Page 10 of Bad Husband

Chiara held her hand out. “What exactly was I supposed to have done six months ago?” she asked.

He looked at her and he didn’t have his cell phone on him. “There were videos,” he said. “Of you meeting up with Andante. Of conspiring to take me out, to attack the Bove Mafia, including your father.”

Her mouth fell over.

“There was graphic footage of you having sex with Andante.”

“Wow, so now I’m a traitor, a betrayer, and also a cheater,” she said. “How? I didn’t do anyth—”

“I know,” he said. “Prior to the videos being sent to me, there were attacks on several businesses you had visited with me. It was made to appear you had found the means of gathering that information and feeding it to Andante.”

“A man I’ve never met.”

He nodded.

“What changed?” Chiara asked.

“After you left—”

“Banished. You banished me. I didn’t leave. I didn’t even get the chance to plead my case. I was cast out as if I was nothing more than trash. There is a massive difference there.”

He couldn’t argue with her. “The attacks stopped.”

“Stopped?”

“It only seemed to add up that it was connected with you.”

“So, what changed?” she asked, taking a deep breath.

He noticed she went pale.

“There were another two attacks, on a brothel and a casino. Very few people were aware of the existence of these places. There was no way you could have known, but the MO was all the same. The only difference was you weren’t here.”

“Wow, and you decided to grace me with a pardon?” she asked.

“I had the footage questioned,” Marco said. “I have a guy who was able to tell me the footage was fake. Not only did he show that you were not the woman in the video, he cleared it up and sent me the footage that had been made to be hidden.”

“Because your wife’s word meant nothing.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Do you want to know who it was?”

“I’m guessing it had to be someone close to you and close to me. I’m guessing Henry, my old guard, as he couldn’t look me in the eye our last few days together. And, seeing as she was your friend and I got the sense she liked you a hell of a lot more than she liked me, I would say Gabrielle, because she couldn’t stand the fact you and I were married and happy.”

He was shocked.

“And I’m guessing they’re both dead,” she said.

“They’re not dead,” he said.

This had surprised her. He saw the shock in her eyes.

“They’re not dead?” she asked.

“They betrayed you, and I figured it would be only fitting that you be the one to decide their fate,” he said.

****

Several Days Later