Crushed Affections

The mention of Lia being Zion's future wife had once sent Leonard into a frenzy. Now, he could say it with ease because he had come to accept the reality.

Lia didn't refuse when Leonard offered to stay. With the complicated relationship between the Crawford and Sawyer families, they would rarely get the chance to interact again. Subconsciously, she wanted to seize whatever little time they had left. Reflecting on their past

moments together, she felt that she shouldn't have been so cold. After all, Leonard hadn't done anything wrong, had he?RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

...

Meanwhile, Bella was concerned about Lia and Leonard being alone together. She found herself constantly standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking downstairs. Unfortunately, it was difficult to see Lia's building from her vantage point, so her actions were in vain. After watching her pace for a while, Dominic couldn't help but speak up. "Leonard's not going to hurt her. What are you worried about? Didn't she decide to leave with him this time?"

Bella shot him a glance but didn't respond. Just because Lia and Leonard were present didn't mean that morning's events were over and forgotten.

It was said that if you tolerated violence from a man the first time, there would always be a second time. Throwing the phone had already been bad enough.

Dominic had no idea that she had already turned him into the type of man with violent tendencies in her mind. He walked over and grabbed her, pulling her down to sit. "Can you just relax for a minute?"

She shrugged his hand off. "Don't touch me."

He was frustrated, his gaze falling on her belly. He sighed, suddenly more subdued. "What now?"

Bella gave a small huff. "You can go to those kinds of places with a clear conscience But if Sean wants to take me out for a meal, you destroy my phone. You really are a walking doublestandard, huh? I won't control you, so can you just

eave

me alone? The child is yours, but I'm not. What makes you think you can control me?"

Dominic took a deep breath, his anger building up. "I'm not trying to control you. You can go out with Sean, but you can't take my child with you. If you can't do that, then stay home unless the baby in your belly is his..."

Bella suddenly realized something.

His issue wasn't with her going out with Sean. It was the message Sean had sent earlier. That was the real reason he had thrown her phone. He had always been suspicious about whether the child was truly his, and Sean's words had hit a nerve. Naturally, he blew up. Not blowing up would have been more out of character.

The problem was simple-Dominic didn't trust Bella enough, which prevented them from having a proper, healthy relationship.

A wave of sadness washed over her as she silently retreated to the bedroom.

Dominic sat on the couch for a long time, lost in thought, before finally getting up and following her.

He found her curled up on the bed. More than anything, he felt helpless. "What do you want me to do to make you happy? Haven't I been accommodating enough? Whatever you want, I'll give it to you, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

Bella sat up and looked at him, her

voice trembling with emotion. "How am I doing whatever I want? Am I being unreasonable? From the

beginning, it's always been you net

doing whatever you want, and have no say in it! I don't even have the smallest sense of freedom. Don't you think what you're saying is ridiculous?"

After she spoke, Dominic didn't reply. The eruption had passed, leaving behind the lingering warmth of lava and scattered ashes everywhere, much like the current state of their feelings.

Seeing his cold expression, Bella felt all her pent-up emotions flood out. All she could think about were the countless unpleasant moments from their past, each one pushing her emotions further into turmoil.