Chapter 4: Panicked

Elena’s POV

I still can’t believe how he knows about the daughter I am hiding from him. It’s been 4 years since I left and never told him about that.

”How?” I asked, wondering if the worry that I am feeling is visible.

He was seated on the mini sofa in the room close to mine. I couldn’t get enough of his almond eyes directly staring at me.

”I know it for a year now, since one of my men was looking for you,” he said to me.

”I don’t want you to know it for a reason, Dante… I don’t want my daughter to experience what I experienced in your territory,” I said and avoided his gaze.

He was about to talk when one of his men walked in and whispered something to him. His reaction became serious as he looked at me.

All I heard were the words, “Your uncle is here.”

I panicked when I heard that his uncle was here, that same guy who threatened me and made his men chase me just to shut my mouth because of what I know.

I was holding my chest because of the pain that I was feeling right now. I couldn’t breathe properly. My anxiety from what happened suddenly showed in my brain like a broken disk that kept on repeating.

”Elena, are you okay?” he said with a worried reaction. All I just needed was his presence.

”D-Dante, p-please, I need my medicine… p-please,” I begged him. The pain that I was feeling now was unbearable. My eyes blurred because of the tears.

”Fuck! Get her back ASAP!” he shouted to his man so he could get out while Dante was panicking because of what was happening to me.

He was just beside me, rubbing my back to ease the tension of anxiety I was feeling.

”Breathe, Elena, just breathe for me,” he said.

I followed what he was saying and slowly inhaled and exhaled. You probably wonder why and when my anxiety happened.

It happened that night 4 years ago.

Flashback…

”What should we do, Victor?” a guy said to Dante’s uncle.

I am here outside the big boardroom of the underground world where my husband, Dante, is the Head Mafia.

”We need to dispose of Dante immediately, as all the council want only you, the brother of the previous Boss, to have been the Head of our organization,” a voice of a lady said.

I gasped upon hearing it.

They wanted Dante to die just to make Uncle Victor the Head, just like that. I need to tell Dante about this. He needs to be warned.

”My men are already planning on disposing of him, but for now, we need to wait for him to be weak so we can strike him back,” Uncle Victor said and laughed.

I accidentally touched the vase beside me. That’s when they stopped talking and became alert. Then I quickly walked away so they would not know that I knew what they were plotting.

“Dante, Dante, we need to talk,” I said to him when I reached our home.

”Not now, Elena. I need to go to the headquarters for a meeting,” he said without looking at me.

”P-please, don’t go. Just stay here,” I said, worrying. I couldn’t bring up the words that I heard just because of the panic that I was feeling.

“You are just my wife, Elena. Everything I do and everything I say is none of your damn fucking business,” Dante angrily said to me.

That voice reminded me of what my place was in this house. If only I hadn’t agreed to the marriage proposal my parents made.

“Yeah, you’re right. I should not have meddled in any of your affairs,” I said without looking into his eyes.

“You won’t see me again, Dante.”

I said and walked out of his office.

I packed my clothes and was about to walk to my condo unit when two SUVs suddenly arrived, and every black man kidnapped me and put a gun to my head, which made me cry, but I just couldn’t let my voice out.

They brought me to an abandoned building where no one could see us. My hands were tied, and the men pointed the gun at my head.

”You should not have heard anything,” the man said.

I cried and begged them to let me go, but they didn’t listen to me. I was more worried about the baby who was inside me and couldn’t see the light of this world.

”What are you going to do to me? Please spare me,” I asked while still shaking in fear.

”You know too much.”

I closed my eyes, thinking that this would be the end of my life and so would be the baby inside me.

Before he could pull the trigger, I heard something outside. The gunmen became distracted, and I used that chance to escape.

I ran as fast as I could without looking back. I didn’t know where I was heading; I just knew that I needed to survive and save myself.

That night, I escaped from them. I knew Uncle Victor was the one who did it.

End of Flashback…

I already calmed down the moment Dante gave me the anxiety medicine that I always bring every time I am out.

”Isn’t this an anxiety medicine?” he asked, wondering why I am drinking it.

”Y-yes,” I said to him.

He looked at me for a few seconds before looking at the medicine in my hands.

”Since when? Since when do you have anxiety, Elena?” he asked.

Those questions made me silent. I don’t want to tell him the reason. I don’t want him to know what happened four years ago.

”It’s nothing, Dante. I just—”

“Then why did you panic the moment you heard that my uncle is here?” he suddenly asked me.

I looked at him, unable to say anything. Then Dante moved much closer, with his eyes staring directly into mine.

“Tell me… What happened four years ago, Elena?”

He already knew about our daughter, but what if he also finds out the truth—the reason why I left him?