Chapter 3 - the last promise)
Victor deteriorated quickly after that.
Dominic pretended not to notice.
He continued attending board meetings.
He continued appearing at charity events.
He continued speaking about his father's recovery as though confidence could overpower biology.
I visited Victor whenever I could.
Sometimes he spoke.
Sometimes he slept.
Three nights before he died, I arrived shortly after midnight.
Daniel Rhodes was outside the room.
Daniel had worked for Victor for nearly twenty-five years. He was a former federal investigator with the habit of noticing everything and commenting on nothing.
"He's been asking for you," Daniel said.
"Does Dominic know I'm here?"
"No."
The answer came too smoothly.
I looked at him.
"Victor told you not to tell him."
Daniel opened the door.
"Mr. DeLuca has told me many things recently."
Inside, Victor was awake.
Barely.
I sat beside him.
His fingers searched beneath the blanket.
He produced a USB drive.
"Take it."
I closed my hand around it.
"What's on this?"
"Enough."
"For what?"
"To prevent Dominic from becoming me."
I frowned.
"You don't trust your own son."
"I love my son."
Victor's eyes filled with exhaustion.
"That is not the same thing."
I looked down at the drive.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Wait until the funeral."
"The funeral?"
"Everyone will be there."
"Victor."
"Promise me."
His breathing became shallow.
"Don't give this to Dominic. Don't give it to anyone before Adrian tells you."
"Adrian Cole?"
Victor nodded.
"And if Adrian doesn't?"
"Then find Mara."
"Mara Chen?"
Another nod.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because you are the only person involved who doesn't want anything."
I laughed bitterly.
"You barely tolerated me for the first five years of my marriage."
"I was testing you."
"For five years?"
"I am thorough."
Despite everything, I smiled.
Victor's expression softened.
Then he said something I did not understand.
"I should have told Rebecca you were safe."
My smile disappeared.
"My mother?"
His eyes closed.
"She was afraid of Dominic."
I leaned closer.
"What?"
Victor's eyes opened again.
"Not at first."
"What happened?"
He tried to speak.
A cough interrupted him.
The heart monitor changed rhythm.
I reached for the nurse button.
Victor caught my wrist.
"Listen."
"I'm listening."
"Your mother didn't die where Dominic told you."
I froze.
"What are you saying?"
Footsteps sounded outside.
Victor released me.
The door opened.
Dominic entered.
His face went cold when he saw me.
"What are you doing here?"
I stood.
"Visiting your father."
"At one in the morning?"
Victor's eyes closed.
Dominic walked toward the bed.
"Did he give you anything?"
The question was immediate.
Too immediate.
"No."
My first deliberate lie to my husband.
Dominic stared at me.
I kept my face still.
He glanced at Victor.
His father looked asleep.
"Go home, Elena."
"I'm not tired."
"I wasn't asking."
Something in me hardened.
"Then you should practice."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
Behind him, Daniel appeared in the doorway.
Dominic noticed him and stepped back.
I left.
In the elevator, I opened my fist.
The USB had left a red indentation in my palm.
Victor died seventy-one hours later.
Dominic called me at 5:18 in the morning.
"My father is gone."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
I sat on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry."
"We have a lot to do."
Not I lost my father.
Not I can't believe it.
We have a lot to do.
By noon, Dominic was meeting attorneys.
By evening, he was discussing funeral seating.
The following morning, he moved into the guest suite.
When I asked why, he said there would be too many calls and he needed privacy.
That afternoon, Jessica came over.
She hugged me in the foyer.
"I'm so sorry."
I started crying.
She held me while I cried against the shoulder of the woman sleeping with my husband.
Later, I would discover that she had spent the previous night with Dominic at the Four Seasons.
At the time, I made her tea.
She asked about Victor's final days.
I told her almost everything.
But when she asked whether he had given me anything, something stopped me.
Maybe it was instinct.
Maybe it was Victor.
Maybe it was the way Jessica asked the question without looking at me.
"No."
She stirred her tea.
"Nothing?"
"Just advice."
"What kind?"
"To stop trusting people who ask too many questions."
Jessica looked up.
For a moment we stared at each other.
Then she laughed.
May you like
I laughed too.
Neither of us meant it.
