I’m Done Accepting Your Crumbs

Elena's POV:

“Who are you texting?”

Damian Luccese’s voice suddenly broke the silence. I locked my phone and looked up at him.

“No one.”

He studied me for a moment, as though he wanted to ask something else.

However, Vivian Sorrento called out to him in a gentle voice, and his attention shifted back to her. He lowered his voice and told her to return to her room and get some rest.

I secretly let out a sigh of relief, yet Damian seemed surprised by my unusual composure.

After Vivian left, he rose and came over to me, reaching out to feel my forehead.

“Are you still feeling unwell? Should I call the doctor back? The doctor said that you were showing signs of a threatened miscarriage yesterday. I’m worried about you.”

I drew away from his touch. “Damian, I’m fine.”

A brief silence followed, but his voice remained gentle when he spoke again.

“I know Vivian was careless yesterday. I’ve already warned her that if anything like this happens again, she’ll have no place in the Luccese family.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “But she said you can distinguish the taste of cinnamon better than anyone, so why did you still eat the pie? Elena, I want to know what really happened.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You think I deliberately put our baby at risk because I was jealous?”

Damian frowned.

“I just think there’s been a misunderstanding between you and Vivian ever since she took over as family Consigliere. She’s only been here three months, yet she’s already resolved a number of problems for the family. Meanwhile, you’ve had a problem with her from the very beginning…”

I looked at him, suddenly finding the whole thing ridiculous.

“Did you actually see me give her a hard time or deliberately target her? Or is that just what she told you?”

Damian furrowed his brow but said nothing. My gaze drifted to the silver tray beside his desk. Several cinnamon cookies sat on it.

There had once been a strict ban on cinnamon throughout the entire Luccese residence.

One time, a chef had accidentally added cinnamon to a dessert. After that, the entire pastry team had never been allowed back into the house.

Damian had once held my hand and promised me solemnly, “Elena, as long as I’m alive, I’ll never let anything dangerous come near you.”

Yet ever since Vivian became the family Consigliere, cinnamon pastries began appearing in his study with alarming regularity. Once, she even instructed the kitchen to serve cinnamon rolls with my breakfast.

When I reminded her of my allergy, she merely smiled and replied, “Donna, I’ve heard that exposing yourself to small amounts of an allergen can gradually help your body build up a tolerance. I’m only thinking of what’s best for you and the baby.”

At the time, I ordered the kitchen to remove every cinnamon product from the house.

The very next day, Damian came to persuade me to let it go. Vivian was new to the house and unfamiliar with my habits. I should be more understanding.

Following my gaze to the silver tray, Damian spoke again.

“Honey, those are for Vivian. She’s been working herself too hard lately, so she occasionally has a few snacks in the study. I’ve already arranged for your meals to be prepared separately. Nothing like this will happen again.”

In my own home, I had somehow become little more than a guest who needed special accommodations.

I lowered my eyes and chose not to argue. As I turned to leave, he gently caught my arm and drew me back into his embrace.

“Elena, we’ve been married for five years. We can’t let one misunderstanding erase everything we’ve built together. Besides, we’re about to have a baby.”

He rested his hand on my stomach, and at last, his gaze softened.

“Once the baby is born, I promise I’ll personally take you to Socrota to visit your father. Then the three of us can take a proper family vacation.”

I nearly burst into tears at the mention of our baby.

The night before, as I lay trembling in agony, desperate for him to be by my side, he had been at home with another woman, doing things he had no intention of letting me discover.

“I’ll do my best to keep Vivian away from you for the next few days. Focus on your recovery and take care of the baby. Once you’ve calmed down, we’ll talk.”

Nausea rose in my throat. I could barely stomach the sound of his voice, let alone argue with him.

It did not matter anymore. My father had already agreed to send someone to bring me home.

However, if Damian refused to sign the divorce papers, I feared there would be one last battle to fight before I could leave New Borough.

I lowered my gaze and turned away. Just then, the study door swung open again.

Vivian walked in, holding a gold-embossed invitation. “Don Luccese, everything has been arranged for tomorrow night’s family banquet.”

She placed the invitation on the desk, then glanced at me with a hint of hesitation.

“Donna, considering you’ve only just been discharged from the hospital, I had your place at the banquet canceled.”