Page 79 of Angelo

Elyse picked it up. "Hello?"

"Cuore mio."The sound of Alessandro's deep voice uttering the familiar term of endearment sent shivers across her skin. It had only been five days since they last spoke and saw one another, but she missed him more than words could express.

"How are you?" they both asked at the same time.

Answering first, Elyse replied with an uneasy laugh, "I can't complain.”

“That is good to hear.”

“You?"

Alessandro muttered, "I admit, I have not been doing well."

"You've been avoiding me."

Her husband grunted noncommittally, neither confirming nor denying her accusation.

She sighed, "So..."

He echoed her, "So..."

"I found the papers that you left for me."

"Fuck."

Elyse asked quietly, "Is that all you have to say to me?"

"Of course not," he murmured, "but, first, I would like to hear your thoughts."

"I'm reeling over what you've done."

Alessandro released a pained chuckle. "I am, too."

"You kept this a secret for so long.”

“It damned near killed me.”

“I don't know whether to love or hate you for it."

"You sound upset," he noted.

With a withering look, she spat, "Can you blame me?"

"Elyse—"

"How long have you been working with Mr. Schmid to secure the documents for Eve Davies?"

"Shortly after our honeymoon."

This admission didn't surprise her. She pushed on with her questioning, "Did you know that my mother is alive?"

"Sì."

Her pulse began to flutter. "Were you the one who told her to attend my father's funeral?"

"Sì."

This surprised Elyse. She’d suspected Alessandro's hand in her mother’s sudden appearance, but actually hearing him confirm it hit her hard.

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