Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED HIS PROTECTION|
Rafael found Elena at a small motel outside Meridian Harbor.
She had checked in under her mother's maiden name and paid cash. The room smelled of detergent and old carpet. A single lamp illuminated the resignation letter on the bedside table.
Rafael entered after she unlocked the door.
"Where is your mother?"
Elena stood between him and the room.
"Why?"
"Her apartment was broken into."
"I know."
"Where is she?"
"Safe."
"With whom?"
"Someone you don't control."
Rafael looked at her carefully.
She was frightened, but her voice was steady.
"Tell me what happened tonight."
Elena folded her arms.
"Why? So you can decide whether I deserve to know?"
"Because someone is looking for you."
"Someone who works for your family."
His expression tightened.
"Who told you that?"
"Your uncle."
Rafael stepped closer.
"What did Alessandro tell you?"
"That my father worked for your father. That he discovered something about Luca's death. That he died before he could expose it."
Rafael stopped moving.
For twelve years, he had believed his younger brother's death was an accident. He had spent years searching for answers, but every lead had ended in silence.
"Your father investigated Luca?"
"Apparently."
"Why didn't you tell me his name before?"
"You never asked about my father."
Rafael looked away.
He had asked about Elena's education, her salary expectations, her mother's health, and her favorite coffee. He had never asked about the man she lost.
"I didn't know."
"That's the problem, Rafael. You never knew. You knew how I organized your life. You knew which meetings I could rearrange. You knew how I took my coffee. But you never knew me."
He looked at the resignation letter.
"Is that what this is?"
"Yes."
"You're resigning?"
"Tonight."
"Because of Vivienne?"
"Because I cannot keep loving a man who is preparing to marry someone else."
The words hung between them.
Rafael's face went still.
"Elena..."
She raised a hand.
"Don't. I don't want an apology because you feel guilty. I don't want a promotion. I don't want you to promise that things will change after the wedding."
"I haven't said I want to marry her."
"You kissed her in front of three hundred people."
"It was an engagement party."
"And I was your secretary, standing ten feet away, pretending it didn't hurt."
He looked as though she had struck him.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message from Alessandro.
The lighthouse account is real. Daniel's daughter has the key. Vivienne knows.
Rafael looked up.
Elena saw his expression.
"What?"
He put the phone away.
"Nothing."
She stepped aside and opened the door.
"Then you should leave."
Rafael remained where he was.
May you like
For the first time in his life, he wanted to order someone to stay.
And for the first time, he understood that he had no right.
