Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 215

(SOFIA'S POV)

I stood frozen, my heart hammering in my chest as the sting of Dwayne’s slap lingered on my cheek. The pain itself was nothing compared to the fear that followed crawled up my spine, seizing my chest with an icy grip. It wasn’t the slap that unsettled me. It was the calm that followed. The quiet, dangerous calm in his voice, the chilling intensity in his eyes.

I stared at him, unable to look away.

His gaze... those eyes… green, like emeralds, sharp and piercing, as if he could see straight through me. There was something about them that felt so hauntingly familiar. A memory buried so deep in my mind that it started clawing its way out, unwilling to be ignored. The more I looked at him, the more something in the back of my mind screamed, This is wrong. This is all wrong.

His voice, low and steady, carried a weight to it: calm, but with a thread of something far more dangerous. My breath caught in my throat as my mind raced, sifting through memories, but each time I tried to latch onto one, it slipped through my fingers like smoke.

And then, it happened.

He shifted—just slightly, imperceptibly—like a dancer moving across a stage. His hand, so fluid and deliberate, reached up to adjust the cuff of his sleeve, a small, almost graceful gesture. It was as if he were smoothing away something invisible, but the fluidity of the motion, the precision of it, was all too familiar.

I had seen it before.

I had seen that exact movement years ago. In a different place. Under different circumstances.

The sudden recognition hit me like a jolt of electricity, my skin prickling with a cold sweat. That movement, that fluid grace… I had seen it before. In him.

The air around me suddenly seemed insufficient and suffocating, making it hard to breathe. I knew I had to get out of here before I embarrassed myself any further. With a surge of adrenaline, I turned and fled, my chest pounding as I sought for the safety of my room.

I didn't stop until I was away from the Harrison's yacht, and back to the Langley's. I got into my room, grateful I didn't bump into Tiana's parents or my mother. Slamming the door shut, I jammed the locks, too to evade anyone coming in. I leaned against the door, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath.

After regaining a little composure, I slowly walked to the mirror; my eyes fixated on my reflection. I cringed, refusing to believe that the reflection staring back at me was me. My face was red and puffy, with large finger imprints engraved in it.

A sob tore from my lips and my hands flew to my mouth.

The image of Dwayne’s eyes still lingered in my mind. I stumbled toward the closet, yanking open the door and tossing clothes inside without thinking, my hands trembling violently. I have to leave. I have to leave before it’s too late!

That small, elegant movement… the way his fingers had brushed over his cuff with such an effortless precision—I had seen it before. And in that moment, everything I had worked so hard to forget rushed back like a tidal wave.

I could hardly breathe, my chest tight and suffocating. I fought to push the panic down, but it was no use. My pulse was hammering in my ears, my mind reeling. The pieces were falling into place, one after another, each one more horrifying than the last.

He had helped me. He had helped me do it.

Dwayne. The name echoed in my mind, jagged and sharp. It was HIM.

I grabbed my bag and stuffed it with whatever I could find. The fear inside me was a gnawing beast, telling me that if I stayed even one second longer, it would consume me entirely. I had to get out. I had to.

But even as I packed, I couldn’t stop thinking about those eyes. And the memory—the memory I had tried so hard to forget—was coming for me. And no matter how far I ran, I knew I wouldn’t be able to outrun it.

If I'm fast enough, I should be out of here before everyone returns. I just hope that Tiana keeps her mouth shut since her parents and my mom didn't witness the incident. Who was I kidding? They're just likely going to get wind about it, but I had to be out of here before they did.

(DWAYNE'S POV)

Turning my attention to Arielle, I saw that she seemed dazed. She was rigid, flustered, her eyes distant, as if she was looking at something but seeing nothing at all.