Chapter 3
“She has information we need,” he said finally, his tone clipped. “She claims she can help us take down the De Lucas for good.”
“And you believe her?” Carmen asked, her disbelief clear.
“I don’t trust her,” he admitted. “Not completely. But I’m not in a position to turn down what she’s offering—not yet.”
Carmen shook her head, anger and hurt twisting inside her. “She’s playing you, Marco. You’re letting her use you again. And this time, it’s going to cost us more than you realize.”
He stepped closer, his voice softening slightly. “I’m doing this for us. For the family. You have to trust me.”
Her throat tightened as she fought back tears. She wanted to trust him, but the cracks in their foundation were widening, and Arianna’s presence wasn’t helping.
“I hope you’re right,” she said finally, her voice heavy. “Because if you’re wrong, she’s going to destroy everything we’ve built.”
As she turned to leave, Marco called after her. “Not everything is what it seems.”
She stopped, glancing back at him.
“You’ll see soon enough,” he added, his tone laced with meaning she couldn’t decipher.
…
The sunlight filtered through the windows of Carmen’s sitting room, casting long shadows on the polished wood floor. The room, typically a place of comfort, felt oppressive today. Carmen sat on a plush chair, her posture rigid as her trusted confidante, Sofia, hesitated near the doorway.
“Say it,” Carmen urged, her tone sharper than she intended. “Whatever it is, just tell me.”
Sofia stepped forward, wringing her hands. “Arianna De Luca… she’s moved into the old Greco estate. Two streets over.”
Carmen’s chest tightened, but she kept her face impassive. “Are you certain?”
“I am,” Sofia said. “She arrived yesterday. There’s no mistaking her.”
Carmen rose from her chair, moving toward the window. The perfectly manicured garden below felt like a mockery of her fraying composure.
“Does Marco know?” she asked, her voice carefully controlled.
Sofia hesitated. “The staff says they’ve seen him coming and going from her estate. They… they think it was his idea.”
The words were a punch to the gut. Carmen gripped the edge of the window frame, her knuckles white. “Anything else?”
“They’ve been spotted together more than once,” Sofia continued, her voice lowering. “People are talking, Mrs. Venetti. They’re saying she’s… trying to rekindle what they had.”
Carmen let out a humorless laugh, a sound that startled even herself. “Of course they are,” she murmured, turning to face Sofia. “Thank you. You can go.”
Sofia bowed her head and left without another word, the door clicking shut behind her.
…
The whispers didn’t stop.
As Carmen moved through the estate that day, she overheard snippets of conversation in hushed tones.
“First love, wasn’t she?” one servant murmured to another in the kitchen. “Maybe he never got over her.”
Carmen’s fingers clenched around her teacup as she passed the dining room.
“I heard they’ve been meeting for weeks,” someone else said, the words cutting through her like a blade.
By the time evening fell, the weight of the rumors was unbearable. Marco arrived home late again, his tie askew and his expression weary.
“You’re late,” Carmen said as he entered the dining room, where she sat waiting with untouched dinner plates on the table.
“It’s business,” he replied curtly, loosening his tie further.
“Business?” she echoed, her voice cold. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”
Marco’s eyes flicked to hers, narrowing slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Carmen leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “I’ve heard things, Marco. About Arianna. About you.”
He stiffened. “I don’t have time for gossip, Carmen.”
“And I don’t have time for lies,” she shot back, standing abruptly. “Do you think I don’t notice? You’re never here anymore. You come home late, and when you do, it’s like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
Marco sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “I don’t need this right now.”
“No, what you don’t need is for your wife to find out from everyone else that your first love has moved two streets away!” Carmen snapped. “Did you arrange it? Tell me the truth.”
His silence was answer enough.
She shook her head, her voice trembling with anger. “You did, didn’t you? You brought her here.”
Marco finally met her gaze, his own full of frustration. “Yes, I suggested it. But not for the reasons you think.”
“Then enlighten me,” Carmen said bitterly. “Why would you move her so close to us?”
“To keep an eye on her,” he said, his tone clipped. “She’s dangerous, Carmen. You know that as well as I do. If she’s in my territory, I control the situation.”
“And yet, from where I’m standing, it looks like she’s controlling you,” Carmen said, her voice cutting.
Marco’s expression darkened. “You’re letting jealousy cloud your judgment. This is about the family, about keeping our power secure. Not whatever ridiculous story you’ve concocted in your head.”
“Jealousy?” Carmen’s voice rose, her composure breaking. “You think I’m jealous? Of her?”
“Why else would you be acting like this?” Marco retorted. “You’re not thinking about what’s best for the family—you’re thinking about her.”
Carmen took a step back, stunned. She stared at him for a long moment before her expression hardened.
“I’ve done nothing but think about what’s best for this family since the day we got married,” she said, her voice low and steady, laced with quiet fury. “I’ve sacrificed, I’ve fought, and I’ve protected you. Protected us. And this—this is how you repay me?”
Marco’s lips pressed into a thin line, his frustration clear, but he said nothing.
“Fine,” Carmen said, her voice trembling slightly. “If you won’t listen to me, I’ll figure it out myself.”
She turned and left the room before he could respond, her heart pounding as she made her way to her study. She couldn’t sit idly by any longer.
