Chapter 3
The divorce attorney still had Elena’s file.
Cassandro could not simply demand it.
Elena was missing, not legally dead.
Privilege still mattered.
So Cassandro did something that would once have infuriated him.
He waited while his own attorney requested only what could legally be disclosed.
The answer was limited.
But enough.
Elena had consulted the lawyer six weeks before disappearing.
She had asked about temporary separation.
Not divorce.
She wanted to take Audrey to a rented house for several weeks while Cassandro decided whether he was willing to move family business completely out of their home.
Cassandro sat silently after hearing that.
He remembered the arguments.
Elena hated capos eating breakfast in the kitchen.
She hated armed men crossing the hallway while Audrey learned to walk.
She hated midnight meetings waking the baby.
Cassandro always told her the same thing.
“This is temporary.”
It never was.
His attorney continued.
“Elena had not filed anything.”
“Did she intend to?”
“She was undecided.”
“Who knew?”
“We don't know.”
Cassandro did.
Vivienne had been Elena’s closest friend during that period.
They attended charity events together.
Vivienne helped with Audrey when Elena became overwhelmed.
If Elena told anyone, Vivienne was likely.
Cassandro returned to the estate.
Vivienne demanded to know why she was still being prevented from entering the residential wing.
“You're my husband.”
“My daughter is afraid of you.”
“She’s confused.”
“You pushed her underwater.”
Vivienne looked away.
Cassandro stepped closer.
“What did Elena tell you before she disappeared?”
“Nothing.”
“You were her friend.”
“She stopped trusting everyone.”
“Did she tell you she planned to leave for a few weeks?”
Vivienne’s face changed.
Barely.
Cassandro caught it.
“You knew.”
Vivienne exhaled.
“She talked about it.”
“When?”
“A few days before.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“She asked me not to.”
That answer could have been loyalty.
Then Cassandro asked:
“Did Damian know?”
Vivienne did not answer.
That was answer enough.
Cassandro’s sister had not vanished into empty air.
Before she left, she had created a plan.
May you like
Two people inside his current household had known about it.
And both had spent fourteen months pretending they knew nothing.
