Chapter 46
MASSIMO
When we got back to the villa last night, I carried Liana right to bed.
I undressed her, put her into one of my T-shirts, and held her all night while she cried.
There were a few times she got some sleep, which I’m thankful for, but even when she’d get those rare twenty minutes, she’d wake up crying out “Mom” before breaking down into tears, then falling asleep to start the cycle all over again.
I didn’t sleep at all. I couldn’t. Not when the woman I love is going through one of the most traumatic things she’s ever endured in life.
It’s been about twenty-five minutes since she last woke up—the longest stint she’s had—so I know her body will force her to wake soon, no matter how much it needs the rest.
Taking my phone off the nightstand, I text Gui.
Me: Have you found anything out about her dad?
Gui’s been up all night too. After ditching the car we jacked last night, I told him to get with Cassius and figure out as much as we possibly can about Ignazio and the plane crash Liana’s parents were supposedly in.
Gui: Are you free? This would be much easier to go over in person.
I glance down at Liana’s seemingly lifeless body. I don’t want to leave her, but finding out what Gui discovered is important. I need to figure this out for my wife.
Me: Meet me in the kitchen.
Gui: Already ahead of you.
I maneuver myself out of the bed without waking Liana. I fucking pray she doesn’t wake while I’m gone.
Sliding on some sweatpants, I head to the kitchen and am surprised when Gui’s not the only one there.
“What’re you … When did you get here?” I say to Gio, who’s leaning against the counter.
“Gui called me last night and filled me in on what was going on. You didn’t think I’d make you guys deal with all this shit on your own, did you?”
I let out a sigh, exhausted from everything that’s gone on, but also relieved knowing my brother showed up when we’re going to need him.
“You’re supposed to be the one making sure business is running smoothly back home.”
“Everything will be fucking fine in New York. You two being in Sicily on your own when shit just hit the fan is a nonnegotiable. You need me here.”
“He’s right,” Gui says, and I run my hand through my hair.
“I know he’s right. You’re both right. It’s good you called him.”
I take a seat next to Gui at the island. “So did you guys find anything out?”
“Yeah, but you’re going to want to brace yourself for this shit,” he says.
“Just spit it out,” I say harshly, the lack of sleep catching up to me.
“Unfortunately, we’re pretty confident Liana’s dad is dead,” Gui says.
“What makes you guys say that?”
“Because Cassius confirmed the plane crash and was able to gain access to classified photos of her deceased dad, but strangely enough, none of her mom.”
“And we think the only reason her mom has gotten away with being alive is because she’s doing it under a different identity,” Gio says.
“A different identity?”
“We heard our parents over their microphone’s, and they called her Vittoria.”
“Cassius dug into her mom’s past, and it turns out she used to live here. She was part of a small family who is no longer around, but you’re not going to guess what else he found out,” Gui says. “She was once engaged to Ignazio.”
“Engaged?” I say, my brows reaching my hairline.
“Yeah. It seems she fell in love with Liana’s dad, though, and fled to New York with him,” Gio says.
“So she was engaged to Ignazio before, left him for another man, started an entire life and family with him, to then come back here and get with the original man she was engaged to? This doesn’t make any fucking sense.”
“We’ve been putting the pieces together, and we think we’ve come up with a theory,” Gio says.
“When I was playing back a conversation between her and Mom last night, she sounded … off. I could hear the nervousness in Mom’s voice, surely because of the shitshow with you guys showing up to the ball unannounced.
But Liana’s mom was acting as if everything was normal.
Playing into this charade Mom, Dad, and Ignazio put on as if they’re lying to her too.
That tells me she doesn’t know what’s going on, and I have this feeling that she … ”
Gio pauses, glancing at Gui then back at me.
“She?” I repeat, urging him to continue.
“I have a feeling she doesn’t remember.”
“Remember …”
“Yeah, like I think that plane crash she and her husband were in was real, and he did in fact die from it, but I think she survived without her memories.”
“And what? Ignazio just happened to stumble across her and took advantage of her memory loss to keep her for himself?”
“I know this seems insane.”
“No, this is insane.”
“But it would explain her leaving me,” a small voice sounds from behind me.
I whip around, and Liana’s standing there in my T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, one arm hanging down while the other is folded across her body, holding that arm in a way that makes her look so fragile and vulnerable.
Her hair is disheveled, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
“Liana,” I say, sliding off the barstool and walking over to her, “I didn’t want to wake you.”
She attempts to give me a small smile, but it’s weak. “It’s okay. I heard you guys talking, so I figured I’d join you.”
I move to the side and gesture to the seats at the island.
“Hey, Gio,” Liana says. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Gio leans over the counter and extends his hand out to her. She gives it a squeeze. “You’re family now, Liana. We stick together through everything. No matter what.”
That seems to put a broader smile on her face, but it’s still not the smile I’ve gotten used to seeing.
Sure, maybe that’s fucking selfish of me to say when she just found out her mom is still alive, but I just wish everything was fucking perfect for her.
To shield her from any pain the world could bring her.
Gio goes back to leaning against the counter, then folds his arms across his chest.
“So you guys think my mom has been living this other life because of amnesia?”
“Were you close with your parents, Liana?” Gio asks.
She nods. “Very. I’m an only child, so I was kind of the center of their worlds.”
“And did you feel like their marriage was pretty … good?” he asks.
She nods again.
“I know it’s pretty fucking farfetched, but if you were close with your mom, can you see her faking her own death and marrying some other guy while leaving you alone in the states? Especially after your aunt and uncle passed away.”
Liana is silent for a moment. Gio has a point. This is a wild fucking theory, but it seems like it’s the only thing that makes sense.
She runs her hands through her hair. “This is all very overwhelming,” she mutters.
“We can take a break, Liana,” I say, not wanting her to overdo it since she’s still in a delicate state of mind.
She shakes her head. “No, we need to figure out what to do.”
“I think the important question is, what do you want to do?” I say. “Whatever you want, we’ll back you up and make sure it happens, but the choice is yours.”
Liana’s silent for a moment, staring at a random spot on the counter while she thinks. When she lifts her head, she says, “I need to speak to her. None of this makes any sense, and if I can just talk to her, maybe I can get some answers.”
“We need to come up with a plan,” I say. “I know this is going to suck, but we need to lay low for a few days, Liana. My parents and Ignazio don’t know that we’ve seen your mom yet, but I’m sure they’re on edge. If we can catch them off guard, I think that would be better.”
She gives me a few small nods.
“I’ll text Dad and let him know we’re heading back to New York. Maybe if they think we’re gone, then it’ll lower their walls.”
“What do you want us to do?” Gio asks.
“Continue to listen in on their conversations. Find a way for us to contact her without it being at their home.”
“Got it,” Gio says with a nod.
I look over at Liana, whose rounded shoulders and dropped gaze make her look so damn defeated. Placing my hand on her thigh, she looks over at me. “I promise we will figure out what’s going on. We will get the answers you deserve.”
One way or another.