The Godfather Who Never Lost Begged Me Not to Leave Him Chapter 09

The Godfather Who Never Lost Begged Me Not to Leave Him Chapter 09

His face changed instantly. “Why?”

“Because I’d already decided to divorce you.”

I spoke calmly, almost cruelly. “The baby was just the final straw. If it hadn’t been that, it would’ve been something else.”

“You can’t undo hurt just because you’ve changed. What happened doesn’t disappear because you

apologized.”

He stared at me, the red in his eyes deepening.

“My attorney has already filed for divorce,” I said. “Even if you fight it, I’m seeing this through.”

“…Why, Nerissa? You won’t give me even one more chance?”

I didn’t answer. I stepped around him and opened the door.

A long time passed before I finally heard his footsteps retreat outside.

Two days later, my attorney came to see me, looking helpless and hesitant.

“Leander still… refuses to sign the divorce agreement.”

“And… on his way out, he fell down the stairs and broke a bone.”

I stared at her, caught off guard.

She said, “He looked as cold as ever, but he was obviously distracted.”

“He missed a step. He’s in the hospital now.”

The moment she finished, my phone rang.

It was Leander’s second-in-command.

“Donna… could you please come see the Don?”

“He’s been in bad shape these past few days. He barely sleeps. He works through the night and won’t go back to the estate. Since you moved out, he almost never goes home. The last time he went back… was to get that soup.”

I went quiet, staring at the fountain pen on my desk. My voice stayed flat. “What does that have to do with me?”

The man on the other end went silent.

A second or two later, something shattered in the background, like a glass hitting the floor.

Then his second-in-command cried out, “Don!”

I hung up.

Outside, low clouds swallowed the last of the light.

That night, a violent rainstorm rolled in.

Rain hammered the windows in rapid, relentless bursts.

Then someone knocked on the door.

I got up and opened it. Leander stood on the other side.

He was still in a hospital gown, the thin fabric soaked through and clinging to him.

One leg was in a cast. He had a crutch under one arm and leaned against the doorframe, his face so pale he looked seconds from passing out.

I stared at him in shock. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”

He didn’t take his eyes off me. Rainwater dripped from his hair onto his face.

Then, with the hand not gripping the crutch, he slowly reached inside his clothes and pulled

something out.

“Rissa.” His voice was so hoarse I could barely hear it. “This is the ring you proposed with. I’ve kept

it safe ever since.”

With obvious effort, he bent his uninjured leg and lowered himself until his knee struck the floor.

He held the little ring up to me.

“Rissa, give me one more chance.”

His voice trembled.

“Please…”

The word barely made it out, dragged through a sob he was trying to choke back.

Lightning flashed outside. For an instant, white light flooded the room and caught his face.

I’d never seen him look like that. The face that was always calm, controlled, impossible to crack,

the face of a man who seemed able to solve anything, looked close to breaking.

Once, I would’ve thrown my arms around him without a second thought.

But not anymore.

I tarned toward the black window.

It had rained this hard that day too.

I’d crouched in front of him with a soda-can tab between my fingers, grinning like an idiot as I asked if he’d marry me.

He’d stared at me for a long moment before bending down, pulling me to my feet, and wrapping me

in his arms.

He’d said yes.

But there was no going back.