Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Chapter 17 Don't Do Anything Reckless

Too much had happened that night for Bella to process, so she kept drinking, drowning her thoughts in alcohol.

Lia wanted to drink with her, but Bella stopped her. "You better not. If your heart condition flares up, I'll be too drunk to save you."

Lia chuckled. "With a doctor by my side, what's there to worry about? My heart's not that fragile. Besides, you became a cardiologist because of me. I owe you a drink for that."

Bella had chosen to study medicine and become a cardiologist because of Lia's congenital heart condition. Lia was her only friend, and Bella had tasted loss enough times to know she feared loneliness more than anything.

By the time it was past midnight, Bella was so drunk her consciousness had started to blur. For someone who rarely drank, this night had been far too wild.

"I'll take you home..." Lia slurred while holding onto a shred of sobriety.

with her phone as she mumbled, "I don't want you to... I'm calling

drunk, you're still thinking

make out the words on the screen. After a few

she mumbled, "Dominic, where are you? Come pick

got out of bed and started getting dressed. "Stay there. I'm coming to

back in college hadn't been a joke. When he arrived at the bar, he scanned the area until he spotted two women slumped

I'm here. Let's get you up. I'll take you

are you here, Felix? Didn't she

paused before responding, "She called the wrong

to argue, and she trusted Felix. She'd heard enough about him from Bella to know he was a stand-up guy. "Alright, take her home. I'll manage on my

Once you're there, send a text to Bella's phone to let us know you're safe. I'll keep an eye on her." After helping both women outside, Felix made sure Lia got into a cab and gave the driver strict instructions before

leaning entirely on him. He hadn't expected that after all these years, this