Chapter 3 - The Woman He Never Chose
We moved to a safe house before sunrise.
This time, I did not protest.
Fear has a way of making pride feel childish.
The safe house was an old townhouse near Lincoln Park, hidden behind ivy-covered walls and guarded by people who looked like they had never smiled in their lives. Alessandro placed me in a room with warm lamps, thick curtains, and a view of snow-covered trees.
It should have felt peaceful.
Instead, I could not stop seeing Camila’s bruised wrist.
Or my father’s handwriting.
Or the look on Alessandro’s face when he admitted he had been afraid.
For two days, the Romano organization searched for Camila and Ruggero. News outlets reported that several shipping executives had disappeared. Police cars circled warehouses along the river. Rumors spread through the city that the Romano family was at war with itself.
Every headline used words like “alleged,” “suspected,” and “unconfirmed.”
I knew the truth was worse.
On the second evening, I found Alessandro in the kitchen, sitting alone at the long wooden table. His tie was gone. His sleeves were rolled up. A glass of untouched whiskey sat in front of him.
“You should sleep,” I said.
“So should you.”
“I asked first.”
A shadow of a smile crossed his mouth.
I sat across from him.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I said, “Tell me about Camila.”
His expression closed.
“Adriana—”
“Don’t lie to me again.”
He looked down at his hands.
“Camila’s brother worked for one of Ruggero’s shipping companies. He discovered evidence of human trafficking through the docks. Ruggero had him killed.”
My stomach turned.
“Camila found his files?”
“Yes. She contacted one of my men. I arranged to move her out of Chicago.”
“And then you brought her to my birthday dinner.”
“Ruggero’s people were watching every safe location. The mansion was the only place no one would question.”
I remembered the way Alessandro’s hand rested on Camila’s back.
It had looked possessive.
But now I saw it differently.
She had been trembling.
“You could have told me,” I whispered.
“I thought if you knew less, you would be safer.”
“And when I gave her my wedding ring?”
The question cracked something open between us.
Alessandro’s jaw tightened.
“I wanted to stop you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because Ruggero was watching. Because if I reacted, he would know Camila mattered. And because…” He paused. “Because I had no right to ask you to stay after I had made you feel disposable.”
My eyes burned.
“Did you ever love me?”
His gaze rose to mine.
“Every day.”
The answer was immediate.
Too immediate.
“I don’t know if I can believe you.”
“You shouldn’t yet.”
That surprised me.
He leaned back in his chair, looking more tired than I had ever seen him.
“I married you because I loved you. But after your father died, I became obsessed with keeping you away from this world. I thought distance would protect you. I thought silence would protect you.”
“You made me lonely in my own marriage.”
“I know.”
“You let everyone think I was just your beautiful wife who stayed quiet at the end of the table.”
“I know.”
“You made me feel like I was never chosen.”
This time, Alessandro looked away.
“I chose you,” he said. “I just failed to make you feel it.”
Before I could respond, Maso burst into the kitchen.
“We found Camila.”
Alessandro stood instantly.
“Where?”
“Ruggero moved her to St. Aurelia’s chapel near the docks. There are men inside, but we intercepted a message. He wants Adriana there.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“He wants the microfilm,” I said.
“No,” Maso replied. “He wants the person who can identify the codes.”
Alessandro turned toward me.
“No.”
I understood before he spoke again.
“You are not going.”
“Camila will die.”
“We will get her out.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I will not put you in his hands.”
The old anger rose inside me.
“You don’t get to lock me away every time you’re scared.”
His eyes flashed.
“This is not about control.”
“Then what is it about?”
His voice dropped.
“Loving you enough to be terrified.”
The room went silent.
I wanted to forgive him then.
That was the most dangerous thing.
Instead, I took a breath and said, “If I go, I go with a plan. Not as bait. As the person holding the evidence that can end him.”
Maso looked between us.
Alessandro stared at me for a long time.
Finally, he nodded once.
But his voice was rough when he said, “You do not leave my sight.”
At St. Aurelia’s chapel, snow fell over broken stone angels and rusted iron gates. The building had been abandoned for years. Its windows were boarded, its bell tower cracked, its doors hanging open like broken teeth.
Camila was tied to a chair beneath the altar.
May you like
Ruggero stood behind her in a gray overcoat, smiling gently.
“My dear Adriana,” he said. “You finally understand why your father was such a nuisance.”
