The Godfather Who Never Lost Begged Me Not to Leave Him Chapter 02

The Godfather Who Never Lost Begged Me Not to Leave Him Chapter 02

That New Year’s Eve, I dug in my heels. “This year, I just want it to be the two of us.”

“Can you ask her to leave?”

Leander was silent for a moment.

“Rissa, it’s one New Year’s Eve. It’s not that special. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”

“And if spending New Year’s Eve together matters that much to you, technically I’ll be spending tonight with Cressida on the plane.”

That was when I lost it.

“She has to insert herself into everything we do. What’s next? Is she going to sleep between us too?”

“Nerissa!” Leander snapped.

Cressida’s face went white. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m only flying to Europe with Don Leander tonight because of family business…”

Leander’s face turned to ice. “Since when did you become this petty? And since when do you say things like that?”

“I’ll let it go tonight, but if this happens again…”

“Nerissa, maybe we should get divorced.”

With that, he took Cressida by the arm and got into the car with her.

He skipped our New Year’s Eve dinner and never once looked back.

His last words to me were, “Eat if you want. If you don’t, go home and cool off.”

I stood frozen outside the restaurant until the maitre d’ finally came over and asked if I needed help. Only then did I snap out of it. “No, thank you.”

Then I turned away.

I didn’t notice the icy pavement underfoot until I slipped and fell.

A bolt of pain tore through my lower abdomen.

By the time my driver rushed me to the hospital, I was barely conscious.

My emergency contact was Leander Rossetti.

They called him over and over. He didn’t answer.

The last time they tried, he declined the call.

A nurse gave me an uneasy look and asked if there was anyone else they could call.

Drenched in cold sweat, I lay there and slowly shook my head.

I didn’t want to drag my parents back into any of this. They’d already left the underworld behind.

Leander finally called around noon the next day.

“Did you need something yesterday?”

I stared absently at the clouds outside the window.

That morning, I’d already seen Cressida’s social media post announcing she’d made it to Europe.

She wrote that it was the same scenery, the same person, as if nothing had ever changed.

After bleeding so much on the operating table, I suddenly couldn’t bring myself to care anymore.

I pulled my gaze from the window and said wearily, “Nothing. I called by mistake.”

Then I hung up.

A few days later, the restaurant called to check on me and happened to reach Leander’s right-hand man.

That was how Leander finally found out what had happened.

His second-in-command later told me Leander had gone completely silent, like he’d turned to stone.

A minute or two passed before he finally rasped, “Get flight clearance. I’m going back now.”

He showed up at the estate around midnight that same day.

He rushed inside, then stopped dead the moment he saw me.

His mouth opened, but for a second no words came out.

“Rissa… I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

I looked at him once and smiled faintly. “I’m fine now.”

His face only tightened further.

That was the moment I gave up on us.

I pulled myself out of the memory. Beside me, Leander’s mouth was set in a hard line.

His brow furrowed as he looked at me and repeated, “I never wanted to divorce you.”

I looked out the window and said nothing.

The rest of the drive passed in silence.

Back at the estate, Leander took off his coat, and I suddenly froze.

He followed my gaze to his shirt sleeve.

A streak of lipstick marked the fabric.

He froze too.

“That was an accident…”

I looked away immediately and headed farther inside. “It’s fine. I don’t care.”

He caught my arm, his grip a little too tight.

“I swear I didn’t notice the lipstick. I must’ve brushed against someone by accident.”

I nodded and pulled free. “I believe you.”

His hand hung in the air for a moment before slowly curling into a fist.

I went upstairs, washed up, then lay on my stomach in bed scrolling through my phone.

A little while later, Leander came in and sat on the other side of the bed.

I stared at him, confused. I’d moved out of the master bedroom after the surgery.

So what was he doing in my room?