Chapter 26 #3
“And why the fuck would I let you put your hands inside my wife’s dress?” he snapped, his voice dropping into something lethal, something that made the air feel heavier. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
His gaze cut to Ciro like a blade.
“Let. Go. Of. Her.”
Each word came out slow.
Deadly.
Ciro released me instantly.
Stepping back.
Both hands raised in quiet surrender.
“Apologies, boss.”
But the damage was done.
Vincenzo dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply, before his gaze snapped back to me.
Frost. Fire.
Something dangerously close to betrayal.
“Take it out,” he said, voice cold. “Whatever’s between your breasts.”
A pause.
“Do it yourself.”
The command left no room for argument.
My chest tightened.
I wanted to scream.
To tell him there was nothing.
That this was insane.
That I hadn’t stolen anything.
But the machine had screamed.
And four pairs of eyes were on me now.
Vincenzo—seething with fury.
Ciro—cold and unrelenting.
Renzo—torn.
And Violet—silent. Watching. Waiting. Triumphant.
My hands trembled slightly as I turned my back to them.
Just enough.
Just enough to give myself the illusion of privacy.
My shoulders hunched instinctively.
My fingers slid beneath the neckline of my dress.
Slow. Careful.
Then deeper—
Past the fabric—
Past the lace—
Until my fingers brushed something cold.
Metal.
My breath stuttered.
No.
That wasn’t—
My fingers closed around it.
I froze for half a second.
Heart pounding violently.
Then—
Slowly—
Carefully—
I pulled it out.
A gold ring.
Simple. Old-fashioned.
Delicate filigree wrapping around the band.
At its center—
A deep blue sapphire.
It caught the dying sunlight as I brought it into view, scattering small flashes of light across the stone path.
My breath came out uneven.
I turned back around slowly.
Holding it between my thumb and forefinger.
Like it might burn me if I held it any longer.
My mind snapped backward—
Not to now.
But to minutes ago.
Violet.
Her “accidental” stumble.
The way she had lurched into me with calculated precision, her body heavy, her balance seemingly failing just enough to force me to react.
I’d caught her.
Instinctively. Reflexively.
Her full weight pressing into me, her breath sharp, her hands clutching at me as if she needed saving.
And then—
That sharp sting.
A quick, deliberate graze against my chest.
Not an accident. Not a fingernail.
Something else.
Something hidden. Something placed.
A weapon disguised as a moment.
My fingers tightened slightly around the ring now in my hand as the realization settled deeper.
That was the moment.
That was when she did it.
“I don’t know how this got here,” I said, my voice trembling despite every effort to hold it steady.
My grip on the ring tightened just enough to ground me.
I lifted my gaze.
Straight to Vincenzo.
“I swear to you—I didn’t know this ring existed until this moment.”
The word came out softer than I intended.
My throat tightened.
“Just... believe me.”
A beat.
My voice cracked. “Just once.”
Vincenzo didn’t move.
His eyes locked onto the ring in my hand.
Then—
Slowly—
His gaze lifted.
Up.
To me.
And what I saw there made my stomach drop.
Betrayal.
Sharp. Undeniable.
Like a blade driven straight through something vital.
“I gave you money, clothes, cars, access to everything I own.”
Each word landed heavier than the last.
“And you went after the one thing that actually matters to me.”
My breath hitched.
No—
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head slightly. “Vincenzo, I—”
But he wasn’t finished.
His throat worked as if swallowing something bitter.
“You must have overheard me talking about it.”
A step forward.
Closer.
“Or someone fed you the information.”
His eyes sharpened.
“The Spanish, maybe.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“You still won’t admit what they did to you when they took you.”
His voice hardened now.
Accusatory.
“You protect them even now.”
The words hit like a second blow.
Harder. Colder.
“I didn’t—” I started, but the words tangled in my throat.
Before I could finish—
Vincenzo stepped forward.
His hand reached out—
And for a moment—
I thought he was coming for me.
But instead—
His fingers closed around the ring in my hand.
He took it from me like it might shatter under too much pressure.
His thumb brushed over the sapphire once.
Then again.
Gentle. Unconscious.
A flicker of something softer crossed his face—but it was gone just as quickly.
Buried beneath something far more dangerous.
“Do you work for the Spanish now, Elena?”
The question came quietly.
Like he was afraid of the answer.
My breath caught.
The words felt unreal.
“You think I—”
I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself.
“I didn’t steal anything from you, Vincenzo.”
My voice shook.
“I would never—”
My eyes burned.
“Never touch something that belonged to your mother.”
The words broke slightly.
Can’t you see that?
Can’t you hear me?
“Can’t you—at least once—believe I’m telling the truth?”