under the covers and laid down beside her. Wrapping his arm around her sleeping form, he pulled her close.

Bianca’s eyes shot open. Panic hit her like a jolt of electricity as she realized someone was in her bed holding her.

Bianca tried to pull away.

But the soft sound of someone whispering "Shhh" made her stop, and in that moment, she realized exactly who was in her bed.

"Raf, what are you doing here?" she asked in shock, trying to pull herself free again.

"Hi, love," Rafael whispered with a soft smile.

"Let go of me, Raf. Let go. Now." Bianca struggled against his grip, but Rafael only held her tighter.

"I miss you, B," he whispered, gently kissing the top of her head.

"Raf, let go. What are you doing? We’re over. We’re done." Bianca’s voice rose, thick with panic and disbelief.

"No. I’m not letting you go," he said firmly, his eyes locked onto hers, burning with determination. He tightened his hold like a man clinging to the last piece of something he couldn’t afford to lose.

"You’re engaged. And you’re going to marry her, Raf." Her voice cracked as the words left her lips, her chest heaving. Her eyes glistened, her breath shallow. "This... this is wrong."

The second she mentioned marriage, Rafael’s jaw clenched.

That damn wedding... to hell with marrying Miranda.

"I don’t want to marry Miranda, Bianca. I only want you." Rafael’s voice was heavy with desperation. His eyes were pleading, like a man on the edge of losing everything.

"Stop it, Raf. Stop!" Bianca’s voice wavered, her throat tight. She turned her face away, fighting the sting in her eyes.

"Please, B. Just trust me." His grip on her arm tightened ever so slightly, like he was scared she’d vanish if he let go.

"We can’t do this to Miranda, Raf. We can’t." Her voice broke on the last word, torn between guilt and heartache. Her lips trembled, her body tense with restraint.

Rafael’s eyes flared. A surge of anger tightened his chest, fierce and bitter.

"Oh, but you could do it to me, right? That’s rich. You’re cruel, B." Rafael’s voice rose, laced with hurt and betrayal. His eyes darkened, jaw clenched, every muscle in his body taut with pain he could no longer hide.

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t act like you don’t know," he snapped. "Or do you need me to spell it out?" His voice turned cold, a bitter smirk tugging at his lips.

"I don’t know what you mean."

"Adrian," he snapped. "I didn’t know I wasn’t the only one warming your bed. Oh wait, maybe Adrian didn’t warm your bed. Maybe you were the one warming his."

Bianca’s eyes widened in disbelief. His accusation hit like a slap.

"So you dumped me not out of guilt for Miranda, but because you chose Adrian over me? What does he have that I don’t, huh? Money? Looks? Or maybe... maybe I just wasn’t good enough in bed, huh? Maybe Adrian satisfies you in ways I couldn’t, and that’s why you picked him."

Rafael pulled away from her, locking eyes. "If that’s the reason, if I wasn’t enough for you... then let me fix that right now. I’ll give you everything until you forget him. Until it’s only me in your heart."

"No, Raf. No..." Bianca begged, frightened.

But Rafael ignored her pleas. He climbed over her and pinned her wrists above her head, crushing his lips against hers. His kiss was rough, aggressive, desperate. He bit her lip to gain access to her mouth. As his tongue forced its way in, Bianca’s body tensed. But the second he saw the tears in her eyes, he froze—realization crashing into him like a freight train.

You bastard. You f*cking animal. How could you do this to her?

Bianca was gasping for air, barely able to breathe under the force of his kiss. Fear surged through her. This wasn’t him. This wasn’t the Rafael she knew.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I’m sorry... Bianca, I’m so sorry." His voice quivered. "There’s no excuse for what I just did. I won’t ask for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. But please... please forgive me."

Bianca turned her face away, refusing to look at him. "Just leave, Raf. I need to be alone."

"When I heard you were marrying Adrian... it broke me, B. It shattered me." He said it with pain. "I could’ve handled you being with someone else. But Adrian? My best friend? You choosing him over me... it’s killing me."

He paused, burying his face in her neck.

"I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Bianca. Just the thought of you kissing him, sleeping with him, it drives me insane. He’s my friend, B. My best friend. How could you do this to me? How could you be so cruel?"

His confession hit her like a punch to the gut. She hadn’t realized how deeply her decision to marry Adrian had affected him. And now, she could feel his tears soaking into her skin. Rafael was crying. His body shook.

Reflexively, Bianca wrapped her arms around him.

"Raf... please... don’t cry."

"My heart hurts, B. So much. I didn’t know it was possible to hurt this bad. It’s like my chest is being ripped open."

He used to think people who killed themselves over heartbreak were weak. Pathetic. He would shake his head and wonder how love could make someone value their life so little.

But now? Now he understood.

Because the pain he felt... it made death seem like a mercy.

"Please don’t marry Adrian, B," he whispered. "Don’t leave me. I love you so much it hurts. I’m begging you... don’t do this to me."

***