Don Begged, Donna Walked Chapter 04
Staring at the pregnancy test report in my hand, my heart stirred.
I hoped this child could come back to me.
Vincenzo finally relented and promised to cut all ties with Adelaide.
He started coming home on a regular schedule. Sometimes he’d bring a bouquet of lilies to help me sleep.
At night, he’d wrap his arms around my growing waist from behind.
Maybe this baby really could change everything.
Before long, I found a pair of stockings that weren’t mine in his suit pocket.
They still clung to Adelaide’s lingering warmth, a silent slap straight across my face.
Dazed and broken, I headed to the family headquarters.
Through the glass, I saw Adelaide—the woman he claimed he’d fired long ago.
Her desk sat right across from his, covered with a big bunch of lilies.
When she spotted me, she showed no surprise.
She even held up the ring on her left ring finger in plain provocation.
I grabbed everything within reach and hurled it at the sight that burned my eyes.
Vincenzo rushed out, face dark with rage. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the cheek.
“Who let you in? This is family headquarters. Take your tantrums home!”
I held my stinging cheek, staring at the disgust in his eyes.
How had we ended up like this?
Once the scandal broke, the family name crumbled completely. The council was thrown into chaos.
Vincenzo ordered me to clear Adelaide’s name at once.
“Release a statement saying all of this is nothing but delusions from your unstable mind. Otherwise—” His threatening gaze drifted down to my swollen belly.
This child was my only lifeline.
He looked pleased to see my face turn pale in an instant.
“I want that statement out before I go aboard.”
“Adelaide’s been upset lately. I’m taking her to Iceland to relax. She’s always loved the northern lights there.”
The last place I went was the memorial park.
Today marked my mother’s death anniversary.
I pressed my cheek gently against the headstone and whispered.
“Mom, I’ve come to see you.”
I lit the candle I’d brought along.
Then I took out the sunflower painting and set it softly into the flames.
Next came the stack of photos of Vincenzo.
My fingers brushed over his face, familiar yet strange. His features twisted and distorted as the fire consumed them.
Everything was gone.
I’d burned the keepsakes my mother left me,
and erased the last traces of what I’d felt for him.
Once I ended this pregnancy, I would have no family left at all.
There was nothing in this world worth holding onto anymore.
“Mom, I’m leaving. I might wander endlessly, or open a flower shop by the sea. Maybe I’ll even build a new clan, just like you did.”
“Wish me well. I’m free now.”
I could walk away anytime. Vincenzo and I were never even married.
As I turned to leave, a sense of danger pricked at me—a sharp instinct honed by years in this dark world.
A bullet cut through the air.
I barely managed to shift aside before the searing bullet tore through my body.
…
Vincenzo was on his way to the airport.
He went through clan business distractedly, an unshakable restlessness gnawing at him for no clear reason.
Beside him sat Adelaide, wearing a sweet smile as she peeled an apple.
He was never the one who loved apples. That was me.
He rubbed his temples.
A wave of dread washed over him again.
He had the feeling that he’d forgotten something crucial today.
After a moment’s hesitation, he dialed my number.
“Caterina?” he called out.
A faint reply came after a long pause.
The sound sent his unease soaring.
“Where are you? Why do you sound so weak?”
It was as if I had roused from a deep slumber, clinging to her last bit of strength to answer.
“There’s an assassin… Addy wants me dead. Come back quickly!”