Chapter 7
I shot back, “What’s it to you?”
“Orlando… in what capacity are you asking me? As my lover-or as my best friend’s husband?”
He fell silent.
I had arranged a meeting spot to get my phone and ID back.
I sat in a café by the window and watched people walk by outside.
I wore long sleeves and pants. I had a mask and a hat on.
Still, I felt exposed. It was like someone might recognize me as the woman who had been stripped
and left in the street.
Orlando came alone.
He placed the items on the table-and added two cross necklaces.
“These are gifts Cynthia prepared for Zita’s child.”
I let out a bitter laugh. Once again, a reminder. A warning.
Orlando frowned. “Cynthia is a good person. That doesn’t give you the right to hurt her.”
“If you did something wrong, you need to take responsibility.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, éven though I didn’t want to.
“Yeah, she’s ‘a good person.””
“She lies. She manipulates people. She steals her best friend’s husband. She took naked photos of
her.”
“She even tried to set her up to be assaulted and dumped in a busy part of New York, And you’re
calling her a good person?”
“Enough!” Orlando growled softly. “And you? You’ve never lied?”
“You slept with that guy in college, didn’t you? You even had an abortion for him.”
“But he just treated you like a stand-in-used you, then threw you away when he got bored.”
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i was shocked, my chest tightening, struggling to breathe.
But then I looked down and felt nothing.
Whatever lies Cynthia told him, whatever Orlando thought of me-I didn’t care.
I drew a deep breath, eyes red, and looked him in the eye.
“Orlando… I just want one honest answer. Why? You don’t love me anymore. You want to be with Cynthia.”
“Why not just tell me and ask for a divorce? Why fake your death? Why lie to me? I don’t get it.”
“Because Cynthia’s family is stronger than mine… so you love her more?”
His anger cooled slightly. His eyes flickered away.
“Because you once said betrayal hurts more than losing someone forever.”
I froze. It was during a discussion about a movie or a book.
I had said that seeing the one you love fall for someone else would hurt more than losing them
entirely.
When he ‘died,’ at the moment his life ended, he still loved me.
So I was involved in that fake death plan too. That’s just absurd.-
“And with me dead, you could get insurance money,” he added. “Enough for a house. Your family had fallen-this money, you needed it, didn’t you?”
I laughed again.
Yes, we had been saving, hoping to buy a house before having a child.
“You know…” My voice cracked. “When I got the call about your death, I was at the hospital… I was pregnant-almost two months along.”
Orlando froze. His eyes shook.
“That’s impossible…”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Cynthia. She drove me out to ‘relax. There was an accident… and we lost the baby.”
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I saw how pale he looked, and I felt a brief sense of satisfaction.
I pulled up my sleeve, revealing the star-and-moon tattoo over my scar.
“So you can see… Paola existed in this world.”
His eyes
filled with pain.
“I didn’t know… I’m sorry, Willow. I really didn’t know… if…”
He stopped, unable to finish.
“It’s all in the past.” I sniffed, stood up, and said, “I won’t bother you again. Please… don’t hurt my
family.”
As I turned to leave, he grabbed my arm.
“Willow, don’t ruin your life. You deserve to be with someone who truly respects you and cares
about you.”
I looked at him coldly. “Did you ever care whether I lived or died?”
Then I shook him off and got into Salvatore’s car. I took out the recorder and pressed stop.
Salvatore picked it up. “He followed us out.”
Orlando knocked on the car window, his face turning dark.
I kept my eyes on him, but he couldn’t see me.
“Let’s go,” I said to Salvatore,
The car pulled away, and Orlando
and Orlando grew smaller in the distance.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
