Chasing Sandro: A Dangerous Obsession

Chapter 89: Learning to Trust

Bella sat at the kitchen table, staring at the half-empty cup of tea in front of her, lost in thought. Trust—it was a word she hadn't truly considered in years. Not when everything between her and Sandro had been built on deception, obsession, and manipulation. Now, as they sat across from each other in the quiet of their home, the silence held a different weight. It wasn't uncomfortable, but rather full of potential.

She glanced up at Sandro, who was sitting on the other side of the table, flipping through some papers but not really reading them. He seemed to be lost in thought as well. Ever since their decision to start over, they had been navigating new, unfamiliar territory. There were no games now, no hidden agendas. Just two people trying to rebuild something fragile from the ashes of their past.

Bella took a deep breath, breaking the silence. "I've been thinking..."

Sandro looked up, his expression soft but attentive. "About?"

"About us. About trust." She bit her lip, gathering the courage to continue. "I know we've made a lot of progress, but sometimes I wonder if we'll ever fully trust each other again."

Sandro set the papers aside and leaned forward slightly, his eyes meeting hers. "I've thought about that too," he admitted. "I think trust is something that has to be built, day by day. It's not going to be easy, but I'm willing to put in the work. Are you?"

Bella nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety. "Yes. I want this to work, Sandro. I really do. But there are moments when I... when I doubt myself. When I doubt whether I'm even capable of being someone you can trust."

Sandro reached across the table, taking her hand in his. His touch was warm and reassuring, grounding her in the present moment. "You're already proving that you can be. The fact that we're having this conversation shows how far you've come, Bella. We're both different people than we were before."

She smiled faintly, grateful for his words but still wrestling with her own insecurities. "I don't want to be that person again—the one who kept secrets and tried to control everything. But sometimes I'm afraid that part of me is still there, waiting to come out."

Sandro squeezed her hand gently. "We all have parts of ourselves we wish we could change. But you're working on it. We both are. And that's what matters."

They fell into a comfortable silence again, but this time, the air between them felt lighter. Bella's thoughts drifted back to the therapist's office, where they had spent hours unpacking the mess of their past. One session had stuck with her more than the others—the one where they had talked about forgiveness, not just for each other, but for themselves.

"Do you think you've forgiven me?" Bella asked softly, breaking the silence once more.

Sandro's expression softened, and he nodded. "I think I have. But more importantly, I think I've forgiven myself. For the things I did that pushed you to that point. For using your feelings the way I did."

Bella blinked, surprised by his admission. "I didn't think you saw it that way."

"I didn't either, at first," Sandro said, leaning back in his chair. "But I've had a lot of time to think about it. I played a part in what happened, Bella. I can't just put all of that on you. We both made mistakes."

Hearing him take responsibility for his role in their past made something inside Bella soften even more. Trust wasn't just about her proving herself to Sandro—it was about both of them learning to trust each other again, from a place of mutual understanding and accountability.

"I think we're both learning how to do this," Bella said, her voice steady now. "But I'm willing to try. I want to try."

Sandro smiled, a rare, genuine smile that made Bella's heart skip a beat. "So do I."

Over the next few weeks, they continued to rebuild their relationship, brick by brick. It wasn't easy. There were moments when doubt crept in—when old fears resurfaced, and they both questioned if they could truly move forward without falling back into their old patterns. But each time, they faced those doubts together.

They learned how to communicate in ways they never had before. Bella was honest with Sandro about her feelings—about the fears that lingered in the back of her mind and the temptation to revert to her old ways. And Sandro, for his part, was patient, giving her the space to express herself without judgment.

One evening, after a particularly intense day, Bella found herself standing in front of Sandro, her hands trembling slightly. "I need to tell you something," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sandro looked at her, concern flashing in his eyes. "What is it?"

"I had this moment today," Bella began, her words tumbling out faster than she had intended. "This moment where I felt like... like I needed to control something. Like I needed to make sure things went a certain way, or else everything would fall apart."

Sandro listened carefully, not interrupting her. When she finally paused, he took a step closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And what did you do?"

"I stopped myself," Bella admitted, her voice shaking slightly. "I thought about what we've been working on, and I stopped. But it scared me. It scared me that those feelings are still there, even after everything."

Sandro pulled her into a gentle embrace, his arms wrapping around her protectively. "It's okay to feel that way, Bella. What matters is that you recognized it and chose not to act on it. That's growth."

Bella leaned into him, feeling the weight of his words sink in. He was right—this was a process, and they were both learning to navigate it. Trust didn't happen overnight. It was something they would have to build, little by little, through moments like this.

And as they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, Bella realized that for the first time in a long time, she believed in the possibility of a future where trust wasn't just a distant dream, but a reality they could both live in.