The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 261

Santino’s smile was a cruel mockery. “Are you still waiting for him to come rescue you?”

He squatted in front of her, shattering her fragile hope with a cold dose of reality. “Do you know why things have come to this?”

Latisha’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, her eyes wide.

“You really don’t know, do you? Those three days you disappeared last time… do you truly believe he couldn’t find you?” He leaned in closer, his voice a soft, venomous whisper. “No. He knew exactly where you were. He just didn’t come for you. He was setting a trap for me.”

Santino let out a laugh, twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. “You poor, pathetic little mute. You’re only here with me today because he orchestrated it.”

Tears finally broke free, streaming down Latisha’s face like a broken string of pearls and dripping onto the plate in her lap.

“And what do you think he’s doing right now?” Santino continued. “He’s probably preparing for the shareholders' meeting in two days, busy kicking his father out of the company and plotting how to destroy his sister. As for you? You’re way down on his list of priorities.”

Latisha’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the plate, her chest heaving with silent sobs.

“To get you back, he’d have to negotiate with me. And he knows I’d ask for something he can’t afford to give. So, it’s easier to just abandon you. It’s his way of refusing to even entertain my terms.”

“But that’s to be expected, isn’t it? After all, you’re just a woman. What’s that compared to power and profit? He might like you, but he’s not about to give up everything he has for you, right?”

Latisha shouldn't have believed Santino, but his words wormed their way into her heart like sharp needles, each one a piercing sting. She lowered her head and began to wolf down the food. It was tasteless in her mouth, but she forced herself to shovel it in.

Santino remained squatting beside her, watching until the plate was clean. After a moment, Latisha sniffled, set the plate on the floor, and looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen.

Outside, the sky was darkening. In the dim light of the room, Santino reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye.

For a fleeting, dizzying moment, she was reminded of all the times Clifford had done the same, and how she’d melted under his touch every single time. Now, with Santino’s gesture as a stark contrast, she suddenly realized how cheap and self-serving Clifford’s affections had been.

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