Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 583 -

*Natalia*

"She did it!" I spat through gritted teeth as I threw my white coat onto the couch in our room. My whole body was tense as if I was about to dive headfirst into a fighting ring. I turned to my fiance, who trailed behind me with a grim look. "I can't believe you won't support me on this!"

"Of course I support you."

Tallon repeated what he'd said for the dozenth time on the car ride home, crossing his arms with a deep frown. "I understand your anger, Natalia, but think about it logically."

"Logically?" I scoffed, whirling at him with a scowl. "Fine, let's think about this logically. We meet your ex-girlfriend outside of the villa, who says, 'Oh, this place isn't up to my incredibly bullshit standards,' but then five minutes after we go in and decide it's perfect for us, she calls to book it on the exact same date our wedding is being held? Is any part of that logical?"

Tallon sighed, rubbing his thumbs against his temples as he said firmly, "There is another explanation other than her sabotaging our wedding, Natalia. Maybe it's just a-"

I narrowed my eyes on him, stepping forward right into his face as I hissed, "What, a coincidence?"

Tallon must've seen something rather threatening on my face for his mouth to shut with a loud snap. I felt his eyes on me as I stormed into the bedroom, throwing off the simple sweater I had worn to change into something more comfortable. I fumed silently to myself, not sure who or what I was angry at this moment. Bianca for stealing the venue we wanted when she had already said it didn't fit what she wanted? Tallon for not believing me that she had done it on purpose? I didn't know.

I was just angry about everything-annoyed that no matter what I did, Bianca didn't seem to go away, and frustrated that everything we'd planned for the wedding was going wrong because of her. I was also hurt that Tallon kept defending her and not me.

And mainly, just tired from all of it.

I fell face-first into the bed, curling one of the pillows under my head as I stared at the wall, completely and utterly done with everything. Thoughts swirled in my head, too fast for me to grab and understand, but I could tell how utterly miserable they made me.

Soon enough, I felt the dip on the side of the bed and a warm, large hand on the middle of my back. His hand slipped under my shirt, bare against my skin, and I sighed as I felt him rubbing soft, slow circles.

It was soothing, but I also wasn't sure I was even in the mood to accept his touch at the moment.

"Natalia," he said, voice low and soft as called my name lovingly.

I could feel his attempts to calm me, to make amends for whatever he did wrong, but it only made me feel worse.

Because he didn't do anything wrong.

I knew that and he knew that. But my stupid brain was being pulled in a thousand different directions, with too many emotions to even name as they flooded through my system. I buried my face into the pillow, biting my tongue that wanted to lash out at him.

It wasn't fair to him, but my anger had nowhere to go and the more I tried to contain it, the more it spilled over and splashed whoever was closest to me. And unfortunately, that was the man I loved more than my own life. "It's not that I don't believe you, Natalia," Tallon said quietly. "But think about it. I just can't imagine how Bianca could've known the dates we chose. Did you tell her?"

"No," I muttered, my voice muffled against the pillow "But-"

"Do you think she found out through our friends or family?"

"No," I sighed, grumpily, "But I-"

"Then doesn't it make the most sense to assume that this was just bad luck on our part?" Tallon asked, leaning over to spy into the little cove between pillows I'd stuffed my face into. He gave me an understanding, hopeful smile. And as much as I wanted to push him away, to fight him on this and yell until both of our ears bled, I knew that I very much had to be an adult about this. I couldn't just sulk like a child until he agreed with me. That wasn't how to build a healthy relationship.

I sat up, downcast as I glanced at my hands in my lap. Tallon grabbed one of them in his large hands and I swallowed uncomfortably. I could feel the difference between our hands, how calloused and used mine were from constant chores and odd jobs I'd taken to support my mother and me.

That kind of poverty-the kind where you weren't sure where your next meal was going to come from, the kind where a twelve-year-old had to pick up sketchy and probably illegal after-school jobs or had to learn to go without heating in the depth of winter-was not a life that was kind.

It was one that left marks on a person.

But Tallon, one who had never suffered any grievances of that sort, his hands were always soft and kind. He was sweet as he brushed my bangs away from my eyes, tucking them behind my ear.

"Natalia," Tallon called me, gently lifting my chin to meet his soft eyes. "Talk to me. Why is it so important to you that Bianca be guilty of this?"

And just like that, the calm resolve to talk through this with him was broken.

"It's not," I swatted, getting to my feet as I glared at him. "I just know she did this on purpose! Why can't you believe me? I thought you were finally on my side, but you're not!"

There was a fissure between us, a gaping hole that neither of us could cross, and I knew that I was the one who had driven it bigger. I knew acting mad wasn't the way to go about this, but I couldn't say what I wanted to say. All of it just came out wrong.

I looked away from his sad, hurt eyes, feeling guilt and shame and frustration and suddenly, all I wanted was to be alone.

"I am on your side!" Tallon got to his feet as well, storming over to me and grabbing my arm. His grip was firm but gentle enough that I could break away if I really wanted to.

"Well, it doesn't feel like it," I snapped, pulling my arm out of his grip. "It feels like you're defending her!"

"I'm not defending anyone," Tallon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't think you're thinking about this clearly. You want it to be on purpose, so you're seeing connections that maybe don't exist!" "No, I'm not!" I shot back, gritting my teeth.

I felt like I was banging my head against a wall. How could he not see that she was clearly trying to get at us, with the barbs in every sentence she said to us, the way she tried to one-up me every time we saw her, and how she just seemingly appeared out of nowhere?

Once or twice could've been a coincidence, but this had happened far too many times for this to be brushed off. I wasn't sure how I knew, or how she did it, but I knew she was trying to sabotage our wedding, our life together.

"Natalia!" He threw his hands up, exasperation as he paced in front of me. "How long as you going to keep digging your heels into this? If she really wanted to sabotage our wedding, she could do a lot more than just book a venue or buy dress you wanted. Why can't you just let this go?"

"Because I know it's her! Why can't you just believe me?"

"Because it doesn't make sense!"

"It doesn't have to! You're supposed to love me, not her!"

My scream hung in the air between us and with my fists clenched tightly at my sides, almost too painfully, my breath came in ragged huffs as we both fell deafeningly silent. For a moment, all I could do was stare at the floor and wait for whatever he would say next.

But a minute passed and then another and soon, my legs had grown tired from standing there and waiting. I broke first, holding myself around the middle, full of shame for yelling and being so difficult as I carefully looked up at him. There was a frosty coldness in his eyes that I had never seen directed toward me before, not quite anger but something that was not the soft and kind man that he normally was. He tilted his head at me with an emotion I couldn't name on his face.

I stiffened like I had been dropped into a cold lake. Looking into his eyes, I saw underneath it all one very damning thought.

He didn't believe me.

"You're really going to question my love for you, Natalia, after everything we've been through? Over this?" His voice was as cold as ice and I shivered upon hearing it.

I looked at my bare feet, my vision blurring as I held my arms around my waist like I could shield myself from the sudden blizzard that had overtaken my fiance.

I knew I was acting childish but I just couldn't give in this time, not over this.

I knew I was right, but I also didn't want this to drive a wedge between us. I flinched as I heard his sharp sigh.

"I'll sleep on the couch," he said coldly, and I only saw his shoes as he left the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him. I was left alone.

And I thought with a heart-wrenching guilt that maybe she really had succeeded. Maybe she'd already driven a wedge between us.

Or, something dark whispered in my mind, maybe it was you.

I shakily made my way to the bathroom, glancing in the mirror at my pale reflection. I felt like I was staring at a ghost, at someone who wasn't really there, just a memory of a person looking back at me. I glanced at my rough and harsh hands, too rough to hold his kind and smooth ones.

I wondered, a little hysterically, if perhaps that was the reason the universe kept getting between us. Maybe this was a sign that we weren't meant to get married... or be together at all.

But then I remembered the smug grin on Bianca's face, the smirk as she looked down on me, and a fire was reignited in my soul.

I wasn't the problem.

Tallon wasn't the problem.

It was her.

I wasn't going to give up on our happiness, on the wedding we had so carefully picked out together. With a determined glint in my eye, I faced my reflection stubbornly and made a plan. All I had to do was replace the problem and put an end to it.

Once and for all.