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Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Don Who Chose Her: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

10 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Leonardo Caruso was sitting beside the bed when the doctor told me the baby was gone.He clutched a diamond necklace, the one he had intended to fasten around my neck at our anniversary dinner the night before. Blood stained the cuff of his shirt, and a broken strand of beads still hung from it. They had come from Isabella Greco's gown.The memory dragged me back to the night before.Through the shattered car window, I had watched him carry Isabella on his back and place her inside the backup car himself. My car had been right beside it, yet he never came to save me."There's one more thing, Elena..." the doctor said. "You won't be able to get pregnant again."Leonardo's head snapped up."Then get another specialist! I can have one here tonight. There has to be a way."The doctor paused for a moment."The surgery results are very clear."The necklace slipped from Leonardo's grip and struck the edge of the bed.Radio static crackled outside the door.My fingers curled instinc

Chapter 2

On the day I was discharged, Leonardo came to pick me up himself.He buttoned my coat, pushed my wheelchair to the car, and bent down to help me into the back seat.The guards held the door open for him.No one else stepped forward.The first time I attended a family dinner with him, my shoes rubbed my feet raw. When he noticed, he carried me back to the car in front of all the guests waiting at the entrance and skipped the dinner entirely.Back then, people laughed at him.They said a woman like me, with no family name behind her, was fine to keep around but not worth marrying.Later, his family arranged a marriage for him.He walked into the engagement party holding my hand instead and slid the ring onto my finger.During the years he fought for power, I treated his wounded men, looked after the families of the brothers we lost, and knocked on the doors of people who refused to meet with him.When he was seriously injured, we hid in a house where we did not dare turn on the

Chapter 3

Once the statement circulated through the family, no one questioned why Leonardo had called the guard away anymore.Instead, they praised him for acting decisively and praised me for being understanding toward my husband.As for my baby, all that remained was a few words of regret.Graziella hosted a dinner at the estate and invited several of the family's old loyalists and their families to thank them for their help after the ambush.She made a point of warning me beforehand."Don't bring up the baby tonight, and don't talk about that night either. Isabella's father's friends will all be there. I don't want them getting the wrong idea."I nodded.Leonardo selected a loose-fitting gown for me."Just show your face downstairs. You don't have to stay for the whole thing. I'll bring you back upstairs to rest."He brushed my hair aside and fastened a thin gold chain around my neck.He had given me that necklace on the first birthday I celebrated after we got married.Back then,

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Leonardo rushed to the hospital.He spoke with the doctor about my condition first. Then he came into my room, sat beside the bed, and took my hand."Why didn't you call me when you got sick last night?"I picked up my phone and showed him the call log.The call had only rung twice.Leonardo glanced at the screen and said nothing more."Rocco already explained everything." I took my phone back. "I know. Isabella needed you then."He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me, his hand gently stroking my back."She was clutching that letter and kept asking me why I couldn't save her father. I really couldn't get away."I remained silent."Elena, before Matteo died, he left her in my care. All these years, she's been alone in Sorrenza, and all I ever did was send her money. I never stopped to think that she didn't even have anyone to talk to."He paused briefly."Her father trusted me with her. I can't let her get hurt again."So he had always reme

Chapter 5

When I arrived in another port city, my phone was still switched off.A light glowed above the inn's front door.Standing at the bottom of the steps, I remembered the first time Leonardo and I hid in a safe house. He had left a light on for me just like this and stood watch by the door himself so I could sleep first.The door opened from inside."Elena?"I nodded.The owner, Mara Lombardi, stepped aside to let me enter.I picked up my old travel bag and crossed the threshold.There were no guards here.No one called me Donna.When Vittorio found this inn for me, all he said was that it was far from Leonardo's territory and that I could stay here without worry.I paid 1 month's rent.Mara handed me the key and asked whether I wanted help with my bag."No, thanks. I can carry it myself."Vittorio stood behind me and spoke quietly."He's been calling you nonstop."I touched the phone in my pocket.It was still switched off, but I did not take it out."I know."When I ch

Chapter 6

For the first two weeks after I settled in, I attended all my follow-up appointments, hung blackout curtains in my room, and bought a mug I liked.At night, however, I still left the light on out of habit.Whenever I heard footsteps in the hallway, I found myself looking up at the door.Each time, it took me a moment to remember that I no longer had to wait for him.Later, I started leaving my phone on the other side of the room and turning off the lights a little earlier.Once Mara saw that I was recovering well, she asked whether I would help her fix up the terrace.I picked out a few old chairs and arranged them along the side facing the harbor.Some guests sat there with a cup of coffee and stayed until sunset.I stood by the door and watched them for a while before turning to Mara."Do you still need help at the front desk?"Mara agreed to let me try.Mindful of my recovery, she scheduled me for day shifts only.Back when I looked after the families of Leonardo's loyal

Chapter 7

A few months later, I began handling the inn's daytime operations on my own.Mara wrote my name on the small sign at the front desk.[Elena.]Whenever guests needed something, they called me by name.Here, I was simply Elena.There were cancelled bookings, late-night arrivals, leaking bathrooms, and endless little problems that needed attention.The pay was modest, but it covered my rent and medical checkups.Business at the inn gradually improved.When I received my third month's pay, I asked Vittorio to put me in contact with a lawyer."I want a divorce."Faking my death had helped me leave the estate, but I did not want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.The lawyer asked what I wanted before contacting Leonardo through Vittorio.Leonardo requested a meeting immediately.I agreed.The lawyer arranged the meeting in a conference room, and I made the conditions clear beforehand.He had to come alone.He could not ask where I was living.He could not

Chapter 8

Leonardo remained in town for several more days.He asked the lawyer multiple times whether I would meet with him again.I refused every time.Later, the lawyer brought over a property deed and explained that Leonardo had prepared a house for me. If I wanted, he would even arrange security to protect me.I never opened the envelope.Instead, I pushed it back across the table."Please return this to him for me."The lawyer hesitated before taking it back."He said that since the two of you aren't divorced yet, he can't just leave you on your own.""Then please ask him to sign as soon as possible. After that, he won't have to worry about me anymore."I continued going to work as usual.I kept up with my medical checkups and went over next month's schedule with Mara.Vittorio called to tell me that Leonardo had asked about me again."If he asks again, just tell him I don't want him to know."A few days later, the lawyer returned with the signed agreement.Attached was a lis

Chapter 9

A year later, the ground floor of the small building next door became available.Mara and I discussed it and decided to rent it.I used the money I had saved during the past year to renovate a few guest rooms first.Mara helped attract guests, and I handled the day-to-day operations.After we signed the lease, she pressed the keys into my hand."We're going to be busy from now on."She was right.Things became busier with each passing day.Little by little, the inn gained regular guests, and some even brought their friends with them."Elena, I'm bringing my sister next month. We're staying here again."I wrote down the date, walked her to the door, and told her I would see her next month.When I returned to the front desk, I flipped through the booking ledger.Several familiar names caught my eye, and I could not help smiling.During that time, Leonardo asked through the lawyer several more times whether he could see me again.I never agreed.Eventually, he stopped askin

Chapter 10

Three years later, I bought a house of my own.It was not large, but it was close to the inn, and the kitchen window overlooked the ocean.Mara came to help on moving day and noticed that I still had the old travel bag."You can't even bring yourself to replace this?""It still works fine."I placed it in the closet beside a photo of the guest room where I had stayed when I first arrived.By then, business at the inn had stabilized, and Mara and I had started taking on trainees.All the women who applied were adults.Some had recently left home, while others wanted a fresh start somewhere new.We included their wages, work hours, and housing arrangements in their contracts.Then we started teaching them how to work with guests.The first time one of the trainees mixed up a booking, she was so upset that her eyes turned red.She kept asking how much would be deducted from her pay.I worked with her to sort out the rooms and told her to write down what had gone wrong so it w

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