His Donna Was Never Legally His Chapter 07

His Donna Was Never Legally His Chapter 07

Ava was still forced to return to the Moretti Estate.

Luca and Mia went with them.

Ava’s family background had never been prestigious enough for the Moretti Family, so she was left standing

in a corner.

Mia stayed close to Matteo, openly marveling at the lavish estate.

It didn’t take long for Luca to cause trouble.

He knocked down a portrait of the former Don hanging inside the private chapel, and one corner of the frame shattered against the floor.

Matteo’s grandmother, Isabella Moretti, flew into a rage.

She grabbed Luca and demanded that he face Family discipline.

Mia rushed forward in tears and shielded Luca.

Matteo stepped in and pleaded for Luca.

But the Matriarch refused to let the matter go, though she could not bear to punish her own

great-grandson.

She looked toward Ava in the corner.

“Anyone who breaks the rules must be punished. But he’s still young, so the fault lies with his mother for failing to discipline him.”

“His mother will take the punishment for him.”

Dried blood still stained the whip in the estate servant’s hand.

Mia trembled and immediately hid in Matteo’s arms.

Matteo wrapped an arm around her and remained silent.

Ava clenched her hands.

“I’m not…”

Before she could finish, Matteo’s men covered her mouth and shoved her forward.

Ava snapped her gaze toward Matteo.

He was looking down, comforting Mia and Luca.

The whip came down hard.

Agony exploded through Ava, making her vision go black and filling her mouth with the metallic taste of

blood.

The whip struck again and again.

Ava fought desperately, but the men holding her kept dragging her back into place.

Tears streamed down her face.

Her shoulders shook, and cold sweat soaked through her clothes.

After days of torment, Ava could barely remain standing.

Her face had gone deathly pale, and she lost consciousness before the required number of lashes had fallen.

Just before she blacked out, someone caught her.

Then she lost consciousness.

Ava had no idea how much time had passed when she woke up and immediately reached for her phone.

Her Australian residency application would be approved the next day.

“What are you looking at?”

Matteo’s voice suddenly came from beside her.

Ava calmly lowered her phone.

“The date.”

Matteo didn’t suspect anything.

“You were unconscious for 3 full days.”

Ava gave a cold laugh.

“Because of you.”

Matteo didn’t get angry.

He cut the apple he had peeled into pieces and held one to her lips.

“Luca has a parent-teacher conference tomorrow. After that, I’ll send Mia away.”

His voice dropped.

“Let’s stop fighting and live peacefully together from now on, okay?”

Ava stared at him and found the whole thing absurd.

He had hurt her and humiliated her, and now he expected everything to be forgotten.

It made her sick.

She turned her head away, closed her eyes, and said nothing.

Matteo didn’t force her.

He placed the fruit on the nightstand and left.

But the next afternoon, he returned with a cold expression.

“Where did you take Luca and Mia?”

Ava had no idea.

Matteo dragged her straight to the George Washington Bridge and threatened coldly, “Tell me where they are, or I’ll throw you over the edge.”

He knew she was afraid of water.

Ava was tied near the edge of the bridge.

The cold wind left her too unsteady to stand, and her face was deathly pale.

She looked at the murderous intent in his eyes and suddenly asked, “You said we were going to start over. Why did you lie to me?”

Matteo froze.

Then his voice hardened.

“You shouldn’t have gone after Luca and Mia.”

Ava lowered her head and gave him a location.

Matteo immediately left with his men.

He didn’t even untie Ava from the bridge.

She lowered her head and tried to loosen the ropes around her body.

The moment she pulled, the old rope suddenly snapped.

Ava plunged straight into the Hudson River.

The violent current closed over her head.

Just then, someone pulled her from the water.

Her attorney steadied her.

“Ms. Collins, are you all right?”

Ava had sent him her location in advance, allowing him to reach her in time.

She shook her head and spoke hoarsely.

“We need to go.”

Her attorney collected the documents and identification they had already prepared and drove her to the

airport.

Only after Ava boarded the plane did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She took out her phone and sent her attorney a message.

“Give the documents to the media.”

It was the parting gift she had prepared for Matteo.