Make Me Moan, Daddy-Chapter 85

REINA

I had been sitting inside my car in the school parking lot for the past fifteen minutes, staring at the list Tessa had shoved into my hands the night before like it was a war strategy.

Operation: Make Domenico Forget About You.

She even wrote it at the top in capital letters, like she was naming a proper project. I read the first line again for the tenth time.

"First step to make him stop harbouring any feelings for you is to make him believe you’re happy with your marriage." I read the first line again, the corner of my lips curving upward in a small, disbelieving smile.

"Don’t give him any reason to think you want him." I read the next line and tipped my head back, letting out a loud, ridiculous bark of laughter that echoed around me in the car.

"Domenico isn’t going to buy this but it’s worth trying." I mumbled to myself, wiping the tears of laughter from the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand.

God. Tessa.

I knew she was trying to help me—I truly did—but this whole plan was absurd. Impossible. Laughable. Like trying to convince a wolf that the bleeding rabbit standing in front of it is fine, taken, and absolutely uninterested in being eaten alive.

Still... what other choice did I have?

Domenico was getting worse.

He had started calling me again. Constantly. Obsessively. As if my number was the only one that existed in his phone. As if the sound of my voice was oxygen and he refused to suffocate quietly. And last night—God, last night—he showed up at my apartment just a few hours after Tessa left.

He didn’t even try to hide it. He stayed for several minutes, talking to me through the door like a man who had all the patience in the world, even though I refused to open it. His voice was deep and low, sliding through the cracks like smoke, curling around my spine, making it impossible to breathe normally. And then he said—so casually, like it was nothing—that he’d be coming back today.

That he wouldn’t leave until I let him in.

My heart jumped remembering it, an anxious, traitorous flutter that made my palms go sweaty.

"I really hope he’ll forget about everything and we can all go back to how things used to be," I sighed under my breath, rubbing my forehead as I shoved the list into my bag with more force than necessary.

It sounded naïve even to my own ears.

"It’s my fault, really," I whispered, biting down on my lower lip as I stared at nothing, the guilt pressing down on my chest like a weight.

If only things were that simple. If only I hadn’t let it get this far. If only I hadn’t reacted the way I did that day.

If only he wasn’t Domenico.

"Paolo didn’t have a good relationship with his mother, I don’t want to be the reason he’ll lose his father as well."

"Fuck my life."

Paolo losing his father because of me. Me losing my marriage on top of everything else. And the worst part—knowing a part of me didn’t want Domenico to forget.

I pushed that thought down so hard it almost hurt.

"Okay," I whispered to myself. "Today, we start."

My wedding ring glinted in my palm, a small, mocking circle of metal. I’d taken it off weeks ago because the guilt made my skin crawl every time it touched me. And now here I was, forcing myself to put it back on like it actually meant something.

My fingers trembled as I slid it onto my left hand.

It felt foreign. Wrong. Tight, like it was squeezing a lie into my skin.

I stared at it, waiting—praying—for some dramatic wave of strength or peace or clarity.

Nothing came.

Just me. Just that stupid ring. Just the mess I created with my own reckless need.

With a sigh, I grabbed my bag, inhaled a shaky breath that felt too big for my lungs, and stepped out of my car.

I hugged my bag against my chest and locked the door. My plan was simple—pathetic, but simple: get to class, act normal, and most importantly, rub this ring in everyone’s face until the universe got the memo. And perhaps,my father-in-law too.

I’d only made it halfway across the lot when I collided with something—someone—solid enough to nearly knock the air out of me.

My bag slipped from my hands and hit the ground with a soft, humiliating thud.

"Oh, shit, I’m so sorry!" a man blurted at the exact same time I said, "Sorry, that was my fault."

We both bent down at once, and our heads smacked together with a sharp crack.

"Ah!" I yelped.

"Ow, wow." He winced, rubbing his forehead. "That definitely is my fault this time. Clumsy me."

A laugh escaped me, an awkward, tired puff of air that wasn’t cute in any universe, but he smiled anyway. He reached for my bag, lifting it as if off the floor. Immediately our eyes met, it felt like the world stood still for a second.

He was... wow. Just... wow. Tall, lean but not skinny, curls falling in that careless way that somehow looks perfect on him, jaw sharp and his eyes... God, his eyes.

Leather jacket, leather pants that hugged his muscle thighs, black tight shirt that showed his lean abs, and a pair of combat boots.

Fuck me. He could step on me with those on, and I’d say thank you.

Simple. Fucking perfect.

He held my bag out, the corner of his mouth tilted in apology. "Sorry, Ms. I wasn’t looking."

"It’s fine," I said, except I didn’t take the bag because apparently I forgot how to function around attractive strangers.

He gave a soft laugh. Warm. Disarming.

Great. Just what I needed.

Woman, get a grip. You still have a father-in-law problem to get out of.

I snapped out of it and took the bag. "Thank you."

"No problem at all." He shifted slightly, offering a hand. "I’m Philip. Philip White. I’m the new professor filling in for Dr. Collins. He’s out for... something family-related, I think? They just dropped me in this morning."

"Oh." I nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear—very intentionally using my left hand so the ring flashed.

He noticed instantly.

His brows rose, amusement flickering across his face. "Nice ring. Real?"

I blinked too fast. "Yes. I’m married. Married to Paolo. Paolo Gravano. My husband. He’s my husband."

Jesus... Why was I confessing like I’d committed a crime? This whole ring bullshit wasn’t even to show off but to let my father-in-law back off. What the hell was wrong with me?

Philip’s lips curved, not mocking, just entertained. "Right. That’s... good. Your husband must be proud to have you as his wife."

My stomach twisted. Was he? Did I even care if he did?

"Yeah," I replied, though it sounded more like a shrug dressed up as a word.

Philip glanced at his watch. "I should get to my office before my first class. I’ll probably see you around."

He raised a hand in a quick, casual wave and walked off—confident, unbothered, blissfully unaware of the emotional natural disaster that was my existence.

I let out a breath I’d been strangling in my throat.

One human interaction down. A million more to survive.

I turned toward the building only to walk straight into another body.

A familiar one. A dreaded, aching, absolutely unwanted familiar one.

My heart plummeted straight to my feet.

"Oh. Rei... Reina."

His voice. His face. Him.

The universe officially hated me. Because why? Why did I have to run into him? Why now? Why here? Why today of all days?

And of all days... he had to appear today.

"Andrew..." I choked out the name I had never wanted to utter with my mouth ever again. Rage, and something close to hurt brewing inside of me.

Andrew. My ex-boyfriend.