He Let Me Bleed So I Let Him Go Chapter 15
Los Angeles.
An unfamiliar cityscape stretched out beyond the window. A sea breeze drifted through the open crack, stirring the white curtains.
Elena woke from a nightmare, her back soaked in cold sweat.
In the dream, she was back at that long table.
Her pin was ripped from her coat, her clothes torn open. Dante stood under the bright lights, ordering his men not to protect her.
She curled up under the blanket, hugging her knees, waiting for her breathing to steady.
Two soft knocks sounded at the door.
The housekeeper’s voice was gentle. “Elena, was it another nightmare?”
Elena didn’t answer.
A moment later, the door opened a crack.
The person who entered wasn’t the housekeeper.
It was Luca Bellandi.
He wore a sharply tailored three-piece suit, his coat still carrying the chill of the night, as if he’d just returned from a meeting at the harbor.
He didn’t come close, stopping a respectful distance from the bed.
“The housekeeper said you haven’t been sleeping well.” His voice was low and steady. “She thought you might feel safer if someone stayed outside your door. I’ll be right here. Call out if you need anything.”
In the soft glow of the streetlights, Elena could see his face clearly.
Luca was the current head of the Bellandi family.
And for years, he had been the only man who dared to challenge Dante’s authority, the only one who refused to bow to De Luca power.
That was why, once the black sedan was identified as his, Dante’s men had not dared to continue their pursuit.
“Luca, you really don’t have to do all this.”
“It’s no trouble,” he cut in softly. “Go to sleep. I’ll be outside.”
Elena looked at him, a knot tightening in her throat.
She understood, better than anyone, that leaving didn’t mean letting go overnight.
No one had forced her to marry Dante. There had been no contract, no family arrangement. She had chosen that love, and she had lived in it for five years.
By day, she was productive. She had already transferred her engineering license to California and was reaching out about new restoration projects.
But at night, the past still had claws.