“That’s my duty as your husband,mia moglie. To be here when you need me the most. To anticipate your needs without you having to say a word. I love you, Liana, and I’ll always be here for you.”
The first genuine smile I’ve had in days, curls at my lips, and my heart skips a beat. “I?—”
My phone rings, and I snap my gaze to it on the counter. An unknown number from Italy pops up on the screen, and I’m pretty sure I stop breathing.
Is that her?
Grabbing my phone, I slide my gaze back to Massi’s. “Put it on speaker,” he says.
Nodding, I answer it, press the speaker button, and say, “Hello?”
There’s a scuffle on the other end, and just when I’m about to say hello again, her voice comes through.
“Liana?”
“Mo—” I stop myself, knowing I don’t want to tell her who she is to me on the phone like this. “Vittoria, are you okay?”
“Yes, sweetheart, I’m fine.”
My shoulders sag forward when she calls me sweetheart. I never thought I’d hear that word out of her mouth again, and the emotions from hearing it hit me all at once. Tears well in my eyes, but I take a deep breath and force them at bay.
“I wanted to call you quickly because I’m not going to be able to meet with you today,” she says.
My heart drops, but she continues. “Ignazio is sending me to my favorite spa for the day. He surprised me with it this morning.”
“Oh,” I say, not sure how to respond. That’s peculiar timing for him to send her away.
“I would still really like to meet with you, though.” Those words have me sitting up taller on the barstool. “But I have to tell you something. I asked Ignazio if he knew who you were last night.”
Massi’s eyes widen, and he snaps his gaze to his brothers who are sitting across from us. They seem to have a silent conversation with each other.
“What did he say?” I ask.
“He said he didn’t, but I know he wasn’t being honest, and I think him sending me to the spa is a way to get me away while he figures out what to do about you.”
“That sounds about right,” I mumble.
“Now, I’m not sure why my husband doesn’t want me speaking to you, but something told me I needed to hear you out.”
“I… I really appreciate that… Vittoria.” Calling her by her fake name doesn’t sit well with me.
“I’m going to have a guard on me, but if you can get to the spa before me, I’ll be able to meet you back there. My guard won’t be able to go back into the women’s area.”
“Of course, yes. I can absolutely do that. Just text me the address and what time you’re going to be there.”
“I will,” she says.
Massi squeezes my leg, getting my attention, and mouths the wordsDelete the text.
“Oh, and Vittoria?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure you delete the text after you send it to me. You just… never know who might see it, and I don’t want anything to happen to you if Ignazio finds out you’re going behind his back.”
Massi nods to me.
“Of course. I’ll see you in a bit,” she says.
