He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 32
“Salvatore didn’t like him. He said Ray had an old debt on his hands that could never be mentioned and told me to stay away. But every time Ray came, he brought a bag of freshly roasted chestnuts wrapped in brown paper, hidden inside his thick coat. They were still hot when he took them out.”
I glanced at the chestnuts Dante had bought.
“The last time he came was Christmas Eve, twelve years ago. It was snowing hard. He stood outside the door and wouldn’t come in. He just handed me the chestnuts and said he was going somewhere far away and wouldn’t be back.”
That night, there had been a fresh cut on the web of his thumb, still bleeding.
I hadn’t understood then. Only after I grew up did I realize it hadn’t been an ordinary goodbye. He had been running from his own people.
Dante didn’t ask about the old debt, and he didn’t offer an explanation for Ray.
“He asked to see you. What are you going to do?”
“Go. Tomorrow.”