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I take one sip, staring at the liquid in my glass. “Her name was Elena De Luca.” I say and she tilts her head at me, her auburn hair falling over her bare, porcelain shoulder.
“Was?” she whispers, her eyes narrowed as she stares at me from her spot in the doorway.
“Yes,was. She died long before he did.” I say and she sighs as she walks to the couch next to me.
She sits down, one long leg crossed over the other as her spiky black heel gleams in the light. The woman really is beautiful, it’s a shame she’s such a bitc—
“When and how did she die?” she asks before taking a small sip of her drink.
Be smart, Nico. Luis’ voice echoes inside of my head as I stare at his striking widow.
“Car accident. Nine years ago.” I say, narrowing my eyes as I look at her, a broken sigh leaving her full, red lips.
“So, he was cheating on me.” she says and I shrug.
“During the first year, if you even want to call it cheating. You both married due to obligation. If I can recall correctly, you didn’t really have any intimacy during the first couple years of your marriage.” I say and her head snaps up, narrowed eyes pinned to me like gray daggers.
“It doesn’t matter when we were intimate, we were married and he was fucking somebody else. Somebody that clearly loved him. He could have told me. Heshouldhave told me. We were friends long before we married, I am at least owed that, don’t you think?” She says, her broken voice filling with anger once more.
I sit there for a while in silence, sipping my drink as the wheels turn in her head. When I see a lightbulb go off, her head tilts in wonder.
“De Luca. I know that name. They’re the Italian family that has reigned over parts of Manhattan. They hate us.” she says, her eyes still narrowed and she sorts through all of this information mentally.
“You can see now why he kept it a secret. Not just from you, but from everyone.” I say and she leans forward, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip.
I have no idea why, but my fingers itch to pull it free.
“But not from you.” she says, her hand digging through the papers on the table before she pulls out a photo and tosses it in my lap.
It is of a boy, but not just any boy. It is Frankie.
“Tell me about him.” she says, leaning back in her chair as Luis’s voice continues to echo through my head.
How in the fuck am I going to lie my way out of this one?
ChapterSeven
Scarlett
I watch him stare at the photo for several minutes, lies already being rapidly constructed behind his dark eyes. He holds the small picture in his large hands, his fingers dark and rough. He pinches the photo between those thick fingers, his breathing deep and even.
“I already know it’s his son, Nico. So, spare me the bullshit. He’s practically Luis’ clone.” I hiss, a chuckle leaving his lips as he brings the glass to his mouth and drinks.
“So, what do you want to know then? Seems like you have enough knowledge already. Quite frankly, I don’t even know why I’m here?” he says and I feel fire building in my stomach and stretching across my skin.
“Enough.” I bark, my body shaking with rage.
“I want to know when he was born.” I say, my hands in my lap as I stare at the dark, menacing man sitting across from me.
“Before you both married. He must be at least eleven now.” he says and my heart breaks apart in my chest.
If this is true, that means Luis had this boy with a De Luca a year before we even married, when my parents were still alive. Why didn’t he tell me this? I wouldn’t have judged him for having a child with the enemy, we all have baggage. But now, this baggage is more than just complicated history. It is a decade long lie that has completely blown up in my face just days after burying his body.
“Does anyone know that Luis is his biological father?” I ask and Nico shakes his head at me.
“No. He made Elena tell her family it was from a one night stand. Nobody even knew that they were together. If they did…there would be a lot more trouble than just a widow finding out about infidelity.” He sneers and I want to choke him.
I want to stand up and punch him repeatedly not only for his crude words, but for the fact that he and my husband lied to me for years. They both played me for a fool and he has the audacity to speak to me this way? Fuck him.
