My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Ava is responsible.

Dylan rushed into the hospital, his heart pounding. He spotted Erica pacing in the hallway, her face lined with fury and anguish. The moment their eyes met, he hurried toward her. “What happened to her? Is she okay?”

“You are asking me what happened?” Erica snapped. “Why did you leave her alone in the middle of nowhere? Some thugs kidnapped her and…” She trailed off, her mouth twisting in agony and anger. “She was gang raped.”

Dylan felt as though a ton of bricks had crashed down on him. A sickening wave of regret hit him in full force. He had promised his friend that he would always protect Gianna, but he failed. He was ashamed of himself. Guilt gnawed at him, twisting deep in his chest.

“How irresponsible you can be!” Erica’s voice cut through his haze of self-loathing. “You didn’t even bother to check on her! Those monsters could have killed her, and you wouldn’t have even known! By some miracle, she managed to escape, but she collapsed on the side of the road, bruised and battered. A couple of strangers found her and brought her here.”

Dylan stood there, paralyzed by guilt and horror, his fists clenching at his sides. His mind raced back to the last time he saw Gianna, replaying every moment. He should’ve never left her alone, should’ve made sure she was safe.

Erica shook her head, her expression clouding with disappointment and sadness. “I rushed here as soon as I heard about it.”

“Why didn’t you call me sooner?” he hissed, his eyes darkening with frustration.

“Call you?” she shot back with disdain. “Gianna was in pain, Dylan. She didn’t want to see you. But I thought you would at least call her to check whether she had reached home safely. You didn’t even do that.”

She snorted derisively. “I thought you liked her,” she continued, her tone dripping with contempt. “But you’re heartless. I see that now. You were too wrapped up in your own world to care.”

Dylan wiped his face, restless and remorseful. He couldn’t undo what had happened. He had failed Gianna and now, he didn’t know how to face her. What would he say to comfort her? He was responsible for what she had gone through.

“Where were you the whole night?” Erica asked, tilting her head as she scrutinized him. “I went to check on you at the villa, but you were not there.”

Dylan didn’t respond. His mind was elsewhere, spiraling into a whirlwind of anxiety about Gianna. Would she ever forgive him?

“You know, Mommy is really upset about this whole incident,” Erica continued. “She is coming back.”

At the mention of his aunt, Dylan’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Did you tell her about this? Why did you call her? I could have handled this myself.”

“If you could have, I wouldn’t have had to disturb her,” Erica snapped back, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “But you weren’t available.”

Dylan groaned in frustration and stormed into the ward. His steps came to a halt when his eyes landed on Gianna on the bed, her face marred with bruises and several cuts. His heart clenched at her miserable sight.

“Don’t look at me,” Gianna sniffled as she turned her face away and covered it with her hands.

Dylan rushed to her side, gathering her into a protective embrace. “I’m so sorry, Gianna,” he apologized instantly. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“What’s the point of regretting it now?” Erica, who had followed him into the room, snapped, her tone biting. “It’s all your fault.”

“Dylan!” Gianna sobbed, her arms tightening around him as if he were her only lifeline. “My chastity has been tarnished. Those people can ruin my career too. I’m so scared.”

“Nothing like that will happen,” Dylan assured her. “No one will find out about this. And those bastards—I’ll hunt them down and make them pay.”

Gianna stiffened at his words. “No, no! Don’t go after them!” she exclaimed, panic rising in her voice. “They’re dangerous. They can hurt you!” She grabbed his hand, desperation etched across her features. “Let’s just forget this ever happened. Please.”

Dylan frowned at her in disbelief, confusion mixing with anger. “You don’t want to punish them? They violated you, Gianna. They need to face the consequences of what they did!”

Panic crossed across Gianna’s face. She was afraid her lies would be exposed if he investigated this matter. The truth was that no one had kidnapped her, let alone gang raped. Instead, she had spent the entire day with her secret admirer, and she couldn’t let Dylan find out.

“Those goons—they’ll come after me and kidnap me again if we look for them,” she blurted out. She waved her hands dramatically, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No… I don’t want to punish them. I just want to forget it.”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Erica said, stepping forward to envelop Gianna in a comforting hug. She shot Dylan a fierce glare. “Can’t you see how disturbed she is? Do you have to say all this in front of her? If you can’t comfort her, just leave. I’m here to take care of her.”

Dylan ran his fingers through his hair, feeling helpless and frustrated. He understood that Gianna was terrified and wasn’t thinking clearly, but the urge to make those responsible pay for their actions burned within him. He wouldn’t stop until he punished those who had hurt her.

“What are you still doing standing here?” Erica snapped. “Leave. I can take care of her myself.”

Dylan scowled at her, indignation rising within him. “I’m not her enemy. I’m trying to help her.”

“Nothing would have happened if you hadn’t left her alone,” Erica barked.

“Don’t blame him,” Gianna protested weakly. “It’s not his fault. He was mad because of Ava.”

“That bitch!” Erica spat, her features contorting in rage. “She is always a troublemaker. If it were not for her, you and Dylan would have married a long time ago and nothing like this would have happened. She is a jinx.”

A fit of unfamiliar anger surged through Dylan as Erica and Gianna heaped blame on Ava, twisting the situation into something far worse than it was. His chest tightened, and he couldn’t suppress his frustration any longer.

“Why are you blaming her? She has nothing to do with this.”

“Is that so?” Erica, equally fiery, shot to her feet and locked eyes with him. “Ava is the root cause of all of this. She humiliated you in public, and because of that, you took it out on Gianna. That’s why she ended up in this mess. So, yes, she is the actual reason for Gianna’s misery.”

She held out her phone and shoved it toward him.

“Take a look at these,” she hissed. The screen displayed several photos of Ava slapping him, moments from that night etched in pixelated detail. “My friends sent me these. These photographs were all over social media. I barely managed to take them down in time. If I hadn’t, our family’s reputation would have been dragged through the mud. And yet you still think she is not responsible?”

She sneered as she pulled the phone back, glaring daggers at him. “You should divorce her.”

The word divorce sent a shockwave through Dylan’s entire being. His last shred of patience snapped. His instinct told him to lash out, but his conscience stopped him. Without a word, he stormed out of the ward.