Chapter 3

I spun around. Vincenzo stared at me with dark eyes, as if I were his prey.

"Nowhere," I said, forcing myself to look calm as I shoved my phone into my pocket. "I just don't want to be here anymore."

He nodded and pressed his palm to my cheek. "Then come with me to see her. Enora, don't even think about leaving me." His eyes bored into mine.

His words left no room for argument.

Afraid he'd get suspicious, I nodded and followed him to the ward.

In the hospital hallway, he took my hand the way he always did when we said goodbye.

"The party's over. Dario will be waiting for you in the car." His voice softened, as if he were trying to make up for something, and he smoothed the hair at my temple. "Go straight to the safe house on the south side and wait for me there. Your anniversary surprise is there."

Just then, the door to Lyla's room swung open, and her personal maid hurried out.

"Don, Ms. Ferraro's heart rate is unstable. She's scared. She keeps calling your name."

Vincenzo's hand froze. He took a step toward the door almost without thinking, then stopped and looked back at me.

I forced a calm smile. "Go on in."

He pressed a hot kiss to my forehead, gave me a long look, and strode into the room.

"Don't overthink it. I'll be right back."

The door closed in my face, shutting out the faint sobbing inside.

I didn't go downstairs to the car. I went to the restroom at the end of the hall and took out my phone.

Lyla had just posted something new on her private Instagram.

"Whenever I need him, he drops everything to be by my side. Just like when we were kids."

The photo showed a man's strong, long-fingered hand tucking in her blanket.

On his ring finger was the black onyx ring that symbolized the Romano family's power.

It was Vincenzo's hand.

Then a call came in. It was Lyla.

I gave a bitter smile and turned on my phone's recorder.

The second I answered, Lyla's bright voice came through. "Enora, Vincenzo just went to get me some water."

She didn't bother hiding how pleased she was with herself.

"You think five years by his side actually made you the lady of the Romano family? You're just a tool who makes drugs for free.

"You can't keep his heart, and now even your work belongs to me. Getting all of this was so easy."

I didn't say anything, but she wasn't done.

"You know what? We were supposed to get married. But the family insisted he marry for an alliance. What I don't understand is, if it had to be an arranged marriage, why did he marry you?"

Her sweet voice was laced with poison.

"If you could do it, why couldn't I?"

Before I could make sense of it, I heard footsteps on her end, then Vincenzo's low voice. "Lyla, who are you talking to?"

"Just a sales call." Lyla laughed softly and hung up.

I watched the screen go dark. Then I uploaded the recording to an encrypted cloud folder, wiped every contact, photo, and message from the phone, and threw it away.

Every lie.

Every fake promise.

Every sweet, hollow memory.

Let them all disappear forever.

Then I gripped the small encrypted communicator and hit send.

An automated program started. In half an hour, an encrypted email containing the complete R-7 development records and their timestamps would reach every member of the Romano family council.

The full recording of that phone call would go with it.

I walked out the back door of the hospital. The wind was bitter. A black sedan with no license plates was already waiting in the shadows.

"Is everything set?" I opened the door.

"The route to the train station is clear." Faith turned to look me over and lowered her voice. "We won't leave a trace."

"Then let's go."

The car drove into the dark, toward a life without Vincenzo Romano.