Her red lips brushed the crystal slowly, deliberately. Her dark eyes held mine in a silence so charged with unspoken meaning that I nearly lost control right there.
I almost stood up.
Almost dragged her into the nearest hallway and forgot every shred of logic and consequence.
But I didn’t.
Again.
And the worst part was that Valentina knew exactly how close I was. She knew about the internal battle. She knew every provocation was a small victory in that silent war.
She knew.
And I hated her for it.
Dinner ended in heavy silence. She stood, smoothed her dress, and walked away without a word.
I watched her go. The sway of her hips was infuriating and delicious. I didn’t even have the energy to demand the rundown of our daughter’s day—the only reason we were supposed to have dinner together every night.
I waited until the sound of her footsteps disappeared before standing.
I went upstairs to my office, needing distance. Needing air. Needing to cool my head and push away the suffocating, contradictory sensation that only Valentina could awaken.
I shut the door and dropped into the chair, releasing a deep, frustrated breath. I rubbed my hands over my face like I could erase the last few hours.
Or maybe the last five years.
Useless.
She had already marked every inch of that house.
And every thought in my head.
The familiar sound of a notification snapped me out of the spiral. I clicked the new email automatically.
The sender wasn’t familiar. The subject line was.
Urgent – Archived Documents
I frowned and opened it.
Dear Mr. Ferrara,
My name is Marina Oliveira. I am an attorney at Valen & Associados. As you were likely informed, Dr. Petros, who was responsible for archiving documents for your family, passed away last month.
I have been assigned to take over his files, and during a recent review I came across documents that are delicate and of extreme importance, directly involving you.
It is imperative that we speak in person as soon as possible to determine how to proceed. Please contact me immediately so we can schedule this meeting.
Sincerely,
Marina Oliveira
I read it once.
Then again.
A cold unease settled deep in my chest. Instinct. Experience. The unmistakable feeling that whatever she had found was not insignificant.
