The Ex’s Wedding Gift

Frankie’s voice shook badly when he saw me. Not noticing Frankie’s distress, Dominick uttered in annoyance, “Just approve everything. You can sign the expenses off for me.”

“You shouldn’t do that, Dominick. The papers need your signature.” I took the document from Frankie.

Dominick paused, but only for a beat. Before long, he took a pen and signed each sheet without taking the time to review the content.

It wasn’t until Dominick flipped past the divorce papers that I finally let out a sigh of relief.

The moment Frankie left with the signed papers, Dominick eagerly pressed me onto the bed and planted light kisses across my neck.

However, I pushed him away and straightened my collar nonchalantly. I muttered, “I’m feeling tired today. Rain check?”

Though frustration flickered in Dominick’s eyes, he held his tongue.

Once I was out of the room, Dominick got back into his car and drove away.

Half an hour later, my phone chimed with a text message from Gia like clockwork.

“Well, aren’t you pathetic, Luna? You can’t even hold onto your own man.

“You’re not a wife to him. Why else would he call me his other half?”

Cool as a cucumber, I closed the chat and booked a flight to Averia, departing in a week.

Averia was my home country.

In fact, my family rivaled the Costas in standing. At that time, my parents were firmly against me marrying Dominick.

Being a Don, Dominick had far too many enemies. My parents feared the dangers that came with marrying him.

Young as I was, I got down to my knees and pleaded with my parents, “I want to take the chance. Dominick loves me. He won’t let me down.”

My parents looked at me, their faces etched with disappointment. Subsequently, they froze all my bank accounts and hadn’t been in touch even once in the last three years.

Sadness clouded over me for a long time. With each passing Christmas, I would cry my eyes out over the silence from their side.

Back then, Dominick would pull me close and say tenderly, “It’s alright. All that matters is that I love you.”

Alas, he was the very man who betrayed me, and I lost anyway.

In that case, it was time for me to head home.

With shaky hands, I sent the screenshot of my flight itinerary to my parents and left a sobbing voice note. “Mom, Dad, Dominick has abandoned me. Will you have me back?”

I didn’t hold out much hope since my parents had long been disappointed in me.

In a shocking twist, then came my mother’s response in less than a minute.

“Come back. Your father and I miss you very much.”

All the emotions I’d been holding in spilled over as I clutched my phone and wept uncontrollably.

I wallowed in tears all night, my swollen eyes and aching throat the aftermath of my breakdown.

Dominick was taken aback when he saw me. “What happened to you?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

The question ended there. Before, Dominick would summon the staff for a round of grilling as to why I was crying.

Yet now, he simply got into the car indifferently, likely sulking over my rejection last night.

We sat in the back of the vehicle, bound for the mall, in silence like strangers.

Suddenly, there was a notification on his phone. I caught a glimpse of the caller ID—G.

He edged toward the window and spoke in a hushed tone, “What is it?”

After a brief exchange, Dominick tapped on the driver’s shoulder. “Turn this car around and head to the hospital.”

Surprised, the driver glanced at me. “What about the Donna? It’s a chilly day out. Donna—”

Dominick’s patience ran out.

“You don’t get a say in this.”

He then turned to me. “We have run into some problems in the family, Luna. I need to leave now.

“You can catch a ride to get a gift. Here’s a card with unlimited funds. Spend it however you like.”

Dominick opened the car door and gestured for me to exit.

I stepped out of the vehicle with a grin and watched as the car sped away.

The driver was right about the cold. I was kicked out of the vehicle before getting the chance to grab a coat.

The mall was two miles away, and the snow was already up to my shins.

Since it was impossible to hail a cab in this weather, I trekked my way to the mall. Just steps away from my destination, I dropped limp into the snow.

Through my haze, I saw a man in a black trench coat running toward me. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

When I came to, the man was seated at my bedside. “You’re awake.

“You gave me quite a scare. The doctor said that if you’d arrived any later, neither you nor the baby would have made it.”