Page 72 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

“Come inside. You’re going to tell us everything.”

My father is waiting in the living room. He pulls me briefly into his solid embrace.

Aline brings in a tray with glasses and salted biscuits.

My father pours whisky topped with sparkling water.

The Ivanov ritual.

We raise our glasses.

Then I start talking.

I tell them everything: how I found Valeria in the lab, Stephen’s explanations, the chaos in my head and in my heart.

My anger.

My jealousy.

My frustration.

“I resented her for blaming me for moving on. I thought she’d erased me from her life… but none of it was true.”

Silence settles again.

“To this day, I still don’t know why someone wanted her dead, and it’s eating me alive.”

“Have you looked into her research?” my father asks.

“The only project valuable enough to trigger that kind of greed is an unpublished treatment. An experimental therapy capable of revolutionizing neurology… but also extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. But Valeria and I are the only ones who know it exists.”

“Are you certain of that?” my mother asks quietly.

For the first time, I consider the possibility.

“We barely talked about the project with anyone.”

My father hesitates.

“Not even Bianca?”

I don’t like his tone.

“Bianca and Valeria were very close,” he adds.

Despite myself, I consider the possibility.

“Even if Bianca knew, she never would’ve betrayed her.”

For the first time, I’m no longer entirely sure of that.

My father holds my gaze.

“Would you bet Valeria’s life on it?”

A chill runs through me. And suddenly I understand what he’s implying.

If Bianca knew about the research… could she really have betrayed her best friend?