Part 2Left to Bleed While He Saved Her

The door then slammed shut.

I sat alone on the couch, clutching my still-aching, wounded abdomen.

Luca never asked a single question about my injury from the moment he stepped in through the front door. All he cared about was whether I'd lied to him or caused him any trouble.

The fire in the fireplace went out, leaving only a few glowing embers behind.

I subconsciously touched my empty neck, where the necklace symbolizing my future Donna status once hung. Now, there was only a red mark from when it had been yanked off.

I got up and pulled out the dusty suitcase from the deepest part of the closet.

I had so few belongings that it was almost laughable. All I had was just a few changes of clothes and an old photo album that my parents left for me.

A black Ruisse bank card lay in the farthest corner of the bedside drawer. It contained the compensation money that the Famiglia had given me after my father, Alfonso Pasquini, took a bullet for Luca's father, Don Claudio Gambino, saving his life.

I never touched a single penny from it over the years, even in my most financially strapped times.

The moment I zipped up my suitcase, someone pushed the door open from the outside. It was Rosa Natale, Luca's mother.

She held a platter of cut fruits as she stood at the door. However, her face darkened when she saw my suitcase on the floor.

"Elena? What are you doing?"

"I'm moving out for a few days for some peace and quiet," I replied without looking at her.

"Moving out?"

Rosa slammed the platter heavily on the coffee table, nearly knocking over the vase. "You're such an ungrateful brat, Elena! Luca never slept a wink these few days because of the feud, and instead of helping him out, you're throwing a tantrum and distracting him with tricks like these?"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum," I replied.

"And you still say you're not?" Rosa demanded. She then sighed and said condemningly, "Look at Carmela! She never said a word even though she got hurt during the fight. As the future Donna, you should learn a thing or two from her and be more understanding of the men in your life!

"Your parents died early, and if it were not for the Gambino Famiglia taking you in over the years, you'd probably have ended up on the streets digging through trash for survival instead! How could you throw a temper tantrum with Luca like this over something so insignificant?"

I looked at the woman who'd maintained her appearance very well over the years before me and recalled the scene from years ago when I was eight years old.

I carried my parents' ashes as I stepped into this manor for the first time. Back then, Rosa gently embraced me and said, "This will be your home from now on."

And yet, now, she kept reminding me in a condescending manner that I was nothing but a pathetic wretch leeching off them and living under their roof.

I suddenly broke into a smile and stepped forward, gently placing the bank card containing the money from my father's compensation on the coffee table.

"Donna Gambino, I've kept a record of every penny I've spent in your household over the years, including my education, living expenses, and everything else.

"The money in this card should be more than enough to cover everything."

Her face turned dark at once.

"Are you trying to sever ties with us?"

"Not exactly," I said, lifting my suitcase and heading toward the door without looking back. "I just finally realized that this was never my home to begin with."