Chapter 2: The Secret

Elena’s POV

I woke up in a dark room. I forgot to turn the lights on when I slept.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

I looked at who the caller was, but it was unknown. My mind was fighting over whether to answer it or just leave it ringing.

But then I decided to answer it since it was bugging me.

“Hello, who is this?” I asked, but no one answered.

“If you’re hell of a bored person, stop bugging someone’s life, for God’s sake,” I irritatedly sneered at it.

It’s making me pissed off. This personality is beyond my control.

I was about to hang up the call when a familiar voice spoke.

“Why did you leave?” a question he asked that I can’t answer yet.

Too scared to reveal the truth about why I needed to leave and disappear for such a long year, I don’t want him to find out about everything I’ve been through.

I don’t want him to enter my life or her life anymore.

“Where did you get my number?” I asked, avoiding the question he asked me first.

“Don’t change the question, Elena.” His voice was hard and cold, pinpointing the question words.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Moretti, but me leaving is none of your business anymore. As you said, my business is none of your concern anymore.”

I hung up after saying it, but I was wrong because he was still calling me. I don’t remember what time he stopped, but I’m happy he did.

I was just watching a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. series when I heard a knock on my door. Who could it be at this time? It’s already 11 p.m. at night.

“That’s odd. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

I wondered. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. I didn’t even see anyone, but still, maybe I should open it on my own instinct.

The second I opened the door, I saw Dante standing in the corner beside my hotel room.

“D-Dante…” I was too stunned to speak. The shock was clearly visible in my eyes.

“Thank God you opened the door… I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Elena,” he said as he slowly walked toward me.

I quickly processed what was happening and tried to close the door as fast as I could, but I was too late. Dante’s hand caught the door before I could shut it completely.

“Please, let’s talk,” he begged.

But I wasn’t ready to talk to him—not after all these years and everything that had happened in our lives.

“L-Leave, please,” I said to him.

“I’m not going to stop, Elena. Please, let’s talk,” he said.

I was starting to get scared by what he was doing.

You might think I was being cruel, but I wasn’t. I wanted to file for divorce so we would never have to see each other again. After that, I would never, ever step back into his life again.

“We’ll talk tomorrow, please, Dante. You’re scaring me right now,” I begged him.

He finally let go of his grip on the door. I looked at him one more time and saw something in his eyes—hurt, perhaps.

Or maybe I was just imagining it.

In the morning, I got ready, put the divorce documents inside my handbag, and left the hotel to go to our old mansion—the place where I used to live with him.

As I reached the old scenery I once loved, every memory we had came rushing back to me. The things we used to do together… the moments we shared. Maybe he had only pretended to be happy because of the status he held.

“Good morning, ma’am. Welcome back,” the guard greeted me warmly with a smile.

I smiled back at him and walked through the large entrance doors.

There were lots of men dressed in black standing around the corners, watching me. I was used to seeing them since, even before I left, they had always been there.

“Welcome back, Madam,” they greeted me in unison.

“I want to talk to Dante. Where is he?” I asked.

One of the men led me to where Dante was and told me that he was in an online meeting with his associates.

I waited for a couple of hours until he finally came out.

“Elena… I didn’t know you were here,” he said, looking shocked.

I thought his men had already informed him that I was here.

I didn’t say anything. I simply took the divorce documents out of my handbag and handed them to him.

I didn’t say anything. I simply took the divorce documents out of my handbag and handed them to him.

Dante looked down at the papers in his hands. For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

Then his eyes slowly moved back to mine.

“Is this what you really want, Elena?”

I swallowed hard and forced myself to remain calm.

“Yes.”

His jaw clenched as he stared at me.

“You disappeared for years without giving me a single explanation. You refused every attempt I made to find you. And now you suddenly come back and hand me divorce papers?”

I remained silent.

“What happened to you?”

My heart stopped.

I looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Nothing happened. I just want this marriage to end.”

He let out a bitter laugh.

“Nothing?”

My fingers tightened around the strap of my handbag.

“Yes. Nothing.”

Dante stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Then why did you leave without telling me?”

“I already told you. I don’t want to talk about the past.”

He stared at me for a few seconds before placing the divorce papers on the table.

“Fine.”

I looked at him, surprised by how easily he agreed.

But then he reached into the inside pocket of his suit and pulled out a small envelope.

My heart suddenly began pounding.

“What is that?” I asked.

He placed the envelope in front of me.

“Something I found while looking for you.”

My hands trembled as I picked it up.

“Open it.”

I slowly opened the envelope.

The moment I saw what was inside, all the color drained from my face.

A photograph.

A photograph of someone I had spent years trying to keep hidden from him.

Dante watched my reaction carefully.

“So,” he whispered, his voice suddenly cold.

“You’re not alone anymore, Elena.”

My heart stopped.

“How did you—”

He cut me off.

“I know about the child.”

I froze.

And in that moment, I realized the one secret I had sworn Dante would never discover…

was no longer a secret.