They Made Me Run On a Broken Leg. Don Had My Back Chapter 09

They Made Me Run On a Broken Leg. Don Had My Back Chapter 09

I signaled the guards to pull him away. Turned and 

walked into the building. 

That night. Downtown. 

A few debt collectors cornered Santino in a dark 

alley. 

He shoved past them and ran for the main road. 

Burst out at the intersection. 

A dump truck came through. 

Its high beams lit his face. 

Bang- 

Santino was thrown. 

The wheels rolled over his right leg. 

The sound of bone shattering echoed in the night. 

In the ER, Santino woke to pain. 

The doctor stood at his bedside with a notice. 

“Severe comminuted fracture of the right leg. 

Surgery immediately.” 

“One hundred thousand.” 

Santino pulled out a worn wallet. Checked the 

balance. 

Zero. 

In despair, he called me. 

3:30 a.m. Orthopedic ward. 

I pushed the door open. Dropped a bag with cash. 

on the floor. 

A full hundred thousand. 

Santino reached for it. 

I pulled out a black fitness tracker. Threw it into 

the middle of the cash. 

“Put it on. Run in the hallway.” 

“One kilometer, one thousand. A hundred 

kilometers, I pay the bill.” 

Santino screamed. 

“Sable! My bones are broken! You’re killing me!” 

I looked at him. 

“When I ran for you with steel pins in my right leg, did you think that was cruel?” 

Santino gritted his teeth. Put on the tracker. Rolled 

off the bed. 

Bone fragments tore through flesh. 

He screamed, crawling forward on the floor. 

Ten meters. 

Twenty. 

Nurses and patients‘ families watched coldly. 

At thirty meters, Santino threw up bile. The muscle in his right leg turned gray. 

“Sable… just give me one thousand for the pain…” 

I stood in the shadows. 

“Bad form. You paused. By your rules–not a cent.” 

Santino roared. Passed out. 

6 a.m. The doctor came out of the OR. 

“Too late. Severe necrosis in the right leg. To save 

his life, we amputated.” 

When Santino woke and touched the empty pant 

leg, he let out a shrill cry. 

Half a year later. Final court verdict. 

Santino sat in a wheelchair, right pant leg empty, 

hair mostly white. 

The judge read the verdict. 

“Defendant Santino. Convicted of trade secret 

infringement, fraudulent stock issuance, and multiple other charges. Twelve years 

imprisonment.” 

“All assets confiscated. Ordered to pay 1.24 billion 

in damages.” 

The gavel fell. 

As he was wheeled away, Santino looked at me. 

“Sable… if I hadn’t torn up that agreement back 

then…” 

“would we have had a different ending?” 

I looked at him. 

“There are no ifs in this world.” 

“Greed is your nature. You were always heading 

for destruction.” 

The iron door closed. 

Early spring. Wetland Park. Morning light on the 

river. 

Adrian ran up three kilometers, handed me a bottle 

of water, beaming. 

“My heart rate’s completely normal!” 

Matteo jogged over in low–key casual clothes. 

Handed me a newspaper. 

My photo on the front page: 

[Sable Tech’s orthopedic robot approved for 

market.] 

Below it: 

[Sable Medical Aid Fund established. Initial 

injection of one hundred million.] 

[Free treatment for impoverished patients.] 

I tightened my shoelaces. Ran into the sun. 

Light steps. 

Three years later. Prison visiting room. 

Behind the glass, Santino sat in a wheelchair, 

hunched. 

He picked up the receiver. 

“I heard… the company’s going public. Adrian graduated. Matteo treats you well?” 

His eyes red, he asked me. 

“That night on the mountain road, in the storm…” 

“did you ever feel even a little reluctant to leave 

me?” 

I picked up the receiver. Looked at him. 

“Santino.” 

“From the moment you tore up that agreement, 

you were nothing but an empty shell to me.” 

“You never deserved love.” 

I put down the receiver. Turned and walked out the 

door. 

Outside, sunlight. 

Matteo and Adrian waved to me by the car. 

I stepped forward. Walked toward them.