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‘It means you deserve to know the secret your husband is keeping from you. And you deserve to hurt the way your little reappearing act hurt me.’
‘I’m not aware I did anything of the—’
‘Oh, please, spare me the wide-eyed innocent act. You went digging in business that should’ve died with my Alessandro. And you turned up with your Poor Little Destitute act and stole Rocco from me.’
Mia gasped. ‘You’re deluded!’
Allegra shrugged. ‘Perhaps. I’ll never know now, will I?’
Mia bit her lip, but the question tumbled out anyway. ‘What was the pay-off for?’
The cruel smile returned. ‘To keep his little discovery a secret, of course. I heard the rumours and did a little digging of my own. So what if Alessandro took steps to keep Rocco from making a mistake with you? You were clearly sleeping your way to power. The child you claimed was Rocco’s could’ve been another man’s.’
Shards of ice pierced Mia’s heart. ‘You really think you can justify your husband destroying my life? So what, he could land a better position at Vitelli Construction? I wasn’t his competition!’
‘Not yet, but you had Rocco’s ear.’
‘And that terrified him so much he committed fraud?’
Allegra’s face twisted. ‘He did what he had to to protect his position and his family. You would do the same.’
‘No, I wouldn’t. And what exactly do you hope to gain by telling me this if not to see another family destroyed?’
Her eyes blazed with triumph before she shrugged coolly. ‘We all deserve to know who we lie down with. Your husband has been content to withhold this from you for weeks now. Maybe you should think about that?’
With that, she sailed out, head held high, blissfully uncaring that she, like her late husband, had shattered Mia’s life.
For a second time.
Mia barely recalled making her way out of the ladies’ room and out of the Paddock Club. Only had a vague memory of typing a hurried text to Rocco, informing him she’d returned to the hotel.
In the hotel room, she kicked off her shoes and paced, the ever-expanding pain in her heart demanding action. Rocco had known she was innocent all along and hadn’t told her.
Why?
As if summoned by the single question blazing in her head, the suite door opened and Rocco walked in.
Gianni wasn’t with him.
He pre-empted her question. ?
?Sophia took him to get a gelato.’ His voice was heavy, his eyes intensely watchful. Sophia was part of the Palermo villa staff, who it turned out was specialising in childcare. A month ago, she’d been officially hired as Gianni’s nanny.
‘You know.’
He gave a single, jerky nod. ‘I ran into Allegra. Or I should say, she ran into me. On purpose. Mia—’
‘Why?’
He didn’t answer immediately. He paced before her, dragging his fingers repeatedly through his hair until it was a dishevelled mess. Not that it reduced his hotness by even an iota. Damn him.
‘You told me, repeatedly, that you wanted to put this behind you and move on with your life.’
‘And you found that objectionable?’
He shook his head. ‘No, I didn’t. Only that I couldn’t...take the risk that you’d move on...without me.’ The words seemed ripped from his throat, but Mia wasn’t in the mood to accommodate his discomfort.
She laughed. ‘So you withheld the truth? Made me live with this hanging over my head?’
