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Chapter 3

Author: Sylvie Wells
Donna Caruso's birthday dinner was held at the family's private club in Manhattan.

That night, the family council considered both engagements.

Sofia sat beside Dante.

I was seated near the far end of the table.

My mother leaned close before dinner began.

"Sofia and Dante are officially engaged. Please don't make trouble tonight."

When Donna Caruso asked about their wedding date, Sofia blushed.

The table filled with teasing and congratulations.

Then Donna Caruso looked toward me.

"And what of Eva and Nico?"

My father answered too quickly.

"There is no need to rush. Eva can be impulsive. She should have time to reconsider."

Don Caruso set down his glass.

"When Sofia chooses Dante, you call it devotion. When Eva chooses Nico, you call it impulse?"

My father's face stiffened.

Before he could reply, Sofia's attendant gave a startled cry.

A wineglass tipped over.

Dark red wine spread across the front of Sofia's cream dress.

Dante stood at once and handed her his napkin.

Then he looked at me.

"You passed her that glass."

The room went quiet.

Sofia pressed the napkin to her dress and shook her head through gathering tears.

"Dante, Eva couldn't have known the wine would spill."

It sounded like a defense.

It also made the accident mine.

Mom's voice cut across the table.

"Eva, apologize."

"I didn't do anything."

Dante's gaze hardened.

"Her dress is ruined. Is saying sorry really so difficult?"

The disgust in his eyes was the same look he had worn after Sofia's death in our first life.

I picked up my own glass.

Then I poured the wine down the front of my silver dress.

Gasps circled the table.

I set the empty glass down.

"Now my dress is ruined too."

I looked at Sofia.

"Should she apologize to me?"

Dante's face darkened.

"Eva, must you turn everything into a spectacle?"

"You decided I was guilty before anyone asked what happened."

"Because you handed her the glass."

Donna Caruso lifted the small reserve-wine carafe beside Sofia's attendant.

A dark splash stained the attendant's white glove.

"No," she said. "Eva handed Sofia a glass from the bottle already on the table. This carafe was brought over afterward."

The attendant dropped to her knees.

"Miss Sofia asked for the reserve Barolo. I switched the glasses and bumped the stem. Miss Eva had nothing to do with it."

No one spoke.

My mother finally said, "Then it was a misunderstanding. Let's not spoil Donna Caruso's birthday."

One misunderstanding was enough to end the matter.

No one apologized to me.

A server brought towels for both dresses.

Dante reached for mine, then stopped before touching me.

"Eva…"

"Don't."

At the head of the table, Donna Caruso sighed.

"We nearly lost Dante at Pier 19 three years ago. Compared with that, two dresses are nothing."

She smiled at Sofia.

"Thank God you found him in time."

Sofia lowered her eyes.

"I was terrified. I only knew I couldn't let him die."

Dante looked at her with the tenderness I had once wanted for myself.

"Dr. Harris said the pressure knot on my leg was perfect."

He paused.

"I never knew you had trauma training."

Sofia's fingers trembled around her napkin.

"I didn't. I must have tied it that way by chance."

Several guests laughed softly.

Dr. Harris did not.

The Caruso family's longtime physician sat two places below Donna Caruso.

"That wasn't a lucky knot," he said.

The laughter stopped.

"It was a reverse locking hitch used by Coast Guard rescue teams. No one ties it correctly without being taught."

Dante turned to Sofia.

"Who taught you?"
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  • His Mistaken Savior   Chapter 8

    Two days after the birthday dinner, St. Catherine’s called me in for a formal review.The hospital’s ethics director sat across from me. Dante represented the Caruso Foundation. Nico had submitted his recusal in writing, but he attended at my request.The director opened a file.“Miss Rossi, we received a report alleging that you asked Mr. Nico Caruso to influence the admissions committee.”“I didn’t.”She glanced at Dante.He did not ask Nico to confirm my answer.He did not ask me for evidence.“You heard her,” he said.“We still have to investigate.”“Then investigate the allegation,” Dante replied. “Don’t treat it as fact simply because it came from a donor.”The director folded her hands.“The Caruso Foundation helps fund this program.”“As of today, the foundation will have no involvement in admissions. Its funding will continue regardless of the committee’s decision.”His gaze met mine.“Eva’s application should stand or fail on its own.”A week later, the review was complete.T

  • His Mistaken Savior   Chapter 7

    I held Sofia’s gaze.“Then say it here.”Her smile tightened.“You’ve always enjoyed making a scene. I’m trying to spare you one.”She turned toward the terrace doors.I followed her outside.The terrace overlooked the gardens behind the Rossi estate. Music drifted through the glass doors, softened by the cold night air.Sofia stopped beside the stone steps.“Tell Dante I didn’t know what you had done for him at Pier 19.”“He already knows what happened.”“He thinks I deceived him.”“You knew he was wrong, and you let him stay wrong.”“I brought the doctor.”“And I kept him alive until you did.”Her mouth tightened.“Then tell him it was a misunderstanding. Tell St. Catherine’s I called because I was concerned about you.”“You tried to make them question my integrity.”“I warned them how your engagement to Nico might look.”“You made sure it looked suspicious.”“I was protecting this family.”“No. You were protecting yourself.”For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then Sofia stepped clos

  • His Mistaken Savior   Chapter 6

    Dante did not leave me alone.Flowers arrived at my apartment the next morning.I sent them to the hospital across the street.The following day, he called.I let it ring.On the third day, he came himself, carrying a hazelnut latte.I did not let him past the lobby.He held it out to me.“I thought you might like this.”I glanced at the label but did not take it.After a moment, he set it on the lobby table."You said you wanted nothing from me," he said."I meant it.""You used to want everything."It was true in my first life.I had wanted him to come home and have dinner with me. I had wanted him to love me, even a little. And when the whole world believed the worst of me, I had wanted my husband to be the one person who believed me.Yet I had spent seven years teaching myself to want less from him.Now I knew better than to want anything at all.“Not anymore,” I said.The elevator doors opened behind me.Nico stepped out carrying a folder and two coffees.“Black. No sugar.” He han

  • His Mistaken Savior   Chapter 5

    Dante's fingers loosened around my hand.I pulled free.Nico crossed the courtyard and stopped beside me. He was pale from the cold, but nothing about the way he faced his brother seemed fragile."I asked you a question," he said.Dante ignored him.His eyes stayed on the scar across my palm."You tied that knot."It was no longer a question."So what if it was me?" I asked. "And what if it wasn't?"His jaw tightened."It changes everything.""Not for me."The words landed harder than I expected.In my first life, I had spent years waiting for this moment. I had imagined his apology, his regret, the look on Sofia's face when he finally believed me.Now that it had come, I felt nothing but tired."Why didn't you tell me?" Dante asked.I almost laughed."I did."I had told him until my parents called me obsessed. I had shown him the pendant. I had asked him to remember the red dress and the woman who kept pressure on his wound while bullets struck the shipping containers.He had remember

  • His Mistaken Savior   Chapter 4

    Sofia's eyes filled instantly."Dante, are you questioning me?"His brows drew together."I'm asking one question.""There was gunfire everywhere. You were bleeding. I wasn't thinking about knots."A tear slipped down her cheek.Dante's voice softened by habit."All right. Forget I asked."I was not surprised.Whenever Sofia cried, the questions ended.But after the party, Dante went to Dr. Harris's office.The doctor opened the emergency file from Pier 19."You had already been treated before your men brought you in," he said. "Someone packed the wound, wrapped it in red silk, and tied a reverse locking hitch.""Sofia said she did it."Dr. Harris shook his head."Miss Sofia is right-handed. The knot was tied left-handed. The pressure tail ran inward."Dante's expression changed."You're sure?""I spent twenty-two years as a Navy trauma surgeon. I'm sure."The doctor turned another page."Your rescuer also had a deep cut across her right palm. We found a second blood type soaked into t

  • His Mistaken Savior   Chapter 3

    Donna Caruso's birthday dinner was held at the family's private club in Manhattan.That night, the family council considered both engagements.Sofia sat beside Dante.I was seated near the far end of the table.My mother leaned close before dinner began."Sofia and Dante are officially engaged. Please don't make trouble tonight."When Donna Caruso asked about their wedding date, Sofia blushed.The table filled with teasing and congratulations.Then Donna Caruso looked toward me."And what of Eva and Nico?"My father answered too quickly."There is no need to rush. Eva can be impulsive. She should have time to reconsider."Don Caruso set down his glass."When Sofia chooses Dante, you call it devotion. When Eva chooses Nico, you call it impulse?"My father's face stiffened.Before he could reply, Sofia's attendant gave a startled cry.A wineglass tipped over.Dark red wine spread across the front of Sofia's cream dress.Dante stood at once and handed her his napkin.Then he looked at me.

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