The Don Who Called Me Dirty, Begged Me Back Later Chapter 09
The car merged into traffic, leaving the arrogant man far behind.
I leaned back in my seat and let out a long breath. “Thank you,” I said to Julian.
Julian kept his eyes on the road. His voice was
warm. “Do not thank me. You walked out on your
own.”
Rivermont. DeLuca Holdings. Top–floor office.
Ever since Salvatore returned from Sterling
Heights, he had been like a drawn bowstring,
ready to snap at any moment. He had locked.
himself in his office for two days.
The ashtray on his desk overflowed with cigarette
butts.
His consigliere knocked and entered, holding two sealed investigation reports. “Don. The results you
asked for are in.”
Salvatore crushed his cigarette. His voice was
hoarse. “Read them.”
“The first report is about Miss Elena.” The consigliere swallowed and opened the file. “Her high school records show that in her sophomore year, she fell off the uneven bars during gym class. She suffered a severe vaginal tear.”
“The hospital records and the doctor’s diagnosis are all here.”
Salvatore’s pupils contracted. The hand holding his cigarette trembled slightly.
The consigliere turned to the next page. “In the months before she married you, because of the frequent gynecological exams, she developed
severe post–traumatic stress disorder.”
“She secretly saw a psychiatrist for two years
behind your back.”
“The therapist’s notes say she developed an
extreme fear of the smell of disinfectant. Of
physical touch from any man.”
The lighter slipped from Salvatore’s hand and
clattered onto the desk.
Images from the past three years flooded his
mind.
The flicker of sadness in her eyes when he
avoided her hand. The slight tremble in her
shoulders when he sent her to the hospital.
Those eight exams. He had dragged her to hell
with his own hands.
And he had condemned her with two words: “You
disgust me.”
“The second report?” Salvatore’s voice was
shaking. Barely holding together.
The consigliere took a breath and opened the
second file. “This one is about Miss Moretti.”
“Before joining the company, she was involved
with multiple men simultaneously. Several of them
were regulars in Rivermont’s wealthy social circle.”
The consigliere’s voice dropped lower. “According
to hospital records, Miss Moretti’s conception
date does not match yours.”
“She got pregnant two weeks before the night you
were together.”
Something shattered in Salvatore’s mind.
He stared at the report. His eyes were blood red.
He had believed Elena was dirty. He had used the cruelest words to humiliate her. The coldest
indifference to torture her.
He thought he was a righteous judge.
But the one who was truly dirty was him.
He had trampled the purest heart under his boots. And worshipped a rotten woman like a treasure.
“Sal!”
The office door burst open. Mrs. DeLuca hurried in, her face full of indignation. “You have not been home in days. Bianca has been sick with morning sickness. You should go see her.”
“That Elena woman is ungrateful. Fine. But you are neglecting the DeLuca heir?”
Salvatore looked at his mother. And started
laughing.