Red Card to Your Heart: You Don't Deserve My Love Extra Time novel Chapter 20

The night I encountered Carina was at Salvatore's private club in downtown Milan.

Word had spread that her father had gambled away their family fortune, leaving Carina desperate to pay off his debts. She entered our private room with several other women hired for the evening's entertainment. The moment she saw Salvatore, she froze, immediately lowering her head.

Carina clearly didn't want Salvatore to recognize her, but someone pushed her forward, forcing her to sit directly beside him. Salvatore had his eyes closed, cigarette dangling from his lips as he leaned against me.

"Keep your fucking distance," he muttered irritably. "Anyone who upsets my future wife, I'll gut them myself."

The other women cooed, envying how fiercely Salvatore protected me. I noticed Carina's hands balled into fists, gripping her dress tightly as she shot me a sidelong glance filled with jealousy and resentment.

Suddenly, one of the women grabbed Carina's arm. "Carina! The gentlemen want a striptease—you're the best dancer. Get up there!"

At the sound of her name, the room fell silent.

Salvatore's eyes snapped open. His grip on my hand tightened viciously, sending pain shooting through my fingers.

Mortified, Carina trembled as she tried to leave, but Salvatore caught her wrist, roughly forcing her back down.

In the next instant, his hand was around her throat, pulling her face close to his. "Carina," he snarled, "didn't I tell you I'd fucking kill you if I ever saw you again?"

Everyone knew Carina was Salvatore's first love.

Everyone knew how ugly their breakup had been.

During the height of Salvatore's devotion to her, Carina had slept with another man after an argument. That year, Salvatore had drunk himself into oblivion every night, eventually suffering a gastric hemorrhage that nearly killed him.

After that, he never mentioned her name again.

Everyone assumed he hated her to his core.

Someone in the group started taunting Carina: "Where's your man now? Can't support you, so you're out here selling yourself to pay his bills, huh?"

The comment was vicious. I frowned and shot the speaker a cold stare, immediately silencing their laughter.

I tugged gently at Salvatore's sleeve. "A young woman trying to support her family deserves respect, not humiliation. Let her go, please?"

But Salvatore didn't care about proof. He simply forgave her, just like that.

In front of everyone—in front of me—he stroked her hair and murmured, "Don't cry, cara. I'll take you home."

I overheard someone whisper, "So Salvatore's reconciled with Carina. What happens to his fiancée now?"

"What do you think? The crown jewel has returned—the replacement gets discarded."

Salvatore heard this too.

He said nothing.

Once, he had cherished me, never allowing anyone to speak ill of me.

But now, the woman he truly wanted to protect had returned.

And I no longer mattered.