I wanted to ask more questions, but another mask was put over my face. But this one made me so sleepy. I fought and fought to stay awake, but then I once again went under.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: LEO
As I stormed out of the gallery into the sunshine, I fought to breathe. Pain like I had never experienced before ricocheted through my body. I understood now why the word “pain” wasn’t sufficient and words that anguish and agony were used.
Luca wasn’t mine.
Drea had lied to me.
I didn’t have a son.
I didn’t have a wife.
My chest constricted so tightly I thought I might be having a heart attack. Sure, I was young and healthy, but stress could cause one, right? When I stumbled on the sidewalk, Guilio came rushing forward to help me.
“I’m fine!” I snapped, as I slung him away.
“But Mr. Neretti–”
“Just get in the fucking SUV and get us out of here!”
Guilio dutifully nodded. He didn’t ask me where we were going. Instead, he just started driving.
I couldn’t have told him where to go even if he’d asked. I didn’t even know who I was anymore. In the span of an hour, I’d lost my identity as a husband and a future father.
Time didn’t mean anything either. For the last year, my life had been an elaborate lie.
Desperate for someone to take my anger out on, I called Edoardo. “Leo, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I know the truth.”
Silence echoed on the line. “Let me guess. Drea finally cracked under the pressure.”
“No, she was still deceiving me to the bitter end. It was a blackmailer named Vincent Moreno. But you already know that, right? The photo was sent to you yesterday.”
“It wasn’t signed, so I didn’t have any idea who sent it. After I received it, I had my men start working on trying to trace who could’ve hacked my photos. Thanks for saving me the trouble.”
“You fucking bastard!” I snarled.
He had the audacity to chuckle. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“I’m done being a puppet on a string for you. I’m out–out of the marriage and out of all of our deals.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I wasn’t asking for your permission. I’m telling you. I’m filing annulment papers first thing in the morning. If you even dare to come at me or my family, we’ll go to war.”
And with that, I hung up on him.
When my phone immediately rang, I almost threw it across the seat. But the screen read it was my real estate broker, Jack.
“Hello?”
“Hey Leo, I’m so sorry I missed your calls. The wife has me in the fucking Hamptons.”
I laughed. “It’s fine.”
“But don’t worry. I assumed you were calling about escalating the bid, so I put it through.
