Page 28 of Stolen Vows

I am such a dumbass.

There’s no reason for me to feel so strongly about a woman I barely know, yet I can’t seem to fucking help myself. It’s as if a single meeting with her altered the stretch of time, andsuddenly, the landscape of my future included her. I wanted it to be different for her—for us.

Like a dumbass.

The insult plays on a loop in my brain, assaulting me each time I play back what transpired between me and the youngest Ricci. How badly I fumbled this marriage, even if I made sure to give her something from it—something she’ll likely never recognize as the gift it was.

Rejecting her was the very least I could do. That decision that will have many repercussions, though none that mattered in the moment.

I sit up and shove my legs off the mattress, scrubbing at my face with both palms. Given last night's events, the condo feels unnaturally quiet, and the fluffed pillows on the opposite side of the bed indicate I was not joined in my slumber.

My gaze lifts toward the closed door, scanning the space underneath for signs of life. Irene or Anna should be here by now, yet the usual sounds of cleaning are absent.

After a quick shower in the adjoining bathroom suite, I wrap a thick white towel around my waist, slide my gloves over the scarred topography of my palms, and make my way to the kitchen. Irene and Anna are huddled together by one corner of the island, whispering in panicked voices.

“Ladies.” I nod in their direction and grab a glass, going to fill it with orange juice.

“Mr. De Tore,” Anna says, practically weeping as she clings to her colleague. “Y-you’re awake!”

“Was there some sort of debate going? It isn’tthatlate.”

“Well, we thought…maybe something had happened with Mrs. De Tore?—”

My hands freeze midpour, until the juice is overflowing.

Liquid splashes against my bare feet, and I calmly set the carton on the counter. My gaze darts to the overturnedprescription bottle in the corner—the lid is off, and the contents are gone.

It’s empty.

There’d only been a handful of pills left anyway, but, goddamn, I hadn’t thought she’d use the entire thing.

I suppose that explains the haze I woke up in and the missing memories of the night before.

Apparently, my little wife was out for blood. Perhaps more than she even realized.

Turning slowly, I cross my arms over my chest and level both women with a look. “Mrs. De Tore is gone.”

It isn’t a question, but Anna nods in confirmation anyway. “I know you gave her strict instructions not to leave, and we were supposed to make sure she stayed in the condo, but when I arrived an hour ago for my shift, she was already missing. I’m not sure who was stationed at the door?—”

No one was.

I drag my tongue over the front of my teeth. “The security cameras?”

The app on my phone is from a different company than the building’s official cameras, so I only have immediate access to the indoor specs. Therefore, even if I could watch her leave the condo itself, I wouldn’t be able to see where she went after that.

Anna chews on a pinkie nail, pulling away from Irene. “We don’t have access to them.”

“Find Frankie, tell him I want the footage—whatever he finds—but I don’t want him looking at it first. He’s to bring it directly to me, untouched.”

“Can’t you just tell him?” Irene mutters.

I glance at her, but she doesn’t look up from the floor.

Anna nods, eyes welling up with tears. “Sir, I amsosorry. Please,pleasedon’t fire me over this. I’ll do anything. I’ll help you look for her! I just can’t afford to?—”

“No one is getting fired.” After reaching for my glass, I down my drink in a couple of gulps and set the cup in the sink. “My wife’s sudden leave of absence is of her own doing. I won’t punish someone else for her insolence.”

“Okay, okay, thank you!” She breezes past me, and a few seconds later, the front door opens and slams shut, rattling the glassware in the cabinet next to my head.

---