The Heir He Left Behind Chapter 04
On the day I left New York, the sky was a wet concrete gray.
I dragged my suitcase out of the taxi and into the terminal.
Then a highperformance engine roared. I looked back. A black Maserati was speeding toward me.
I gripped my suitcase handle and walked faster.
“Cassie!”
He jumped out of the car and ran through the crowd. “Cassie!” He grabbed my arm, his voice shaking.
“Where are you going?”
I looked at him calmly. “Let go, Dante.”
His eyes were bloodshot, almost crazed. “Stay. We can go back to how things were.”
I let go of my suitcase and unbuttoned my coat.
The winter wind cut through my shirt. My stomach wasn’t flat anymore.
Dante’s eyes dropped to that slight curve.
I smiled. “Dante, look. How do we go back?”
The wind died down. Everything went quiet.
Dante stood frozen, staring. Finally he looked up, eyes red. “Cassie… what happened?”
I smiled. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“I don’t understand. Elena said she had people there. Said they’d teach you a little lesson – just to make you
less spoiled.”
“I was angry. I agreed. I didn’t want to hurt you. I just wanted to scare you off.”
“I thought the people she sent would take care of you…”
My smile froze in the cold wind. “They took care of me, all right. They took me away.”
Dante breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew Elena would handle it…”
“Do you know what kind of people she sent?”
He went still. “What?”
“Scum,” I said, one word at a time. “Garbage.”
The look on his face collapsed.
–
“I nearly drowned trying to escape. My ID, my phone, my money all gone. I ate from trash cans. Slept under
bridges. Fought off men who tried to rape me every night. In the end, they tried to sell me to a brothel.”
“The only one who helped me was him. The father of my baby.”
“Shut up.” His face twisted. “Don’t say another word.”
He stepped closer and grabbed my wrist. “I’m taking you to a doctor. We’re getting rid of it. That bastard’s spawn isn’t staying inside you.”
“Why?”
He looked away, his voice rough. “Get rid of it. We’ll pretend this never happened. I’ll take care of you. Your mother’s gone. You have nobody. I’ll look after you.”
“No.”
I yanked my hand back.
“Cassie, don’t be stupid. Nobody knows about this. I’ll pay for a private clinic. Your reputation won’t suffer.”
“And then?” I looked him in the eye. “Will you marry me?”
Dante froze. He looked down, lips pressed tight.
“Cassie, with your family’s situation… my parents would never allow it.”
“But don’t worry. I won’t abandon you. I’ll take care of you. For the rest of your life.”
“Dante,” I cut him off. “I really regret ever liking you.”
I turned and walked away.
I walked into the terminal, and a sharp, tearing pain shot through my belly.
Warm liquid ran down my legs. The world spun.
I collapsed on the cold floor.
In the chaos, I thought I heard someone calling my name.
Then everything went silent.
“I nearly drowned trying to escape. My ID, my phone, my money all gone. I ate from trash cans Slept under
bridges. Fought off men who tried to rape me every night. In the end, they tried to sell me to a brothel
“The only one who helped me was him. The father of my baby.”
“Shut up.” His face twisted. “Don’t say another word.”
He stepped closer and grabbed my wrist. “I’m taking you to a doctor. We’re getting rid of it. That bastard’s spawn isn’t staying inside you.”
“Why?”
He looked away, his voice rough. “Get rid of it. We’ll pretend this never happened. I’ll take care of you. Your mother’s gone. You have nobody. I’ll look after you.”
“No.”
I yanked my hand back.
“Cassie, don’t be stupid. Nobody knows about this. I’ll pay for a private clinic. Your reputation won’t suffer.”
“And then?” I looked him in the eye. “Will you marry me?”
Dante froze. He looked down, lips pressed tight.
“Cassie, with your family’s situation… my parents would never allow it.”
“But don’t worry. I won’t abandon you. I’ll take care of you. For the rest of your life.”
“Dante,” I cut him off. “I really regret ever liking you.”
I turned and walked away.
I walked into the terminal, and a sharp, tearing pain shot through my belly.
Warm liquid ran down my legs. The world spun.
I collapsed on the cold floor.
In the chaos, I thought I heard someone calling my name.
Then everything went silent.