~Forbidden By Our Desires~

20. Closing Chapters

TW: self harm ‼️

DANIELLA'S POV

I awoke to the soft morning light filtering through the blinds, casting thin stripes of gold across the room. I blink groggily, disoriented at first, until the unmistakable weight of an arm draped over my waist caused me to freeze.

The sudden rush of memories hit me like a wave—last night, the soft touches, the familiar taste of lips i had sworn i'd never kiss again.

Shit.

I slowly turn my head, my pulse quickening as my eyes settled on the sleeping figure beside me. Aria. That same ginger hair, the way it fanned out against the pillow, the way she breathed so softly in sleep, like nothing had ever changed between us.

But it had. Everything had changed.

I carefully slid out from under the arm, biting back  the flood of regret that rose in my throat. My body ached from the weight of last night, a bitter reminder of our history—how we always seemed to fall back into the same pattern, like moths to a flame that burned them both.

My hands found the edge of my bed as i steadied myself, fighting the urges to run, or cry, or...i dont even know. My thoughts continue to race through my mind.

I stared at my reflection in my full-length mirror across my room, my disheveled hair, the smudged makeup, the haunted look in my eyes.

What the hell was i thinking?

A sour taste filled my mouth at the thought of what happened, i let myself get carried away and tried to forget about my problems by fucking her. It didnt work and now all i feel is sick with anxiety.

As i mentioned, our relationship had been a spiral—passion and fury intertwined, always promising something better but delivering the same gut-wrenching fights, the lies, the empty apologies and promises.

And here we both are again, like none of it happened.

The sheets rustled behind me, causing me to stiffen. Aria stirred, mumbling something in her sleep, a sound that once made my heart skip a beat, now only tightening the knot in my stomach.

I didnt want to have the conversation that would inevitably follow when she woke up. I didnt want to hear those same excuses or the sweet nothings that had once soothed my pain but now only deepened it.

I stood up, my movements quick and deliberate, grabbing my clothes off the floor and dressing in silence. As i threw a shirt on, not bothering to put my pants back on, i caught a glimpse of the woman on my bed—so peaceful, so familiar.

The sight of it made my chest ache in a way i hated. We had always been so good at pretending in the quiet moments, like nothing had broken between us.

If we fought, we would always just have sex and pretend it never happened. I hated it. I wanted her to communicate with me but she never listened.

I know better now.

A knock on the door caused me to snap out of my thoughts, a small head peaking inside my room. I watch Elliot, searching his eyes noticing how they were wide with excitement

"Dani, can we go to the park? Mom and Dad are out..." he trailed off, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

For a moment, the weight of everything from last night hung over me like a shadow, but the sight of Elliot standing in the doorway made me push it down.

He was innocent in all of this. I couldn't let him see anything was wrong.

"Yeah, bud. Just give me a minute, okay?" I smiled, trying to look as though nothing was wrong.