Chapter 3 - THE MAN I ALMOST MARRIED
Andrew Keller had spent two years convincing me that love meant obedience.
He never shouted.
Never struck me.
Never publicly embarrassed me.
Instead, he controlled the small things.
My clothes.
My friends.
My schedule.
My bank cards.
By the time I ended our engagement, I had nearly forgotten how to make decisions without asking his permission.
But I had never imagined he could be connected to murder.
"That's impossible," I whispered.
Luca watched me carefully.
"Why?"
"Andrew works in corporate finance."
"That's one part of his business."
My stomach tightened.
"What else?"
"He moves money through private investment firms connected to organized crime."
I stared.
"And your brother?"
Luca looked toward the window.
"Matteo discovered financial transfers that connected Andrew's network to illegal weapons shipments."
I swallowed.
"What happened to him?"
"He was killed outside our family's warehouse six years ago."
I looked at Luca.
His expression had changed.
The powerful man I'd married only hours earlier looked suddenly exhausted.
Human.
Almost lost.
"I'm sorry."
He nodded.
"Thank you."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked, "Did you marry me because of Andrew?"
Luca shook his head.
"No."
"But my father offered information."
"Yes."
"So I was part of the bargain."
His face tightened.
"The business arrangement was a bargain. You weren't."
I stared.
"What's the difference?"
"I agreed to the partnership because it gave me access to records I couldn't obtain otherwise."
"And the marriage?"
He hesitated.
Then looked directly at me.
"I asked your father to let me meet you before making any decision."
I remembered our first dinner.
A quiet restaurant.
Luca arriving without bodyguards.
The way he'd asked about my work instead of my father's company.
I had assumed he was being polite.
Now I wondered what had been real.
"You could have refused."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you?"
Luca looked down.
"Because after meeting you, I wanted to know you better."
My heart fluttered.
I hated that it did.
"But I also knew the arrangement wasn't fair to you," he continued. "I should have been more honest."
I looked away.
Outside, the morning sunlight touched the snow-covered gardens.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
Congratulations on your wedding, Eleanor.
A second message appeared.
Your new husband knows more than he's telling you.
I showed Luca.
His jaw tightened.
Then another message arrived.
If you want to know what happened to your mother, ask Bianca why she was at Saint Agnes Hospital eleven years ago.
My hands shook.
"Saint Agnes?"
Luca looked up sharply.
"What?"
I stared at him.
"That's where my mother was taken after the accident."
His expression changed.
May you like
Then he whispered:
"Bianca used to work there."
