Chapter 1
Victoria stared at the engagement ring in Dante’s hand.
Around them, the planetarium reception had collapsed into confused silence. Guests stood beside half-finished champagne. A telescope rack lay twisted against the wall. Preston was being helped upright by two bodyguards.
Dante ignored all of it.
“How long?”
Victoria looked toward Elena.
“Dante—”
“How long did you know?”
Her voice dropped.
“About four months.”
Elena closed her eyes.
Dante’s attention shifted to her.
“You tried to tell me?”
“Three times.”
“When?”
“The first time when I was nine weeks.”
Dante looked back at Victoria.
She shook her head quickly.
“I never stopped her from talking to you.”
Elena reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded postal receipt.
“I mailed him a letter.”
Dante took it.
Certified mail.
Delivered to the Caradonna offices nearly four months earlier.
Signed for by P. Sloan.
Preston.
Dante looked across the room.
Preston wiped blood from his mouth.
“It came through the office. I handle correspondence.”
“You opened it?”
Preston said nothing.
Elena answered for him.
“He called me the next day.”
Dante’s eyes remained on Preston.
“What did you tell her?”
“That you didn’t want anything to do with her.”
Dante’s expression changed.
Elena looked at him.
“You didn’t say that?”
“No.”
The answer struck her harder than the chaos around them.
For months she had believed Dante knew about the pregnancy and had chosen silence.
Victoria stepped closer.
“You were marrying me. What was I supposed to do?”
Dante turned toward her.
“Not this.”
He handed the ring to his attorney, Rachel Bennett, who had crossed the lounge from the guest area.
“Engagement’s over.”
Victoria stared at him.
“You’re throwing away three years because she showed up pregnant?”
“No.”
Dante looked at the scorched ultrasound.
“I’m ending it because you knew my child existed and decided I didn’t deserve to know.”
Preston laughed bitterly.
“You really think that’s the worst part?”
Everyone looked at him.
Dante did not move.
Preston realized too late that he had said more than he intended.
Rachel stepped between the men.
“What does that mean?”
Preston glanced at Victoria.
She looked frightened again.
Not angry.
May you like
Frightened.
And Dante understood that four months of silence were only the part they had admitted.
