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She’s been immersed in her work, the release of her coding project consuming her attention since our return from the honeymoon.
Several issues needed resolving and they’re taking up most of her time. I set aside a room in the mansion for her to work, and other than meals, we’re hardly together at all.
I knock on the open door to get her attention. She spins in her chair, giving me a smile that warms my heart. “Hey, hubby,” she says. “The numbers in yet?”
“I’ve been checking the sales team, and they’re better than projected. Looks like you have a hit on your hands.”
“Really? That’s fantastic news! I hadn’t checked yet today.”
I nod. “There’s interest from some pretty big firms looking to buy.”
Her eyes light up, a spark of ambition and excitement in her gaze. “That’s beyond what I dared hope for.”
The room is filled with a palpable tension, a blend of professional triumph and personal uncertainty. “Emma,” I continue, the words heavy on my tongue, “this could be the start of something big for you, a step towards building your own empire, so to speak.”
She pauses, her expression thoughtful. “Adrian, that’s... It’s what I’ve always wanted. But,” she hesitates, her eyes searching mine, “is that okay with you? I mean, my being so focused on this? Will you be pissed if I leave the company?”
“I admire your ambition. It’s one of the many things I appreciate about you.”
“But,” I can’t help but add, the words laced with my deeper fears, “does this project, your career... Does it leave room for us? For... whatever this is between us?”
Emma’s expression softens, a hint of understanding in her eyes. “You’re worried about something. Is it Luca? Or us?”
The mention of Luca sends a chill through me, but it’s her insight into my deeper fears that truly unsettles me. “It’s both,” I confess.
“I worry about the danger Luca represents but I can’t help wondering if I’m too old for you. All these late nights and early starts. You’ve so much more energy than me.”
Emma stands, closing the distance between us. “I won’t lie. It’s been a few days of long hours but I can’t do it forever. I’m exhausted. As for your age, it’s never been about that for me. It’s about the person you are, the connection we have.”
My phone rings. I step out into the corridor to answer it. “Adrian,” Matteo’s voice says down the line. “Prepare to be happy.”
“Go on.”
“Got word from Charles just now. The cartel took Luca out. Money’s on its way to your account as we speak. Congratulations boss.”
A complex torrent of emotions rushes through me at this. Relief, first and foremost, that the immediate threat to Emma and to our semblance of peace has been neutralized.
“It’s over,” I repeat, the words tasting strange on my tongue. The threat that Luca represented, the shadow that loomed over our newlywed bliss, has been extinguished. So why don’t I feel joy?
I hang up, looking into Emma’s workspace as she types away at her computer. When I tell her, I’ll find out the truth. Is she only with me for the protection I offer? Or does she want to be with me?
Tell her now or keep it secret for a while? I’m still deciding when her phone buzzes on her desk. She picks it up and reads the message on the screen, spinning in her chair to face me.
“Luca’s dead?” she says, eyes boring into my own. “Lily told me.” She watches my reaction closely, searching for any sign of evasion or guilt. “You killed him, didn’t you? After you promised no more deaths, you still killed him.”
14
EMMA
He stares at me, his face unemotional. “Yes, Luca is dead. But I swear to you, I had no part in it.”
“But why wouldn’t you tell me something so important?” The question hangs between us, laden with doubt and fear. “Why do I have to hear it from Lily?”
“I only just found out myself.”
“And were you going to tell me?”
I’m about to lie when I decide to tell the truth. “I thought if I kept it from you, you’d stay with me longer. I fear that you’re only here because of the threat he posed. I thought with him gone, you might not see any reason to stay.”
