Chapter 26
Elodie’s POV—
I walked through the streets of the Bellini Pack, the autumn wind tugging at my coat, it now felt like a life that no longer belonged to me. Everything looked the same, familiar storefronts, cobblestone lanes but it all felt like someone else’s world. Like I was a ghost in it, unseen and unnecessary.
Near noon, a dull ache reminded me of lunch plans I had with Dante. My fingers hovered over my phone, debating whether to head home and see Liora, my little girl. Then it buzzed with a new message.
[Something urgent came up. Lunch canceled p>
I stared at the screen as the words sank in. No shock. No anger. Just the quiet, hollow hurt that had been settling into my bones for months. I wasn’t surprised. Nothing I ever asked for, ever hoped for, had seemed to matter to him. Work, friends, someone else, always first. Me, his wife, and our daughter? Optional.
I felt a familiar numbness, a hollowing in my chest where hope used to live. I had come here eagerly, heart open, only to be met with indifference. Even Liora, my little girl, the one I carried for ten months through nights of pain and fear was being pulled into someone else’s orbit.
I drove without thinking, my mind on autopilot, and ended up at the restaurant Dante and I had dined at countless times. Memories of laughter and easy conversations kept flooding into my mind. But when I approached the glass, the cold truth hit me hard across the face.
There they were. Dante, Sienna, and Liora.
Sienna sat close to my daughter, whispering and laughing, brushing Liora’s hair back, feeding her little pastries from her own plate. Liora swung her legs happily, her eyes bright but not with me. Dante smiled as he served them, but his gaze never left Sienna. She was the center of his world, the one he wanted to impress, not me, not the child he once promised he would protect above all else.
I wanted to scream, to rush in and reclaim my place. But my legs felt heavy, my heart heavier. So this was Dante’s “urgent matter,” this moment I had crossed oceans for: my child being claimed by someone else.
I smiled, so bitter and hollow, my fingers tightening on the strap of my bag. I didn’t move closer. I couldn’t. I couldn’t be the mother my daughter already didn’t need. I turned and walked away.
Back at the villa, everything seemed to be crashing down on me. I sat at the desk, hands trembling as I pulled out the divorce papers I had prepared. Seven years. Seven years of believing that love, effort, devotion, could be enough to change a man who never truly saw me. Dante had been my dream once. My first. My mistake. But he had never really looked at me, not like he had at Sienna just now.
I placed the papers in an envelope and pressed them into Sabina’s hands. “Make sure he reads this,” I said, although my voice was low and trembling, it was resolute.
I dragged my suitcase to the car. “To the airport,” I told the driver. The words were final. No second chances, no desperate hope left in my chest. For the first time in years, I felt a strange weight lift. It was painful, yes, but liberating.
I had loved a man who never loved me back. I had carried his child, nearly dying for her, only to be made irrelevant. And now, I was leaving the Bellini Pack and him… behind.
Dante’s POV
It was past nine when Liora and I pulled into the villa. She clung to my sleeve, moving slowly, dragging her feet. I didn’t hurry her. I never did. She didn’t need me to push her forward.
“Dad… what if Mom insists on coming with us tomorrow?” she asked, her voice small and worried.
I glanced at her briefly, just enough to register the question. The faintest lift of my eyebrow, maybe even a small spark of surprise—she always had a way of showing up when you didn’t expect it. But I didn’t let it linger.
“She won’t,” I said smoothly, voice calm, certain. No heat. No judgment. No comfort. That was enough for her. She relaxed almost immediately, the tension in her shoulders easing.
I drove the rest of the way in silence. Liora’s small hands squeezed my sleeve once, twice, then she let go, too tired to fuss. That suited me just fine.
Inside, Sabina appeared, holding something carefully. “Sir… Madam asked me to give this to you p>
I took the envelope without looking at her. “Where is she?” I asked, casually, as if it hardly mattered.
“Madam… packed and returned home this afternoon,” Sabina said, carefully watching for any sign of reaction.
I paused halfway up the stairs. A flicker of surprise—perhaps she had thought I’d notice, maybe even care—but it didn’t last. Of course she went back. She always had things to do. Life pulled her away. That was normal. That was fine.
“She went back?” I asked, almost rhetorically.
“Yes,” Sabina confirmed.
I nodded once and continued upstairs, the envelope slipping into my pocket. I didn’t need to read it right now. Her reasons, her explanations, her little attempts to pull at the world around me… they didn’t affect me. I assumed she had her reasons. I didn’t need to dwell.
Liora’s eyes lingered on me, catching the faint shadow of my pause. Her small disappointment, the tiny hope she carried for her mother’s presence tonight was all evident in her features. But it had entirely shattered now.
I knew the reason why. All these while, little Liora had been chattering about how much she wanted Elodie to be around her tomorrow. Although she didn’t want Elodie to join us at the beach tomorrow, she still wanted her mother to stay and accompany her for the rest of the day.
Without another world, I climbed upstairs, not sparing a glance at her direction.