REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 46

He appeared out of nowhere, his hand was light but firm on the small of my back, steering me right past his sisters and family toward the black car waiting at the very back of the drive.

My father was standing by the front steps with Dario's parents, Vincenzo and Elena, and even Dario's grandmother. They all watched us walk over. The old woman gave me a warm, knowing nod.

"Go ahead, dear," Dario's grandmother said, her voice smooth and kind. "You two need to speak and get comfortable with each other."

My dad nodded right along with her, completely on board with handing me over. "She's right, Nyxara. Go on." he said.

Before I could say anything, Bianca and Ella stepped up and pulled me into a quick, genuine hug. "We'll see you soon," they whispered, both of them smiling like they knew a secret I was only just figuring out.

Then Elena pulled me into a soft embrace, smelling like expensive perfume and calm confidence. "We'll see you tomorrow, darling." she whispered.

I turned toward the waiting car, ready to pull the door open, when a sharp, unhinged sound cut through the quiet afternoon air.

We all froze, when I turned around. Coming across the driveway was Nysa. Her hair was a mess, her makeup was smeared down her face, and her eyes were wide with panic. She was running straight toward us like a wild animal.

Before I could even flinch, Dario moved. He stepped right in front of me in a flash, his body completely blocking Nysa from getting anywhere near me.Nysa skidded to a halt a few feet away, her chest heaving as she dropped into her pathetic crying and pitying act right on the spot.

"Dario! Please!" she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks as she held her hands out. "I made a mistake! It was just a stupid mistake! You were always so cold to me, you never spent any time with me, and I just…I didn't know what to do, blah, blah, blah…"

She kept crying and whining, throwing herself at his mercy, but it was pathetic.

Nobody even blinked. Everyone standing on the steps completely ignored her, acting like she was nothing more than background noise. Without a single person giving her the time of day, my dad and the Valteris just turned around and got into their respective cars, leaving Nysa standing there in the dirt, talking to herself.

Dario didn't look at her twice. He reached out, pulled the car door open for me, and gestured with his head for me to get inside.

As I stepped around him to slide into the leather seat, I didn't rush. I slowed down just enough to turn my head and look right at Nysa. I let a slow, cruel smirk spread across my face, making sure she saw every bit of it. Her crying hitched, her face twisting with pure hatred when she realized I was the one taking her place.

I slid into the back seat, and a second later, Dario climbed in beside me, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. The engine purred to life, and the car started rolling down the driveway, leaving the estate and Nysa far behind us.

The silence inside the car was thick. I kept my arms crossed over my chest, staring straight ahead out the window as the trees blurred past. I didn't want him breathing on me, didn't want him touching me after the circus we had just left.

I turned my head, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "Don't touch me."

He didn't yell or get mad. A slow, infuriating little smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He just reached into his jacket, pulled out his phone, and started scrolling through his emails like I hadn't even spoken. He didn't touch me, and he didn't say a single word.

The car ride back to the Vexari estate was quiet, but it was the kind of quiet that felt heavy, like the air right before a thunderstorm breaks. Dario didn't say a single word the entire trip. He just sat beside me, scrolling through things on his phone, completely ignoring the fact that I had told him not to touch me. I kept my eyes locked on the window, watching the familiar trees and gates roll by as we pulled up the long driveway and came to a stop in front of the house.

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