Beautiful Betrayal

All The Truths

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"True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does."

~Torquato Tasso

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V I C T O R I A

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I clenched my fists, the hurt and anger boiling over. “You had no right, Marco. You had no right to play with my life like that.

“I know,” Marco admitted, his voice soft but with a firm edge. “But you have to understand, it was important to push Dominic.”

I frowned, “Important? How could it be important to mess with our lives like that?”

Marco sighed, running a hand through his hair as he searched for the right words. “You didn’t see him the way I did, Victoria. From the beginning, it was clear to everyone that Dominic was in love with you. But he was too blind to see it himself, and when he finally did, he acted like a coward.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Marco continued, his voice steady and determined. “I’m his best friend, Victoria, and yours too. That dare wasn’t just some game to me—it was necessary. Dominic needed to be pushed, to be forced to confront his feelings and realize what he was about to lose. I couldn’t stand by and watch him throw away the best thing that ever happened to him because he was too scared to admit what he felt.”

I looked at Marco, trying to process his words. The anger I had felt earlier was still there, but now it was mixed unanswered questions.

Marco took a step closer, his expression earnest. “I didn’t want him to wake up one day and realize he had lost you because he was too much of an idiot to see what was right in front of him. And I didn’t want you to find someone else, to fall in love with another man, because that would have killed him, Victoria. That idiot just needed a push, and I gave it to him.”

I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “But Marco, you had no right to decide that for us.”

He nodded, “You’re right, I didn’t. And I’m sorry for the pain it caused. But I couldn’t let him lose you. I couldn’t let him make the biggest mistake of his life.”

"But that doesn't make it right, Marco," I whispered, my voice filled with lingering hurt. I saw Marco visibly take a deep breath, as if bracing himself for what he was about to say next.

"Let me tell you something, Victoria," he began, his tone serious.

I lifted my head, meeting his gaze, confusion and curiosity swirling in my mind. "What is it, Marco?"

"You remember Elena?" he asked, his voice steady.

"Yes," I replied cautiously, the memory of the woman who had once been close to Dominic stirring up old emotions.

Marco hesitated for a moment before continuing. "He was just pretending with her, Victoria. Dominic was never serious about Elena. It was all an act, so you wouldn’t feel pressured or have any reason to distance yourself from him as a friend."

My heart skipped a beat as I tried to comprehend what Marco was saying. "What do you mean, pretending? Why would he do that?"

Marco sighed, "Dominic overheard you one day when you were talking to Aunt Grace. You told her that you only saw him as a friend, nothing more. When he heard that, he panicked. He was afraid that if he showed how much he cared about you, you’d push him away. So, he came up with the most idiotic plan he could think of—pretending to be interested in someone else to keep things 'safe' between you two."

I stared at Marco in disbelief, my mind reeling. "Are you saying Dominic only acted like he cared for Elena to protect our friendship? That it was all just a lie?"

Marco nodded. "Yes, He was too scared to show his true feelings, so he thought distancing himself emotionally was the only way to stay close to you. It was a foolish plan, and it hurt you both, but it came from a place of fear and confusion, not malice."

I felt a wave of emotions crash over me—shock, confusion, and a deep, aching sadness. All those moments when I had questioned my worth, wondering why Dominic seemed so indifferent, suddenly took on a new, painful meaning.

"Why didn’t he just tell me the truth?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Why go through all of this instead of being honest?"

Marco gave me a sympathetic look. "Because he was afraid, Victoria. Afraid of losing you, afraid that if he admitted his feelings and you didn’t feel the same, it would ruin everything. He thought he was protecting you both, but in reality, he was only hurting the one person he cared about the most."

I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. Everything felt so tangled, so complicated. The man I had loved, who had seemed so distant and cold at times, had been hiding his true feelings out of fear. And in doing so, he had only caused more pain for both of us.

I looked down, trying to process everything Marco had just revealed.

Marco placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch gentle. "He made mistakes, Victoria, big ones. But his feelings for you were never a lie. That’s the one thing I can promise you. He’s loved you from the start, even if he was too scared to show it."

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Marco's words. My heart ached with the knowledge of all the misunderstandings, the hurt that could have been avoided if only Dominic had been honest from the beginning. But now, with everything out in the open, I didn’t know what to do with this new truth.

"I just... I need some time to think."

Marco nodded, understanding in his eyes. "Take all the time you need, Victoria.

With that, he gave me a final look and quietly left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the overwhelming realization of everything that had been hidden for so long.

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End of the chapter

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