The Five Years He Missed Chapter 13

The Five Years He Missed Chapter 13

## Elena’s POV

I had only taken two hours off. I rushed back to work soon after.

That afternoon, Marie was wiping down the counter as she clicked her tongue. “Elena, you and Mr. Gambino—you’re not going to reconcile, are you? It’s just like a novel.” “But I’ve heard his current wife isn’t easy to deal with…”

My hands paused over the flowers I was arranging, my eyes turning to ice. “Once a mirror’s broken, it stays broken. It can’t be put back together.”

“But that wife of his… I’ll make her pay the price.”

Speak of the devil—the woman outside kicked open the flower shop door with a vengeance.

“Elena—have you no shame? How dare you seduce my husband!”

Brianna was decked out in designer labels, an expensive coat draped over her, every bit as imposing as she’d been all those years ago. Only, between her brows there was no trace of the liveliness and lightness from five years before. Instead, there was only agitation and pent-up bitterness.

A little boy trailed beside her, parroting her words just like a mockingbird. “Mistress! Slut! Shameless!”

I stared blankly at this little boy. A little over three years old—jade-skinned and adorable, dressed so impeccably. Clearly, he’d been cared for beautifully.

Five years is a long time. Long enough to cool my pain, to let the memories fade. But seeing this child, a towering, crushing hatred swallowed me whole, shattering the calm I had pieced together.

Why? Why did my child have to die in agony, while the murderer’s child got to grow up safe and happy?!

“Cat got your tongue? Say something!” Brianna glared at me, her eyes fixed. “You knew he was married and you went after him anyway. Your dead parents—do they know what a cheap whore their daughter turned into?! Abandoning your own family to marry into the mafia?”

My hands snapped into fists. I didn’t think—I just slammed a punch straight into Brianna’s face. She clutched her cheek, clearly stunned. She tried to speak, but another fist came crashing down.

The little boy burst into wails, shoving at me as he screamed, “Bad guy! Bullying Mommy! Daddy won’t let you get away with this!” I didn’t budge. I turned and pushed the little boy back. He fell to the ground, his cries growing even louder.

Brianna looked ready to explode with rage. “Elena, have you lost your mind?! You dare lay a hand on Leo? He’s Dominic’s only son!”

“Yeah—I’ve lost my mind! I lost it a long time ago!” I closed the distance in two strides, grabbed Brianna by the hair, and yanked viciously. “When Luca died, I thought to myself—you’d better never show your face in front of me again. Because if you did, I would absolutely kill you!”

My parents died early. I crawled out of the slums alone, got into the country’s top university—I was never the weak, timid type. The only reason I held back for five years was for Luca!

After Luca was gone, I even thought about taking Brianna and her kind down with me. But every time the impulse surged, I would remember Luca’s last words. Mommy, be okay. I couldn’t die. So I forced myself to forget those things. And yet Brianna had to come shoving her way back in!

“Elena, you think I can’t deal with you?” Brianna suddenly seemed to recall something, and a twisted smugness spread across her face. “That bastard of yours is buried on the east side, right? Before I came, I already sent people to dig up his grave. If you count the time—your son’s ashes have already been scattered!”

My mind went completely blank for a moment. “What did you say?”

“Don’t understand plain English? Your son has been torn apart—not even a whole corpse left!” Brianna laughed viciously. “They even sent me photos. Want to see?”

My whole body shook. I wanted to scream. I wanted to lunge and scratch that face to shreds. But my limbs were rigid, unable to move an inch. Even breathing became difficult. I knew these symptoms all too well—it was my depression, manifesting physically.

Brianna was still saying something, but I could no longer make it out. The world dissolved into chaos, and I collapsed, beyond my control.

Just before I lost consciousness, I saw Dominic charge through the door like a madman and pull me tightly into his arms.