Chapter Three
PAYTON PINCHED HER nose before calling her husband. “I’m so sorry,” she wheezed out, “but I don’t think I should come home tonight. I think I came down with something and I don’t want you to catch whatever this is.”
“Yeah, that’s smart, but what about tomorrow’s party?”
“Maybe we can cancel—”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
The way he snapped at her had Payton flinch even though she knew he wouldn’t be able to reach through the phone line to hurt her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You just took me by surprise.” She could tell he was doing his best to rein in his temper. “This is your birthday party, after all. How’s it going to look to others if you’re not there?”
“I...”
“Look, where are you right now? I should be the one taking care of you, so—”
The thought of being with him had her paling, and Payton couldn’t talk fast enough. “Y-You’re right, of course. I’ll be back home in time for tomorrow’s party. I’m so sorry I even suggested something that stupid.”
“It’s not stupid.” Her husband’s voice was soothing now, and it reminded Payton of how this side of him used to make her question her reality.
One moment he would be so mad that it felt as if she had seriously done something wrong.
But the moment he got his way, he would be completely fine.
It was only when the same thing happened again and again that Payton had realized this was just who he was.
Her husband was very good at playing nice as long as he was getting his way.
“So where do you plan to stay? I hope you’re not going to spend too much?”
“Our office has a spare room we can use...” It was another lame lie, and she was already holding her breath and bracing for the worst, just in case her husband were to figure out she was lying—
“That’s great.”
Oh? That was it? He would usually ask more questions than that. So why then—
“I know I don’t have to tell you this, but we need to be careful with our spending.”
And that was when she remembered.
The money problems he had told her about on the night he poisoned her.
“Let’s not use our credit cards unless it’s for an emergency.”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s my good girl. I’m going to miss you, sweetheart. See you tomorrow. I love yo—”
“What did you just say? Sorry. I can’t hear you. Are you still there?”
“I said—”
Payton ended the call.
Good girl.
She felt like throwing up just thinking about it. Would those words ever sound normal to her? Or would hearing it always make her feel nauseous? And was there even a way for her to stop being a good girl—
“You’re supposed to be resting home at this hour, not working overtime.”
Crawling creeping freaking streaking creeps!
Payton spun around in shock. “W-What are you doing here?” She had thought she was all alone here.
She had lingered in the ladies’ and waited for everyone to leave before tiptoeing back to her desk and making that dreaded call.
She also remembered seeing him leave an hour before everyone had clocked out, so how...
“I wasn’t aware I owed you an explanation.”
“N-No, of course not—”
“But you do. Didn’t you almost faint this morning?”
He was unfortunately right about that. And so—
“I just had an idea for the company’s upcoming anniversary.”
“That’s three months away.”
“I like to plan really early.”
“Let me hear it then.”
“And privately.”
“And your own home isn’t...private?”
“Eric has friends over.”
“I see.”
H-He did? For real? Well, now...her lying skills were finally improving—
“Do you really think I’m buying that?”
Or not.
“What are you really doing here, Payton?”
After their...their conversation this morning, and having caught her lying now, Niccolò had every right to kick her out. He could even be petty and get security involved, and she still wouldn’t have held it against him.
But instead...
Instead he was talking to her in such a gentle voice, and that...
That was what had her defensive walls crumbling, and the truth just tumbled out.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Because you would never believe me.”
“How would you know if you haven’t tried?”
I was murdered. Reborn. Murdered again. Reborn again.
Yes, she could totally see how he’d take that. But since Niccolò was right, and she still owed him an explanation for being here at this time of the night—
“You were right earlier.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes as she said this. “We have problems at home.”
The silence that followed had her slowly peeking at Niccolò’s expression.
Oh.
Her heart was starting to ache again.
Because the look in his eyes was telling her...
He would rather have heard her say something else...even if it meant he was wrong.
Because what hurt her...hurt him, too.
“Use the company card—”
She was already shaking her head. “I can’t.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t spend the night here—”
“I can—” Unfortunately, her stomach also growled at that moment, and well... “But I won’t say no if you’d like to pay for dinner?”
“I have a better idea.”
Twenty minutes later, and Payton couldn’t help feeling her boss had cast a spell on her. Their Uber Eats had arrived, they were now in the pantry, and he had somehow convinced her to pay for everything.
“This is good,” her boss commented.
Well...at least he was enjoying his ramen.
“Mostly because it’s your money that paid for this.”
Payton choked, snorted, and laughed all at the same time, which resulted in a sound that had her apologizing with a wince afterward. “I’m sorry—”
“There’s no need to apologize for being yourself.”
She looked at him suspiciously. Why did that sound like an insult masquerading as a compliment?”
“Tell me how you and your husband met.”
The question, which totally blindsided her, had Payton nearly inhaling the sprinkle of sesame seed on her salad.
“W-Where did that even come from?” she finally managed to ask.
“Humor me.”
If anyone had asked her this a few days ago, she would have answered it with joy. Even though she had already caught him cheating with another girl, she had still held on to hope that they would be able to fix things.
For Payton, it was always better to look at everything with a half-cup-full perspective. But after being murdered by her own husband the first time, and the woman he had been cheating her with the next...
“I don’t know if you remember, but I used to work for Todd & Tolstoy prior to coming here.”
“I remember.”
And for some reason, that had her fighting back another blush.
Stop it, Payton!
She was sure Niccolò wasn’t lying, but it also didn’t have to mean anything. That was just Niccolò de Vindice having a knack for remembering things.
“That’s where your husband still works, doesn’t he?”
See, Payton? You’re nothing special. He just remembers everything.
She cleared her throat. “Yes, you’re correct.
We actually entered the company at the same time.
I worked in Advertising while he worked in Accounting.
When we married five years later, we also knew that the company...
they didn’t exactly have a policy for it, but everyone knew that the management wasn’t in favor of married couples on their payroll.
So we talked about it, and that’s how I ended up working here. ”
“We?”
She tried to say Eric’s name but couldn’t, and so she had to force herself to say something else. “My...husband.” It made her skin crawl, but at least it didn’t make her feel nauseous.
“I see.”
She frowned. Why did those words sound like he saw something else?
“I was basically asking for your Tinder profile,” Niccolò drawled, “and you gave me your LinkedIn employment history instead.”
Payton couldn’t help it. She was making that sound again as she laughed, choked, and snorted. And when her gaze collided with his—
Oh no.
Why did she always end up making Niccolò look at her with pain in his eyes?
“Can you promise me one thing?” he asked tautly.
She looked at him helplessly. “I...I’m not sure. It depends on—”
“Promise me that you’ll call me...if you need my help.”
Payton swallowed hard.
Tu sei il mio cuore.
That was why he was asking this.
“Promise me, Payton.”
She was his heart.
And that was why she could only shake her head. “I’m sorry. But you know I can’t—”
Because her heart, for better or for worse, belonged to its killer.