Chapter 15 - The Night the Black Wolf Came to Me|
Dante came to Margaret's office the next evening with his attorney.
He looked older than he had a week earlier. The confidence that usually surrounded him had become something brittle, held together by sheer force of will.
He asked to speak with me privately, but I declined.
“If you have something to say, you can say it here.”
He glanced at Margaret, then nodded.
“The transfer to the rival company was not what it appears to be.”
“What was it?”
“A payment arranged by someone inside my organization. I approved a transaction summary, but I didn't know the recipient's true identity.”
“Who arranged it?”
“Victor Hale.”
“Did you authorize the money to be sent?”
He hesitated.
“Yes. I authorized the transfer, but I was told it was for a legitimate acquisition.”
I looked at him.
“Then you need to tell the investigators exactly that.”
“I have.”
“Have you told them that the approval came from you?”
His silence answered me.
“Dante.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I haven't told them everything yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because if the transaction is connected to the attack, it could expose other parts of the organization.”
“Then those parts need to be exposed.”
His expression hardened.
“You don't understand what will happen if everything becomes public.”
“I understand that you are asking me to help you conceal something.”
“I'm asking you to understand why I made the choices I made.”
“I understand why you're afraid. I don't accept fear as an excuse.”
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Dante's attorney advised him not to discuss the investigation further. Dante stood, but before leaving, he turned toward me.
“I know I failed you.”
I didn't answer.
“I know you think I only care about my business and my reputation. Maybe I've given you every reason to think that.”
He looked at the floor.
“But I did love you, Isabella. I still do.”
The words landed softly, but they didn't change the facts.
“I believe you loved me in the way you knew how,” I said. “But you expected me to carry the cost of your choices. You expected me to accept whatever you decided because I was your wife.”
He nodded slowly.
“I thought keeping you away from the business protected you.”
“You didn't keep me away. You used my name while keeping me ignorant.”
His face tightened.
“I know.”
“No, Dante. You're beginning to know.”
He left with his attorney.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I walked through Elena's quiet house and stopped beside the window overlooking the garden. I remembered the early years of our marriage, when Dante had brought me coffee in bed and asked for my opinion before making important decisions. I remembered the way he used to laugh when Lucy told ridiculous stories at dinner.
I didn't believe every good memory had been a lie.
That was what made the betrayal so difficult.
A person could have loved you once and still become someone you could no longer trust.
At midnight, my phone rang.
It was Dante.
I almost let it go to voicemail, but I answered.
“What's happened?”
“Nothing,” he said. His voice sounded exhausted. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”
I closed my eyes.
“You shouldn't call me for comfort when you're unwilling to tell me the truth.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you calling?”
A long pause followed.
“Because I don't know who I am without the things I've built.”
I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Then you need to find out. But I can't do that work for you.”
He breathed shakily.
“I'm afraid I'll lose everything.”
“You may lose some things. You may face consequences. But you can still choose what kind of man you become next.”
He was silent.
Then he whispered, “I don't know how.”
I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to tell him we could solve it together, as we had solved so many problems before.
But that would have been another way of taking responsibility for his life.
“Start by telling the truth,” I said.
I ended the call gently.
The following morning, Dante's attorney confirmed that he had agreed to provide a full statement to investigators.
It was a beginning.
But the most difficult truth had not yet been revealed.
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The investigators had found a private message from Dante to Victor Hale, sent months before I left.
If this goes wrong, Isabella must remain the registered owner. She can't be allowed to know what we're protecting.
