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 the least she could offer.
In the courtyard, Carmela was with Bianca, reviewing the seating chart and menu for that evening’s dinner with their allies.
Elena walked over.
“Carmela.”
She used to call her Mother, just as Dante did. She didn’t want to anymore.
Carmela offered a mild nod before turning her attention back to Bianca, her expression softening.
Bianca smiled and sniffed the air dramatically.
“I smelled blueberry pie the second I walked in. Don’t tell me you didn’t make any—I know I’m right.”
Carmela patted her hand.
“It just came out of the oven. And tonight’s dessert is your favorite, too. The Ferraro guests will be very pleased.”
Bianca gave a little cheer.
There they sat, in the courtyard of the family matriarch, deciding the logistics of an official De Luca dinner, as if it were already a settled fact who would preside over this family’s formal table.
Only after Bianca disappeared into the kitchen did Carmela finally look at Elena.
“You’re here. There’s sweet tea on the table. Help yourself.”
Elena didn’t drink sweet tea.
She had told her so every time she visited.
Dante used to brush it off. “Her memory is failing. You’re there to manage her health, not to nitpick over refreshments.”
But Carmela remembered exactly how many blueberries Bianca liked in her pie and where every Ferraro guest ought to sit.
It wasn’t that her memory was bad.
She simply refused to spend any effort remembering Elena.
“I have a few things to say to you directly,” Carmela said, her tone suddenly formal. “I watched Dante and Bianca grow up together. The Ferraro family has been our partner for decades. She knows how to handle the bosses, how to maintain an alliance over a dinner table.”
“It’s true you’ve taken good care of me these past few years. I acknowledge your efforts. But you’re too rigid. The wife of the Don does more than arrange for doctors and pay bills. She has to be someone who makes men from every district willing to sit at the same table.”
“Bianca helps Dante relax. She keeps our allies happy. You should learn from her. And stop making him come home just to manage your emotions.”
Elena’s fingers went cold.
Carmela was seriously instructing her to imitate another woman in order to hold on to her position as the Don’s wife.
Elena had no interest in arguing.
She didn’t touch the tea.
“There’s no need. My marriage to Dante is already—”
“Oh, right!”
Bianca hurried out of the kitchen, her voice neatly cutting across Elena’s.
“I just remembered—there’s a formal dinner at the command center tonight. A few out-of-state bosses are meeting Dante to confirm next year’s tribute arrangements. He needs a female companion who understands the Ferraro terms, so I have to run.”
Carmela waved her on.
“Go. Alliance business is more important.”
Only then did Bianca turn to Elena, as if just noticing her.
“Elena? What are you doing here?”
She linked her arm through Elena’s, her voice thick with practiced apology.
“What happened at the club was all my fault. I drank too much and said some awful things. Please, give me a chance to make it right. I’ll take you to meet everyone, and I’ll tell them to their faces it was all just a stupid joke. All right?”
Before Elena could refuse, Bianca was already half-pulling, half-shoving her toward the car.
When they arrived at the command center’s banquet hall, Dante was standing at the entrance.
His gaze fell on Elena, and his brow furrowed.
“Shouldn’t you be with my mother tonight?”
Bianca stepped forward, lightly touching his arm.
“You need a Ferraro liaison here, and Elena is your wife. She happened to be at the estate, so I brought her along.”
Dante said nothing.
He looked Elena up and down, then turned and walked inside without another word.
He didn’t stop. He didn’t wait for her.
Bianca smiled. “He’s always like this when it’s Family business. Don’t take it personally.”
She tugged Elena into the hall.
Only after she stepped inside did Elena understand Dante’s look.