Chapter 16 Shattered Illusions
Dana finally understood–Hunter had come all this way to find her and drag her back.
And he wasn’t going to leave until he did.
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Without saying a word, Dana stared out the window, her expression bleak. Clutching his injured arm, Hunter struggled to his feet, limping step by step toward the front of the villa.
Even the bodyguard, who had been so confident moments ago, was now frozen in place, clearly rattled by Hunter’s wild, unrelenting behavior.
Several minutes passed in silence before the doorbell finally rang. Dana met Jamie’s gaze and let out a weary sigh. “Let him in,” sh said quietly. “There’s something I need to say to his face. If I don’t, he’ll never stop chasing me.”
Jamie had always respected her choices. He gave a silent nod and walked over to open the door.
As soon as the door swung open, Hunter shot Jamie a cold glance, moved past him, and came face–to–face with Dana.
The woman he’d been dreaming of day and night was now right in front of him. His eyes turned red with emotion as he whispered,
“Dana.”
Dana didn’t respond. She just stared at him, cold and unmoved. Hunter reached into his pocket with his injured hand and pulled out his phone. He typed something and held it up for her to see. “Dana, I came to take you home.”
Dana stood motionless, her face cold and distant.
He typed again, “I’m sorry, Dana. I didn’t mean to leave you on that island. I had my reasons. Please come home with me–I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
Dana let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Oh? You had your reasons? Let me guess. You did it because Celine told you to do it, and you just went along with it? Or maybe you’ve cooked up some ridiculous excuse to cover your lies?”
Hunter’s face drained of color.
He started to type again, probably to ask how she found out–but Dana snatched the phone from his hands and smashed it to the ground.
“No more typing!” she shouted. “I can hear you just fine! I’m not deaf, Hunter! I have recovered since the day you tricked me into that warehouse and let those dogs loose on me!”
Her voice shook with fury. “Every single word you, your friends, and Celine ever said–I heard it all. I know everything you did to me. So what more is there to explain?”
Hunter stood frozen in place, stunned as if struck by lightning.
She heard it all? Every word?
Dana knew he had never been kidnapped, that it was just a lie to lure her to the warehouse.
She knew the pain and humiliation she’d suffered for years had all been part of a twisted plan to help Celine regain her memory?
Aware that he was the one who arranged the custom medication that caused her deafness?
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2:58 pm G ppp.
Chapter 16 Shattered Illusions
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She had heard his conversation with Celine and knew he had left her on that island–not because he had no choice, but because he thought it would help Celine recover her memory.
Hunter stared at Dana in disbelief. It took him a long time to stammer out, “Y–you knew all of that?”
Dana let out a sharp, almost unhinged laugh. “Yeah, Hunter. I know everything. So what else do you have to say for yourself?”
Hunter dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with regret. “I’m sorry, Dana. I truly am. I put on an act, and to make it believable, I did unforgivable things to you. I was cruel. I was selfish. I deserve whatever punishment comes my way. I deserve worse.”
Dana’s voice turned ice–cold. “Then go get what you deserve–just make sure you stay far away from me when you end things. And don’t expect me to clean up after you.”
Her words cut deeper than the bullet wound in his arm.
Desperate, Hunter reached out and grabbed her arm. “Dana, I know you’re furious. I know I hurt you in ways I can never take back. But it wasn’t all me–it was Celine! She tricked me!
“She hired a fake doctor to convince me she had amnesia. And the only way to help her regain her memory was to put you through hell! That’s why I did those things! Because of her! All of it–she pushed me into it!”
Dana’s laugh was bitter, her expression twisted with contempt. “Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound right now? Celine lost her memory, so the solution was to torture me? How exactly does that make any sense?”
Hunter jumped in, desperate to defend himself. “She said her memory loss was caused by the crash–the crash you planned!”
Dana’s eyes narrowed. “I remember telling you, even back then, that I had nothing to do with that accident. You could’ve looked into it and found the truth. It wouldn’t have taken much. But you chose to blindly believe her.
“You didn’t even bother to check the facts before deciding I was guilty. And you expect me to believe you didn’t have your own reasons for doing that? That there wasn’t some part of you that wanted to hurt me?”
They had known each other since they were kids–Dana had always seen right through him.
Hunter had no comeback. No excuses left to offer. He was completely, devastatingly silent.
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::58 pm G Ppp.
Chapter 17 You Got It All Wrong
Chapter 17 You Got It All Wrong
