Chapter 3: The Paper With My Name On It
The room changed the moment I saw my name on that paper.
Not because of the words underneath.
Not yet.
Because of where the paper had been hidden.
Marcus had reached inside his jacket at a dinner where everyone was watching him. At a dinner where my daughter had just accused my wife of planning my disappearance. At a dinner where the wine beside my plate might have been poisoned.
And somehow, Marcus had a document ready.
A document with my name on it.
Every guard in the room raised their weapons.
"Nobody moves.""
Salvatore's voice was calm.
That made it more frightening.
Marcus froze.
His hand remained halfway out of his jacket.
"Roman, this isn't what you think.""
I stared at him.
"Then explain why you brought paperwork with my name on it to Christmas dinner.""
He slowly pulled the document out.
No weapon.
No knife.
Just paper.
But somehow, that felt worse.
Because weapons were obvious.
Secrets were not.
"I found this.""
"Where?""
Marcus hesitated.
That was his mistake.
A truthful person doesn't need time to build an answer.
"Where?"" I repeated.
His eyes moved briefly toward Katherine.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
So did everyone else.
Salvatore stepped closer.
"Marcus.""
My cousin swallowed.
"I found it in Katherine's office.""
Katherine immediately turned toward him.
"You what?""
The shock in her voice sounded real.
Almost.
"You went through my things?""
Marcus ignored her.
"I found it yesterday.""
"And you said nothing?""
"I was trying to understand what it was.""
I laughed quietly.
There was no humor in it.
"You were trying to understand a document with my name on it?""
He looked at me.
"Roman—"
"No.""
I stepped forward.
"You don't get to say my name like you're the victim.""
Clara stirred in my arms.
I lowered my voice.
"Why didn't you come to me?""
Marcus looked away.
And that answer was louder than anything he could have said.
Katherine moved toward the table.
"This is insane. Marcus stole private documents from me, and now everyone is blaming me?""
I looked at her.
"You know what's interesting?""
"What?""
"You keep talking about what everyone else did.""
Her expression tightened.
"But you never ask what the document says.""
Silence.
That was when I knew.
She knew.
She already knew.
I nodded toward Salvatore.
"Open it.""
Marcus handed him the paper.
Salvatore unfolded it slowly.
The older man read the first page.
Then the second.
His expression became colder with every line.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
That scared me more.
Finally, he looked up.
"It is a life insurance policy.""
Katherine crossed her arms.
"That proves nothing.""
Salvatore continued.
"It lists Roman DeLuca as the insured person.""
I stared at the document.
"Who is the beneficiary?""
Nobody spoke.
Salvatore's eyes moved toward Katherine.
Then back to me.
"Your wife.""
The room went silent.
I felt Clara's small hand tighten around my shoulder.
Katherine shook her head.
"That is normal.""
I looked at her.
"Normal?""
"Married couples have life insurance.""
"Not like this.""
Salvatore looked down again.
"She receives everything.""
My eyes narrowed.
"Everything?""
"The estate. The company shares. The private accounts.""
Katherine lifted her chin.
"And?""
The word shocked even Marcus.
She quickly corrected herself.
"And that doesn't mean anything.""
I watched her carefully.
"You knew this would happen.""
"No.""
"You knew exactly what you would get.""
She looked angry now.
Not scared.
Angry.
Like she was offended that we had discovered her plan.
"I am your wife, Roman. What did you expect? That everything would disappear when you died?""
The way she said it made the room colder.
When you died.
Not if.
When.
Clara suddenly whispered:
"Daddy.""
I looked down.
Her eyes were fixed on Katherine.
"Mommy said you wouldn't come home.""
My heart stopped.
"What?""
Katherine's face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
"When did she say that?""
Clara hugged me tighter.
"Last week.""
"Where?""
"The kitchen.""
I looked at Katherine.
She shook her head.
"She misunderstood.""
But Clara continued.
"Mommy was crying.""
Everyone looked at Katherine.
Crying?
That wasn't what I expected.
For the first time, I wondered if fear had been hiding underneath all her cruelty.
Not guilt.
Fear.
Katherine sat down slowly.
"I was upset.""
"About what?"" I asked.
She didn't answer.
"About what, Katherine?""
Her eyes moved toward the floor.
Then she said quietly:
"About losing everything.""
There it was.
The first crack.
Not an apology.
Not a confession.
But a crack.
I stepped closer.
"You thought I was going to leave you?""
Her jaw tightened.
"I thought you were going to take Clara away.""
The words surprised me.
Even Salvatore looked confused.
"What are you talking about?""
Katherine looked at him.
"You all know what Roman is like.""
My expression hardened.
"Careful.""
"You think power solves everything. You think because you have men protecting you, nobody can touch you.""
She pointed at me.
"You were going to divorce me.""
The room went silent.
Because she was right about one thing.
I had been thinking about divorce.
For months.
Not because of another woman.
Not because I stopped loving her.
Because I had started noticing things.
The way she treated Clara when nobody was watching.
The way she became colder whenever my attention went to our daughter.
The way she spoke about money.
But I had never told anyone.
Not even her.
Katherine saw the silence on my face.
And she smiled bitterly.
"I knew.""
Marcus looked at her.
"You knew?""
"Of course I knew.""
Her voice broke slightly.
"I saw the papers.""
I stared at her.
"What papers?""
"The divorce papers.""
The room went still.
I had hidden them.
Or at least I thought I had.
They were in my office.
Locked away.
Only three people knew about them.
Me.
My attorney.
And...
My stomach tightened.
Marcus.
Because Marcus had access to my office.
He always had.
Katherine looked at me.
"You were going to take my daughter and leave me with nothing.""
"That is not true.""
"You don't know what it feels like to watch your whole life disappear.""
I stared at her.
"Is that why you planned mine to disappear?""
She looked away.
No answer.
That was an answer.
Marcus suddenly stepped forward.
"Roman, you're missing something.""
I turned toward him.
"You have a lot of nerve saying that.""
"The insurance policy wasn't created by Katherine.""
Everyone looked at him.
He continued:
"I checked the signature.""
Salvatore looked at the document.
"And?""
Marcus's voice became quiet.
"It was approved using Roman's company seal.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"The seal from your office.""
My mind raced.
Only someone with access could use it.
Someone trusted.
Someone close.
Katherine.
Marcus.
Maybe both.
Then Salvatore flipped the page.
His eyes narrowed.
"Roman.""
I looked at him.
"There is something else.""
"What?""
He turned the document around.
At the bottom of the page was a handwritten note.
Three lines.
Three sentences.
My blood went cold.
Because the handwriting was familiar.
It wasn't Katherine's.
It wasn't Marcus's.
It was mine.
*If anything happens to me, trust no one.*
*My wife is not acting alone.*
*The person closest to me knows the truth.*
I stared at the words.
I couldn't breathe.
Because I had never written them.
But someone had copied my handwriting perfectly.
And underneath my fake signature was a date.
A date from six months earlier.
The same week I first started questioning Katherine.
The same week someone had entered my office without permission.
The same week Marcus began asking about my will.
Then Clara suddenly pointed toward Marcus.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Daddy.""
I looked down.
"What is it?""
She stared at my cousin.
"Uncle Marcus was with Mommy when they made the bad plan.""
Marcus went completely still.
May you like
And this time...
Nobody defended him.
