Perhaps my cold laugh was what finally set Dante off. In a fit of rage, he smashed his whiskey glass on the marble floor.
"Can't you be more generous? What happened to you? I fell in love with your kindness and wisdom, not this jealous woman who throws tantrums over nothing. I'm honoring a promise to my brother. What kind of sick thoughts are running through your head?"
"Dante, your actions would make any wife suspicious."
His body stiffened, and he glared at me. "Not everyone has a mind as twisted as yours!"
I had nothing more to say. I turned and went back to the bedroom, pulling out the suitcase I had already packed.
He blocked the doorway, a flicker of panic finally crossing his eyes.
"Elena, I was wrong. Please, don't go…"
"I know I messed up. I'll change, I swear. From now on, whatever you say goes... okay? Please, Elena."
This was the first time Dante had ever seemed truly desperate. He wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
His voice was choked with sobs, trembling slightly.
"I promised your father I would take good care of you. Give me one more chance, I swear I'll make him proud. I know I haven't treated you right these past few years. I'll make it up to you."
The word “wronged” was a crack in my armor. A sob tore from my throat, and then another.
So, he did know how much I had suffered? Then why did he always accuse me of being unreasonable?
My body trembled as I pounded my fists against his solid chest.
"This is your last chance. If you do this again, I am really leaving you."
However, the very next morning, Bianca's call came, her voice tearful on the other end.
"Dante, Leo won't listen to me. Please, can you talk to him?"
I held my breath, staring at Dante, and only let out a sigh of relief when he refused Bianca's request.
He looked at me smugly, as if waiting for praise. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing both his cheeks. "Thank you," I murmured. "That's all I ask."
"Of course. Whatever my wife says, goes."
However, it wasn't long before Bianca called again, sobbing on the phone. Her crying grated on my nerves.
Just as I was about to tell him to hang up, Dante looked at me with a troubled expression.
"Elena, I'll just go for a little while. I'll be back soon."
Of course, he would.
A sharp pain pierced my chest, making my eyes burn.
"Do you remember what you said last night?"
"I do. I'll be back soon. I'll talk some sense into Leo so this doesn't happen again, alright?"
He had said things like this many times before.
Not once had he kept his word. All he had done was cheapen my forgiveness.
"Dante, I'm pregnant." I pulled his hand to my stomach.
"Really?" His voice was laced with suspicion.
I nodded, but he just stared at me sternly, then said in a heartbreakingly disappointed tone, "Elena, if you don't want me to go, just say so. Don't lie to me like that."
Suddenly, the whole situation struck me as utterly absurd.
I walked to the door and flung it open.
"Then get out."
He looked at me with those disappointed, pleading eyes, as if begging me not to be unreasonable.
Clinging to a final shred of hope, I said it again, "I really am pregnant. We can go to the hospital right now and check. But if you walk out that door today, don't expect me to give you any more chances."
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, said nothing.
Instead, he posted two of his men downstairs to watch me.
I went straight into the study, opened my laptop, and started looking for a divorce lawyer.
This time, Dante came home sooner than usual.
However, to my shock, I heard voices outside.
It was Bianca and Leo.
Dante had brought his sister-in-law and nephew home.
