The moment the car threw her through the air, Elena had only one thought: *Finally. A reason good enough to see my husband.*
But even after she woke up in the emergency room of a private clinic with twelve stitches in her temple, Dante, the head of the De Luca family, still hadn’t come.
Elena called his encrypted number. She heard the sound of a running shower, and then Bianca’s breathy laugh.
“Dante’s in the shower… Oh, wait. He’s handling Family business.”
“The clinic called about a car accident? You sounded fine, so I told him it wasn’t urgent.”
“You’re not actually going to cry, are you? I’ll be sure to remind him once he’s out.”
Elena’s nails dug into her palm, her grip tightening on the phone.
She thought of her birthday, when Dante had shut down an entire stretch of coastline to celebrate Bianca’s new role as liaison between their two families. Bianca had even put a birthday hat on her hunting dog. The next day, the tabloids ran with it: *Dante Throws Lavish Fireworks Display for Dog’s First Birthday.*
She thought of the night her appendix had ruptured. It was three in the morning, and she’d driven herself to the clinic alone. Dante never answered his phone. A thunderstorm had knocked out surveillance in the harbor district, so he’d stayed at an ally’s safe house to oversee Bianca’s security himself.
It wasn’t as if she’d never asked him about it.
Every time, Dante said the same thing. “I grew up with Bianca. She’s in charge of secure communications now. Don’t make this sordid.”
Five years of marriage. Five years of making excuses for his coldness.
It wasn’t that he lacked warmth.
He just refused to give any of it to her.
Elena walked to the nurses’ station, retrieved her phone, and typed a message.
[I’m at the clinic. I’m terminating the pregnancy.]
A long time passed before the screen finally lit up.
One word.
[Received.]
A child would mean their name in the De Luca family records, binding them both forever to a system where a wife’s emergency calls could be screened and ignored.
Elena stared at the word on her screen and signed the consent form for the procedure.
He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 13 By the time Dante saw the message, noon was fast approaching. He dropped everything and rushed home. Elena was pale, and he had assumed she was just weak from the car accident. She wouldn’t look at him, and he had assumed she was just
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 12 Dante had his deputy bring him every call and message log Bianca had handled over the past week. The deputy read them off, one by one. Several had come from the same private clinic. Dante’s face changed. He drove to the command center himself
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 11 Bianca hurled the cup at the floor. Glass shattered across the tiles. Water splashed onto Dante’s trousers. A shard flew up and opened a long, thin cut on his cheek. “So from start to finish, I was the only one who was hoping for
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 10 Dante frowned. It was as if the question had never occurred to him. “No.” The color drained from Bianca’s face. “Why?” Dante’s expression remained calm, dispassionate. “We grew up together. The Ferraro and De Luca families have been partners for decades. That kind of
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 09 In the lounge behind the banquet hall, Bianca sat on the sofa. Dante handed her a cup of warm water. She held it with both hands, her eyes still red, but her composure had returned. “Dante… was I wrong, too?” Dante was straightening a
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 08 Bianca staggered and fell to the floor. Before she could get up, Elena lunged, grabbing the neckline of her gown and ripping it down. “Dante, help me!” Bianca screamed, clutching at her skirt. The next second, a foot slammed into Elena’s abdomen. She crashed
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 07 Bianca had twisted the entire story. She had forced Elena into the car. Elena had never said she wanted to come, let alone told her “not to worry about it.” Elena was about to retort when Bianca suddenly raised her voice, making sure the
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 06 The dinner was held on the second floor of the command center. Seated along a great long table were De Luca district bosses, Ferraro representatives, and associates from out of state. Every seat represented territory and tribute. The men were all in dark, severe
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 05 Once her condition stabilized, Elena went to Carmela’s estate. Tonight was the night the man from the phone call was coming for her. Before she left, she wanted to tell Carmela about the end of the marriage. After five years, a face-to-face goodbye was
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He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 04 Bianca shrieked and scrambled backward. Dante finally exploded. He turned to the men guarding the door. “Get her outside. She doesn’t come back in until she’s ready to apologize to the Ferraro Don’s daughter. Anyone who hesitates can hand over his district tomorrow.” The
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