The unstoppable Dante

Lucas smiled, his eyes glinting with malicious amusement as he studied Dante. His gaze traveled up and down Dante's figure, taking in the faded clothes, the unkempt hair, the weariness etched on his face.

"You really let yourself go, didn't you?" Lucas said, his voice dripping with mockery. He couldn't hide his amusement. "I can't believe you're still standing, Dante. Honestly, I thought you'd be gone by now. You always were good at disappointing everyone."

Dante's fists clenched, but he said nothing.

"Look at you," Lucas continued, stepping closer, his designer clothes gleaming in the dim light. "I guess I never understood what Mia saw in you. But now... it's pretty clear, isn't it? You've been nothing but a wallet, a paycheck. You were useful for a while, but now? You're just... pathetic."

Mia stood behind Lucas, arms crossed, her expression as cold as ice. There was no warmth in her eyes, no hint of regret. Only the bitter truth.

"You know, Dante, I really tried to make it work," Mia said, her voice sharp. "I really did. But the truth is, you were never going to be enough. I stayed with you for as long as I could. But I've realized something—I need more than what you can offer. You're just... not it."

Dante's chest tightened. He had always known there was something off, something that didn't quite add up. But to hear it from her, to hear the coldness in her voice, made it all real. She had never loved him. She had never cared.

"I... I thought we had something real," Dante whispered, his voice barely audible, as if speaking too loudly might shatter him completely.

Mia's lips curled into a sneer. "Real? Dante, you were never my priority. You were just someone who could feed me for a while. But you can't even do that anymore. So... I'm done."

A knot tightened in Dante's stomach. He wanted to say something. Anything. To make her see. But before he could speak, Mia cut him off.

"You know what?" she said, almost casually, as if she were talking about something trivial. "Tomorrow, Lucas and I are going to the One Love 5-Star Hotel. We're going to have a great time. You... well, I guess you'll be stuck here, watching your world fall apart."

Dante froze. The words hit him like a ton of bricks. One Love. The kind of place he could never afford, the kind of luxury he'd never been able to provide her. He knew it. She had always wanted more. And now she had someone who could give it to her.

"I... I wanted —" Dante began, but Mia didn't even give him a chance to finish.

"Shut up, Dante," she snapped. "I don't want to hear it. Not anymore."

Before he could even process what was happening, Mia grabbed his bag, throwing it out the door with a cold, practiced motion. The sound of it hitting the ground echoed in the silence between them.

"You can't stay here anymore," she said, her voice harsh, like a door slamming shut. "You're not welcome."

Dante stood there, stunned, as his world seemed to crumble around him. He wanted to beg her to reconsider, to ask her what he had done wrong, to plead for her to see that he had tried. But the words caught in his throat.

Mia didn't even look at him as she turned her back on him, her eyes focused entirely on Lucas. The man who would take her to places Dante could never reach.

His heart sank lower. She was gone. There was no turning back now.

"Get out," Mia said one final time, her tone so final it made Dante's knees feel weak. "You can't stay here. You're a burden."

Dante felt a wave of exhaustion crash over him. Everything he had believed, everything he had worked for, everything he had given her... it was all a lie. She had used him. And now, there was nothing left.

Lucas lingered a moment longer, eyes gleaming with satisfaction as Dante stood motionless. Then, with a soft chuckle, Lucas stepped closer, leaning in just enough to whisper in Dante's ear.

"You know, this all looks so familiar," Lucas said, his voice low and mocking. "I remember the last time you were in this position. Only this time, it's even worse, isn't it? No one's here to help you. No one even cares."

Dante's mind buzzed, memories of the past flooding his thoughts. The shame, the isolation, the day they had banished him from everything he had once known. How his own family had turned their backs on him, leaving him with nothing. It all came rushing back.

He clenched his jaw, forcing the anger down. He couldn't let Lucas see how much he was hurting.

"You think you're winning, don't you?" Dante muttered, his voice hoarse with bitterness.

Lucas smirked, taking a step back. "Oh, I know I'm winning. I've always been better than you, Dante. Always."

"And just so you know," Lucas added, his voice now laced with something darker, "Mia's... quite the treat in bed. I didn't know you could be so blind, Dante. You really didn't know? I'll make sure to choke her good before I leave, though. She likes it rough, you know?"

Dante felt his blood boil, but he didn't move.

Lucas leaned in even closer, his voice now a taunting whisper. "In fact, I'm planning to get engaged to her tomorrow. That's right, Dante. She's mine now. You're nothing. I'm everything."

Dante's eyes burned as he stared at the ground, feeling the weight of the words sink in. Why are they taking it all from me? It was over.