The door shut behind me with a soft thud.
I stood there for a moment on the driveway, watching.
Watching him.
The engine roared to life again.
He reversed smoothly, the headlights sweeping across the driveway as the SUV turned and moved away from me.
Gravel shifted beneath the tires.
The estate lights flickered across the glossy surface of the vehicle as it picked up speed.
And then—
He was gone.
The taillights shrank into the distance.
Small.
Red.
And then nothing.
The silence he left behind felt heavier than his presence ever did.
“Elena...”
The voice came from behind me.
I stiffened slightly before turning.
Ciro stood a few meters away beneath one of the security lamps, the yellow light catching the strong lines of his face and casting long shadows across the ground.
His broad shoulders filled the space easily, his posture relaxed but alert.
Two of the guards were just stepping away in the background, disappearing around the side of the house like shadows dissolving into the night.
He waited until they were gone.
Then he approached.
Unhurried.
Hands in his pockets.
Jealousy flickered across his face.
“I spoke with Renzo,” he said, coming to a stop before me. “He told me you’re pregnant.”
My arms wrapped around my middle instinctively, as if I could shield the life inside me from everything—especially the truth of it.
“With Vincenzo’s child,” I said quickly, almost defensively. “But he won’t believe it.”
My voice shook slightly.
“We did the DNA test today. It came back negative.”
