Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 287

Clairessa’s POV

I leaned against the vanity, the marble cool against my palms. My reflection glowed softly back at me, hair smooth and full from the curls I’d brushed out, lips shining with gloss, eyes still bright from the warmth of dinner. I couldn’t stop the little smile tugging at my mouth. Dinner had been perfect. For the first time in so long, I’d felt like I was on top of the world.

I ran my fingers through my hair, though it didn’t need fixing. Truth was, I was wasting time, letting him wait, taunting him. And if I admitted it to myself, another part of me wanted to see if he would actually come for me.

My phone glowed faintly as I scrolled through it, killing minutes I didn’t need to waste, heart beating with that strange mix of playfulness and anticipation.

Then the restroom door pushed open.

I didn’t glance up immediately. My lips curved as I whispered, almost teasing, “Took you long enough…”

But the voice that came wasn’t his. It was croaky, and it crawled straight under my skin.

“Hello… sweetheart.”

I froze.

My eyes darted to the door, and my heart nearly stopped.

Marco.

My hand jerked, the phone slipping and clattering against the sink. Panic gripped my insides tightly.

“We meet again,” he rasped, a cruel, cocky smile tugging at his lips.

“M-Marco?” The name spilled out before I could stop it. “What… what are you doing here?” My voice trembled.

He stepped inside, arrogance radiating from every movement.

“You thought you could run from me forever?”

“I never ran from you!” I gripped the vanity, knuckles whitening. “You were the one… the one who tried to hurt me!”

His smirk widened, eyes filled with malice. “Hurt you? No, little girl. I could have given you the world, changed everything for you. But you… you refused to see it. Refused to accept me.”

The memory crashed back like a wave, his hands shoving me down, the sink cold against my cheek, his breath in my ear, his forceful attempt to spread my thighs. My legs trembled and I wanted to collapse.

Marco advanced, swallowing the small space around me. “And then Gabriel… your shining little armor,” he hissed, eyes full of malice. “He came for you, didn’t he? Saved you from me. And yet, here you are… all alone with me…”

Instinctively, I stepped back until my spine met the wall. “How, how did you even get in here?”

He chuckled, low and cruel. “I’ve been watching and waiting for the right moment to have a redo of the last time. You thought you could escape me?”

His laugh grated, sickening. “After ruining my life, destroying my relationship with Gabriel, you thought you’d live happily ever after with him?”

My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. “I’ll have you know, I’m not alone. Gabriel’s waiting for me. If I don’t come out in the next minute, he’ll storm in here. So I suggest you leave.”

Marco’s eyes flared, anger flashing in them. “That bloody Gabriel… always getting in the way… of both of us! What do you see in him? You… chose him… over me!”

“And I’d choose him a thousand times over,” I shot back, even though my body shook. “He’s more of a man than you could ever dream of being. He would never hurt me. But you, you’re nothing but a despicable psycho.” My voice steadied. “I wasn’t interested then. I’m not interested now. What you tried to do was sick. You deserve to be rotting in jail.”

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