Page 67 of Forbidden Whispers

“Not at first, you didn’t,” Eric said with a gentle smile. “She was very mysterious. All she did was admit that she had feelings for me, too, but that she wasn’t free to date. I had no idea what that meant. But the facility where I work is also connected to a gym. So, once her treatment ended, Valentina kept coming back in to work out, and we would talk.

“Over time, she told me the truth about her background. I couldn’t believe it. She told me about the plans she’d already made to...disappear. She even tried to say goodbye to me. But by this time, we’d both confessed our love for each other. And I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it. So, I told her I was coming with her.”

“At first I refused,” Valentina said, picking up the story. “I couldn’t ask Eric to endanger his life for me.”

“But she quickly found out that I could be just as stubborn as she is,” Eric interjected.

“Hey!” Valentina punched him playfully in the arm, and he laughed.

Noah observed how Valentina’s tough façade seemed to melt away when she interacted with Eric.

“There was no way I was going to let you go,” he said. “I was all in.”

“Until you learned all the details of my plan, that is,” Valentina said.

Eric’s lips tightened. “That’s true,” he said. “Honestly, I thought Tina was being overly dramatic about the lengths she was going to in order to escape. She comes from a world that I don’t understand. And her plan sounded more like the plot of a movie than anything anyone would do in real life.” He looked directly at Noah. “When she told me about framing you for her murder, I balked.”

“But there is no other way,” Valentina said.

“Uh, I can think of another way,” Noah said. “How about just disappearing without involving me at all!”

“Unless my father thinks I’m truly dead, he will never stop looking for me,” Valentina said.

“Couldn’t you just go to the police,” Maggie said. “Tell them about your father’s illegal activities and go into witness protection?”

“Right!” Valentina scoffed, rising quickly to her feet, the venom in her voice clear. “I will never go to the police about any of this!”

“Why not?” Noah asked with a frown. “Because of omertà?”

“No,” Valentina crossed her arms. “Because I’ve seen what police protection looks like, and I can do a better job myself.”

Valentina pressed her lips tightly together and turned her back on the room.

Eric watched her for a long moment, then turned to Noah and Maggie. “I tried so hard to convince her to do just as you suggested. To go to the police and turn in her father and other key members of the Partnership. But no matter what I said, she refused. I couldn’t sway her because of what happened to her mother.”

Noah felt the tension in the room thicken. He’d seen the pain in Valentina’s eyes as she’d turned away and had a sinking feeling he knew what was behind her reluctance to go to the authorities. He glanced at Maggie who seemed equally concerned.

After a moment of heavy silence, Eric continued. “Valentina’s mother tried to escape the Partnership with Valentina when she was ten years old. Her mother went to the authorities, hoping for protection and a chance at a new life. But they couldn’t keep her safe.”

“My father found us,” Valentina hissed, once again turning to face them. “He persuaded my mother that he’d forgiven her and wanted to make peace. But he lied.” Unshed tears glittered in her midnight eyes. “He planned a family holiday for us in Paris to celebrate. We spent a week sightseeing around the city and having dinner as a family every night.

“But then, on the last night of our trip, I heard strange sounds in the middle of the night. I peeked out of my bedroom door and saw several of my father’s men dragging my mother out of the penthouse where we were staying. She was trying to fight them, but they were too strong for her. I just watched it all, terrified and frozen in my hiding spot. You can’t imagine the guilt I have over that to this day,” she said, dropping her eyes.

“You were only a child, Tina,” Eric said gently.

“I know that,” she said, her chin shooting up, sparks flashing in her eyes. “But it doesn’t stop me from feeling somehow responsible. Like maybe I could have stopped it if I’d only been brave enough.

“The next morning, my father tried to play it off as if my mother had run away again. But I know what I saw. And I have no doubt my father had her killed.”

Fresh tears rolled down Valentina’s cheeks, and Eric instantly rose to wrap her in his arms.

Noah couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Valentina as he watched her break down once again in Eric’s embrace. Her vulnerability was raw, her pain unmistakable.

Maggie rose from the bed and moved to gently place a hand on Valentina’s back. “I’m so sorry, Valentina,” she said softly, her voice filled with genuine empathy. “No one should have to go through something like that.”

Valentina turned to look at Maggie, a mix of appreciation and determination reflected in her tear-stained face. “Thank you,” she murmured. “In the end, I was forced to go back and live with my father. He told me to never mention my mother’s name again. I had to act as if nothing had happened. But I promised myself that one day I would succeed where she had failed. I would find a way to live the life she’d dreamed for me.”

“The only question now, is how?” Noah said. “What’s another way we can make sure your father believes you’re dead? Because I’m really not a fan of your original plan to frame me for your murder.”

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