Chapter 9: The Woman Behind Every Lie
Vanessa Sinclair.
The name stared back at me from the document.
For several seconds, neither Luca nor I spoke.
It was impossible.
Not because Vanessa was innocent.
I had learned enough about her to know innocence was not the word I would use.
But because every version of the story somehow led back to her.
The woman who stood beside Luca when he saw me pregnant.
The woman who had watched our marriage collapse.
The woman who had been there when I thought my husband chose someone else.
And now...
The witness.
"The report is wrong," Luca said.
His voice was quiet.
Certain.
I looked at him.
"How do you know?""
"Because Vanessa wasn't there.""
The answer came too quickly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"You're sure?""
His jaw tightened.
"Yes.""
"How?""
He looked away.
And that hesitation told me everything.
"You don't know.""
"I know she wasn't supposed to be there.""
"That's not what I asked.""
He was silent.
I placed the document on the table.
"Do you see what keeps happening, Luca?""
His eyes met mine.
"Every time I think I finally understand something, there is another secret.""
"I know.""
"No.""
I shook my head.
"You don't get to say that anymore.""
He looked down.
I continued.
"You spent seven months deciding what I could handle. You decided what truths belonged to me and what truths didn't.""
My voice became quieter.
"And now I find out the woman I thought destroyed my marriage was connected to the night your brother disappeared.""
Luca looked at the report.
"I never knew.""
"Maybe.""
The word hurt him.
Good.
Because I needed him to understand.
"I want to believe you.""
His expression changed.
A small crack in the wall he had built.
"But wanting to believe you isn't the same as trusting you.""
He nodded.
"I understand.""
For once, I believed he did.
We found Vanessa's address through Luca's private security records.
Not because he was tracking her.
Because he had been watching everyone connected to the company since Marco disappeared.
Including the people he once trusted.
The irony wasn't lost on me.
The man who spent years hiding information from me had built an entire system around collecting it.
When we arrived at Vanessa's apartment, the door was unlocked.
That alone made Luca tense.
"Stay behind me.""
I almost argued.
Then I remembered I was eight months pregnant and standing in the middle of a mystery involving missing people and family secrets.
For once, I listened.
The apartment was dark.
Too quiet.
"Vanessa?"" Luca called.
No answer.
We entered slowly.
The place looked like someone had left in a hurry.
A suitcase sat open on the bed.
Clothes were scattered across the floor.
A glass of water remained untouched on the kitchen counter.
"She knew we were coming.""
Luca said it quietly.
I looked around.
"How?""
He pointed.
A small envelope sat on the table.
With my name on it.
Again.
My stomach tightened.
"Why does everyone keep leaving things for me?""
Luca didn't answer.
Because neither of us knew.
I picked up the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
This time, the handwriting wasn't mine.
It was Vanessa's.
*Isabella,*
*If you are reading this, then Luca finally told you enough of the truth.*
I stopped.
Luca looked over my shoulder.
I continued.
*I know you hate me. I know you believe I destroyed your marriage. Maybe I deserve that.*
My fingers tightened around the paper.
*But the truth is, I never wanted Luca.*
I looked at Luca.
He looked confused.
I kept reading.
*Not the way you think.*
The next line made my heart race.
*I wanted Marco back.*
Silence.
The room felt colder.
*When Marco disappeared, everyone told me he was dead. Everyone except Luca. He knew something was wrong. He searched for him.*
*Then I discovered the truth. Marco wasn't killed because he betrayed the family. He was killed because he found out who betrayed him.*
I swallowed.
The words blurred.
*The person who ordered Marco's death wasn't a stranger. It was someone he trusted.*
Luca took the letter from my hands.
His eyes moved quickly.
Then stopped.
"What?""
I looked at him.
He pointed.
A single sentence.
*Luca, you were never the target. You were the reason they needed Marco gone.*
The room went silent.
"What does that mean?""
Luca didn't answer.
His hands shook slightly.
Something I had never seen before.
"Luca?""
He looked at me.
"I don't know.""
But he did.
I could see it.
There was something he wasn't saying.
"What are you remembering?""
His eyes moved away.
"Nothing.""
"Luca.""
He closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
"The night Marco disappeared...""
I waited.
"He told me someone was going to use me.""
"For what?""
He looked at the letter.
"To take control of the company.""
I frowned.
"That still doesn't explain why Marco died.""
"No.""
He looked at me.
"It explains why I was kept alive.""
A chill went through me.
Before I could ask more, a sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Someone was outside.
Luca immediately moved in front of me.
The door opened.
Vanessa stood there.
Alive.
But barely.
Her hair was messy.
Her face was pale.
Her eyes went straight to Luca.
Then to me.
"You found it.""
Luca stared at her.
"You wrote the report.""
Vanessa's expression broke.
"Yes.""
The answer shocked me.
Even Luca seemed surprised.
"Why?""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Because I was there.""
The room went silent.
"You saw Marco.""
She nodded.
"I saw everything.""
Luca took a step forward.
"Then why did you let me believe he was dead?""
Vanessa looked at him.
And for the first time, I saw something I never expected.
Guilt.
"I tried to tell you.""
"No, you didn't.""
"I did.""
"When?""
"The night you married Isabella.""
The words hit me.
My heart stopped.
"What?""
Vanessa looked at me.
"I tried to warn him.""
Luca stared.
"About what?""
Her voice trembled.
"About your father.""
The air disappeared from the room.
"My father?""
Vanessa nodded.
"Marco found proof that your father wasn't just covering up illegal activity.""
She swallowed.
"He found proof that your father ordered the attack on him.""
Luca stepped back.
"No.""
"I saw him.""
Vanessa's tears fell.
"I saw your father shoot Marco.""
The room went completely silent.
I looked at Luca.
His face had gone blank.
The kind of blank that meant something inside him had shattered.
"No.""
His voice was barely audible.
"You're lying.""
"I wish I was.""
Vanessa looked at me.
"I wish every terrible thing that happened was my fault.""
She took a shaky breath.
"But it wasn't.""
She looked back at Luca.
"And the reason your father let you live...""
A pause.
"The reason he let you keep the company...""
Another pause.
"Was because he needed you to take the blame when the truth came out.""
Luca looked like he couldn't breathe.
Then his phone rang.
All of us froze.
The number was unknown.
He answered.
Nobody spoke.
Then Luca's expression changed.
Because whoever was on the other end had said something impossible.
He slowly lowered the phone.
"What happened?"" I asked.
He looked at me.
His voice was almost gone.
"My father.""
A pause.
"He wants to meet.""
I felt cold.
"Your father?""
Luca nodded.
"The father everyone thought was dead.""
My heart stopped.
"Dead?""
Luca looked toward the window.
And then he said the words that changed everything.
"My father died three years ago.""
A silence followed.
Then he whispered:
"Just like Marco.""
The lights in the apartment flickered.
And Vanessa grabbed my arm.
"Isabella.""
I looked at her.
Her face was terrified.
"Before you go anywhere with Luca...""
She swallowed.
"You need to know one thing.""
"What?""
Her eyes moved to Luca.
Then back to me.
"Marco wasn't the only person your husband lied about protecting.""
My blood ran cold.
"Who else?""
Vanessa looked at my stomach.
May you like
And whispered:
"The baby.""
