Chapter 3. Someone else's Wife

The corridor was quieter than the conference area. Most employees were either having lunch or attending meetings, leaving only the distant sound of footsteps and conversations from the other end.

Elio approached until he was standing a short distance behind her.

"Long time no see, my bride."

Andrea closed her eyes for a brief moment before turning to face him.

"Ex-bride."

Her correction came without hesitation.

Elio's lips curved faintly. "You're right. My mistake."

"Then don't make it again."

"Unfortunately, I haven't stopped thinking about the possibility of making you my bride again."

Andrea stared at him. His words might once have made her heart flutter, but those days were long gone. She had waited for him, defended him, and searched for an explanation until there was nothing left to hold on to.

Now he stood before her, speaking about their future as though the past had merely been an inconvenient interruption.

"Why didn't you come back when I was waiting for you?"

Her voice was quieter than before, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.

"Five years, Elio. Do you have any idea what those years were like for me? You disappeared without giving me a single explanation, and now you're standing here as if what you did meant nothing."

Elio's expression changed.

He had prepared himself for her anger. He knew he deserved it, and he had no intention of pretending otherwise. But hearing the hurt in her voice was something else entirely.

"And you think it meant nothing to me?" he asked.

"Then you should have thought about that before you left."

He wanted to tell her everything. About the night his grandfather had arrived, the truth about his father, the responsibilities he had inherited, and the danger that had followed his name long before he understood what it meant to be an Orsanti.

But how could he explain that he had chosen to protect her by making her believe he had abandoned her?

He reached for her shoulder, an instinctive attempt to close the distance between them.

Andrea immediately stepped back.

"Don't."

The single word stopped him.

Her rejection was small in movement but unmistakable. Elio lowered his hand, watching her as she raised her left hand between them.

A diamond ring rested on her ring finger, its elegant setting catching the light from the corridor windows.

"I've moved on, Elio. I'm married now. I'm Mrs. Palermo."

For a moment, he couldn't take his eyes off the ring.

Mrs. Palermo.

The name settled heavily in his chest. He looked from the diamond to her face, searching for some indication that she was lying, that this was merely an attempt to keep him at a distance.

But Andrea's expression offered him nothing.

"You're married?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"To whom?"

She held his gaze. "That shouldn't concern you anymore."

Elio's jaw tightened. He had returned to Averon believing he could find a way back into her life, even if it took months or years to earn her forgiveness. He had not considered the possibility that someone else might already have taken the place he had once occupied.

Before he could say anything else, a cheerful voice came from the direction of Andrea's office.

"Mom! There you are. I've been looking for you."

Both of them turned.

A little girl in a neatly pressed kindergarten uniform stood near the office doorway, holding a small lunch bag in both hands. Her bright eyes searched the corridor until they landed on Andrea.

The change in Andrea's expression was immediate. The tension that had hardened her features softened into a genuine smile.

"Sweetheart."

She crouched and opened her arms. The little girl hurried toward her, wrapping her arms around Andrea's neck as soon as she reached her.

"Did you bring my lunch?"

The child nodded proudly and held up the bag.

"I did! You forgot to take it this morning, so I asked Dad to bring me here."

Andrea laughed softly, taking the lunch bag from her.

"Then I have two people to thank. Thank you for remembering, my sweet girl."

She kissed the child's cheek, earning a delighted giggle.

Elio stood motionless.

Mom.

His gaze moved from Andrea's face to the little girl nestled in her arms. She looked to be around five years old, perhaps a little younger. Her small hand rested against Andrea's shoulder with the familiarity of a child who had done so countless times before.

Andrea had a daughter.

The realization came without warning, leaving him unable to form a single coherent thought. He had spent years wondering what their life might have looked like if he had stayed. Whether they would have married, built a home, and eventually had children of their own.

Now, the woman he had once intended to marry was holding someone else's child.

And she was calling Andrea Mom.

"Nikki."

A man's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Andrea turned toward the sound. A tall man in a light grey suit was approaching from the other end of the corridor. He appeared younger than Elio, with a polished appearance and an easy confidence that made him look entirely at home in the building.

The little girl immediately brightened.

"Dad!"

The man smiled as she called out, then looked toward Andrea.

"Sorry I'm late. We got caught in traffic."

"It's fine," Andrea replied. "You brought her lunch. That's what matters."

The man stepped closer, briefly brushing a hand over the little girl's hair before looking at Andrea with familiar ease.

Elio watched the exchange in silence.

There was no hesitation in the way the man stood beside her, no awkwardness in the way the child reached for him. Whatever their relationship was, they appeared to share a life that had been built long before Elio returned.

Andrea adjusted the little girl's uniform and gave the man a small smile.

"Thank you for bringing her."

"Of course. I'll see you later."

She nodded before turning away from Elio.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you settled."

With the little girl in her arms and the man walking beside her, Andrea headed toward her office without looking back.

Elio remained where he was.

The corridor seemed to stretch around him, yet all he could see was the diamond ring on Andrea's finger and the little girl who had called her Mom.

He had returned to the woman he had never stopped loving, only to discover that she had built a life without him.

And for the first time since reclaiming the name Orsanti, Elio found himself facing a loss he had no idea how to fight.

He could challenge a rival family, dismantle a business empire, and face men who wanted him dead.

But he had no claim over the woman who had once promised him forever.