Chapter 3
Was this a deliberate performance for my benefit?
Or his way of forcing a confrontation?
It was painfully obvious.
"Dante, she looks angry."
"Dante, just let it go. You're going to start fighting again..."
"She goes completely wild every time she loses it..."
His men all whispered their pleas, but he remained unmoved.
It was true.
The last time I blew up, the two of us came to blows.
I ended up with a fractured brow bone, and he with a severed tendon in his hand.
It was why his men always looked at me with such fear.
A scene like this demanded a fight.
I should have grabbed a bottle and smashed it over Dante's head.
Torn that woman's face to shreds.
And smashed up the whole place while I was at it.
But this time, surprisingly, I just felt tired.
Too tired to even lift a bottle.
Too tired to even utter a single word.
Dante waved a hand dismissively and stood up.
He was tall, his body well-built.
But every step he took was cautious.
The bones in both his legs had been broken, and one wrong move would send him collapsing to the floor.
He knew that feeling all too well.
Yet he still walked resolutely until he stood before me.
His unsteady gait reminded me of the past.
That was how we left the Romano family, limping away together."Lydia, I love you."
With that one sentence, everyone in the room erupted in cheers.
As if it were something worth celebrating.
But I couldn't muster any emotion.
"But I don't love you anymore."
In the noisy room, only Dante turned his head.
I don't know if he heard me.
I grabbed my bag and left.
"Our Young Miss is getting shy! It takes Dante to handle her. See? He's got her wrapped right around his finger."
"Dante is really something else! Taking care of the Young Miss and his little flings at the same time... he's no ordinary man, hahaha!"
It was June, but I felt a bone-deep chill.
If only we hadn't insisted on being together back then.
I would still be the heir to my family, and he would still be Master Dante, the most influential man in the Romano family.
Bzzzz...
The vibration of my phone pulled me back from my thoughts.
I pulled out my phone and froze, staring at the screen.
No contact name, not a saved number.
But that string of digits was all too familiar.
It had been seven years.
My hand trembling, I answered the call.
"G... Godfather."
My dry throat managed to find its voice again.
"Where is Dante?"
I glanced back. Inside the private room, they were all laughing and raising their glasses.Celebrating Dante having bested me once again.
"I heard he's finally going to marry you."
Dante's wedding had been in the works for some time.
He said the wedding had to be so grand that the whole world would know about it.
Otherwise, it wouldn't do justice to our swift and fiery passion.
I didn't expect my godfather to know about it too.
It seemed this wedding was indeed a grand affair.
"Seven years without a single call. Your godmother... she misses you a lot."
My godfather's voice also sounded much older than I remembered.
I held back the tears welling up in my eyes.
"You're getting married after all, bring him home."
I walked to the doorway, where Dante was holding someone in his arms.
Tenderly.
Afraid that a moment of carelessness might hurt her.
His retaliatory kisses had now turned into gentle pecks.
"Dante, are you crazy? The young miss might not have left yet!"
Despite the warning, despite knowing he shouldn't be doing this.
But holding the delicate woman in his arms, he just couldn't help himself.
I watched him, filled with disappointment. It seemed this wasn't the first time.
"Hello?"
"Are you still there?"
Staring at my phone, I took a deep breath.