Learn To Be A Decent Man

After leaving Renata’s room, Domenico paused in the hallway and turned toward the head butler, who had been waiting nervously nearby. The older man straightened immediately, sensing that another order was coming.

“Send nutritious meals to her room,” Domenico instructed. His eyes briefly shifted toward the closed door behind him before returning to the butler. “And make sure she eats.”

The butler nodded quickly, but Domenico was not finished.

“If she refuses,” he added slowly, “you will be punished.”

The words were spoken without anger, yet they carried the threat that left no room for misunderstanding. The butler’s face paled slightly. He bowed at once and hurried down the corridor toward the kitchen, eager to carry out the order before any mistake could be made.

Domenico remained where he was for a moment, staring at the door of Renata’s room as if replaying the argument in his mind. Then he turned and walked toward his own room.

His room reflected him perfectly. The walls were dressed in shades of black and grey, and even the furniture was dark and minimal. The heavy curtains blocked most of the outside light.

Domenico walked inside and sank into the large recliner near the window. He leaned back, running a hand over his jaw as Renata’s words echoed in his mind.

'I will abort this baby.'

The thought irritated him more than he cared to admit.

“How dare she keep talking about abortion in front of me,” he muttered to himself.

He reached for the cigarette case resting on the table beside him and opened it, pulling out one cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he picked up the lighter and flicked it several times.

Before he could try again, another hand reached forward.

Emilio stood beside him, holding his own lighter. With a click, a steady flame appeared, and Domenico leaned forward slightly to light the cigarette. The tip glowed faintly as he inhaled.

Emilio stepped back after closing the lighter, watching him carefully.

“You look restless,” Emilio remarked, studying his friend’s face. “And angry.” His voice carried a hint of concern beneath the casual tone. “Is this how a soon-to-be father is supposed to behave?”

Domenico exhaled a slow stream of smoke into the dim room.

“And for the record,” Emilio continued, folding his arms, “this is the last time you’re smoking, Nico.”

A faint chuckle escaped Domenico as he tilted his head back against the recliner. He took another long drag before releasing the smoke lazily into the air.

“Are you lecturing me now?” he asked with quiet amusement. “Trying to turn me into a decent man?”

“Well, if you want to become a father, you will have to learn to be a decent man, at least toward the mother and the child,” Emilio said.

His tone was calm, but there was a seriousness behind it that showed he meant every word.

“I thought you liked Renata. But the way you spoke to her today made it seem otherwise.”

Domenico leaned back slightly in the recliner, the cigarette resting between his fingers as smoke slowly curled into the dim air. His expression remained composed, though a faint tension appeared along his jaw. “She keeps talking about abortion as if it is nothing,” he replied. “If I don’t speak to her firmly, she will not understand.”

He took another slow inhale before glancing toward Emilio, studying his reaction.

Emilio shook his head with a soft chuckle and lowered himself into the chair across from him. “Firmly?” he repeated. “You terrified her. You pulled a gun on her, Nico.” His expression turned thoughtful as he leaned forward slightly. “You have to remember something. She isn’t like us.”

Domenico’s gaze hardened slightly but he remained silent, allowing Emilio to continue.

“She grew up in a normal world,” Emilio said. “A world where men do not pull guns during arguments and people do not get shot in churches.” His eyes held a quiet understanding.

“For us, what happened today was nothing unusual. But for her, it must have felt like stepping into a nightmare.”

Domenico looked away for a moment, staring toward the darkened window. The image of Renata standing at the altar returned to his mind, the fear in her eyes, the bruise on her wrist, the way she had trembled when Giovanni grabbed her.

“I need information about her family,” he said after a moment, his voice growing colder. “They forced her into that marriage. If I hadn’t arrived when I did, that old bastard would have had his hands all over her.”

The thought alone sent a surge of anger through him.

He crushed the burning tip of the cigarette against the ashtray with more force than necessary, grinding it out until the ember died.

“I want to know everything,” he added. “Who they are, what they do, and why they thought they could sell her off like that.”

Emilio nodded slowly, as if he had already expected the request. Without saying anything, he reached inside the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a set of folded papers.

“I’ve already looked into that,” he said, placing the documents on the table between them.

“From what I’ve gathered, Renata’s life has been far from easy since her mother died,” Emilio began, leaning back in his chair as he spoke.

“Her father remarried soon after, and things changed for the worse. The reports say she was constantly mistreated in that house. Nothing physical that left marks, but enough to make her feel like she didn’t belong there. The stepmother controlled everything, and the stepsister enjoyed making her life miserable.”

Domenico unfolded the papers slowly, his eyes scanning the lines while Emilio continued speaking.

“There’s also something else,” Emilio added. “Before that night with you, she was in a relationship. She had been seeing someone seriously.”

Domenico’s hand tightened slightly around the papers. His expression hardened as he lifted his eyes toward Emilio.

“Who was he?” he asked.

The memory of that night flashed through his mind. Renata’s voice, heavy with alcohol and pain, telling him how the man she loved had betrayed her. That was all she had said before the conversation had drifted elsewhere.

“You’ll find his name in those papers,” Emilio replied, nodding toward the file. “But from everything I’ve read, the man is nothing more than a coward.” A faint smirk appeared on his face. “Apparently, he cheated on Renata with her own stepsister.”

Domenico’s jaw tightened. His eyes dropped back to the papers, but the words blurred for a moment as anger stirred quietly inside him.

“Every single one of them will pay for what they did to her,” he said after a pause. His voice remained calm, but the cold certainty in it made the meaning clear. “And they won’t get away easily.”

He folded the papers slowly and placed them on the table.

“Arrange for a doctor to come here tomorrow,” he added.

Emilio raised an eyebrow at that suggestion. “Why bring a doctor here?” he asked. “Just take Renata to a hospital like a normal person.”

Domenico didn’t respond immediately.

Emilio stood up, stretching his shoulders slightly as fatigue showed on his face. “I’m exhausted and starving,” he said with a small laugh. “I’m heading home before I fall asleep in your chair.”

He walked toward the door, then paused and glanced back.

“You should eat something too,” he said. “And if you’re smart, you’ll invite Renata to dinner with you. It might be the only way she stops looking at you like you’re about to shoot someone every five minutes.”

With that final remark, Emilio left the room, leaving Domenico alone.