The Don Who Called Me Dirty, Begged Me Back Later Chapter 10
The laughter grew louder. Hollow. Mad.Â
“Heir?” He grabbed the reports off the desk andÂ
hurled them at Mrs. DeLuca’s face. PapersÂ
scattered across the floor.Â
“See for yourself. See what kind of mongrel thatÂ
is.”Â
Mrs. DeLuca froze. She bent down and picked upÂ
the reports.Â
Seconds later, her face went white. Her legs gaveÂ
out, and she collapsed to the floor.Â
The winter in Rivermont came earlier and harderÂ
than usual.Â
In just a few weeks, DeLuca Holdings was on theÂ
verge of collapse. Without Elena, every hiddenÂ
crack became a fatal wound. Salvatore wasÂ
consumed by the chaos. Rival families circled,Â
waiting for their chance to strike.Â
He threw Bianca and her bastard out of RivermontÂ
like garbage. When she knelt at the villa gates, crying and begging for forgiveness, he did notÂ
even look at her.Â
He finally understood. The dirty one was never her.Â
It was his own self–righteous, arrogant, ignorantÂ
heart.Â
Sterling Heights. It had started snowing.Â
I stood outside my apartment building, suitcase in hand, ready to head to the airport. Today, JulianÂ
and I were launching a new project.Â
Today was also the day the court would finalizeÂ
my divorce.Â
A black sedan was parked at the curb. Snow hadÂ
piled up on the roof. It had been there for a while.Â
The door opened. Salvatore stepped out.Â
He was gaunt. Hollow–eyed. Wearing only a thinÂ
coat, shivering in the snow.Â
When he saw me, his eyes lit up. He stumbledÂ
toward me. “Elena.”Â
He stopped in front of me. His knees buckled, andÂ
he dropped onto the snow.Â
People on the street turned to stare. He did notÂ
seem to notice.Â
“I am sorry.” He looked up at me. Tears and meltedÂ
snow mixed together as they hit the ground.Â
“I checked everything. You were not lying. I wasÂ
blind. I was a bastard.”Â
“I threw Bianca out. I will give up everything. Elena.Â
Just give me one more chance. I will spend theÂ
rest of my life making it up to you.”Â
His hand reached out, trembling, toward the edgeÂ
of my coat.Â
I stepped back.Â
That single step shattered the last hope in hisÂ
eyes.Â
I looked down at the man I had once loved until IÂ
lost myself. I felt no satisfaction. No pain. Just aÂ
profound, infinite calm.Â
“Salvatore.” I looked at him from above. “ThreeÂ
years ago, on our wedding night, you sentencedÂ
me to death.”Â
“Three years later, I am returning the verdict.”Â
I took a document from my bag and dropped itÂ
onto the snow in front of him.Â
The divorce decree, freshly stamped by the court.Â
“We are even now.”Â
I turned and walked toward the business sedanÂ
parked nearby. Julian stood by the car, holding aÂ
black umbrella over me.Â
“Let us go,” he said gently.Â
I nodded and got in.Â
The car pulled away. I did not look back at theÂ
man kneeling in the snow, sobbing.Â
Three hours later.Â
The flight to Paris climbed through the clouds.Â
I sat by the window, watching the blinding sunlight.Â
The light streamed through the clouds and fell onÂ
my left hand.Â
There used to be a deep mark on that ring finger, where a ring had sat for three years.Â
I touched the spot gently.Â
For the first time, I realized it did not hurt anymore.
