Chapter 3

The lights of Manhattan faded into the night as the yacht left the harbor.

I finished dinner alone and returned the champagne to its bucket. Roman's white roses stood in the center of the table, and the place setting across from me remained untouched.

He still had not called. Inside the bedroom, I removed a folder from the lining of my suitcase. It contained Celeste's messages, a copy of the surveillance footage from the boathouse, and the recording I had made outside my hospital room.

Victor asked Roman how long he intended to keep taking care of Celeste.

Roman answered that he would give me everything a Vescari wife deserved.

I scheduled the files to be sent at six the next morning. Roman, Adrian, and the senior members of both families would receive the same evidence. I attached one final letter.

Roman,

Five years ago, you offered me your hand when I was humiliated in front of everyone. I was grateful, and I believed I had married a man who would always choose me.

You gave me a privileged life and fulfilled every duty you believed a husband owed his wife. I needed more than the Vescari name, a beautiful house, and expensive jewelry.

You made your choice when we fell into the lake.

Tonight, you made it again.

You no longer need to compensate me, and I will no longer wait for you.

Evelyn

I removed my wedding ring. Roman had chosen the diamond himself. On our wedding day, he placed it on my finger and promised that he would protect me before anyone else.

I sealed the ring and my old phone inside a waterproof pouch and gave it to the crewman waiting outside.

Near midnight, the yacht entered a dark stretch of water. The captain turned off the deck lights, and a small motorboat approached from the darkness.

The man who had arranged my disappearance boarded the yacht and handed me a travel bag. It held Claire Rowan's passport, cash, and a ticket to Milan.

"Once you leave, you cannot contact anyone from your former life," he said.

"I understand."

"The yacht will continue without you. The Coast Guard will find the wreckage and the personal belongings you left behind. By morning, everyone will believe you died in the accident."

I put on a dark coat and tucked my hair beneath a hat. Before stepping onto the motorboat, I looked back at the yacht Roman had prepared for our anniversary.

He had promised to watch the sunrise with me. He was still with Celeste, and I would be gone before dawn.

I accepted the man's hand and climbed aboard. The motorboat turned away while the yacht continued along its planned course.

An orange glow appeared on the water several minutes later. Flames spread through the cabin and lit the waves around it. The yacht veered toward the rocks, and an explosion broke through the night.

I kept my face forward and closed my hand around the passport in my pocket.

Roman's POV

I closed Adrian's file shortly before ten thirty.

The documents concerned an investment dispute within the Falcone family. Celeste could have given them to an attorney, but she had cried on the phone and claimed Adrian planned to divorce her and take away her shares in the family company.

Her distress had disappeared soon after I arrived.

"The attorneys will contact Adrian tomorrow," I said as I stood. "They can handle the rest."

Celeste pulled my coat around her shoulders. "Are you still going to the marina?"

"I made a promise to Evelyn."

"The yacht has already left. You cannot reach her now."

I looked at the clock and reached for my phone. I had silenced all calls while reviewing confidential records.

Three missed calls from Evelyn filled the screen.

I called her immediately, but she did not answer.

Celeste rose from the sofa. "She is angry. Evelyn loves you so much that she will forgive you once you explain."

I remembered how quiet Evelyn had been at the hospital. She had not questioned where I went or reacted to the scarf in my car. She had not tried to stop me when I turned back toward Manhattan.

In the past, she always demanded to know whether she or Celeste mattered more. Those arguments had frustrated me. Her silence felt worse.

I grabbed my coat and headed for the door.

Celeste caught my arm. "Roman, I need you."

"Your attorneys will protect your interests."

"You never used to leave me alone."

I removed her hand. "Tonight is my wedding anniversary."

I left the townhouse while calling the marina. The yacht did not respond to the radio, and its tracking signal had disappeared several minutes earlier.

Victor called before I reached the car.

"The Coast Guard contacted us," Victor said.

I tightened my grip on the phone. "Where is Evelyn?"

Silence followed.

"The yacht caught fire offshore and struck the rocks. The rescue team found her phone and wedding ring, but they have not found her."

"Keep searching."

"The water is too cold, and the accident happened more than half an hour ago. The Coast Guard does not believe she could have survived."

"I told you to keep searching."

Victor's voice lowered. "Roman, Evelyn is dead."

The phone slipped from my hand and landed in the snow.

Celeste followed me outside and reached for me, but I pulled away and held the car door to keep myself upright.

The yacht had left without me. Evelyn had called three times, and I had answered none of them.