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But the woman was unmoved, with her arms crossed and her mouth pinched. She regarded Ana as though she were the biggest fool.
And maybe she was, for coming in here without any defense or a plan. With a singular goal: to find her husband.
“Where is Gio?” she repeated.
“I told you,” Auntie reminded her impatiently. “He rushed out to a meeting.”
“With whom?”
“Don’t you know already? He’s meeting Claudio.”
A frisson of alarm singed her as Auntie sat there with that calm, unconcerned expression.
Her pulse stuttered into an uneven rhythm as her mind screamed at her. Lies...it was a lie.
Gio had been planning an attack on Vitello, but he would have never disclosed that to anyone in this household. He had been so careful the last few days, painstakingly avoiding taking any of his calls inside the house for fear of eavesdroppers.
He’d even suggested moving out to a hotel–
God.
It had seemed like such a passing comment at the time. But now she realized that Gio had started to sense something was off in the house. He’d prioritized attacking Vitello, though…not realizing that the more imminent threat was closer to home.
A chilling shadow fell over her aunt’s face the longer Ana stood processing her lie.
Uncrossing her arms, Auntie leaned forward until her face shifted into the light. Flinty eyes assessed her shrewdly. “You think I don’t know…? That you told him about the guard.”
“W-what?” Ana stepped back.
Auntie sneered. “Don’t give me that innocent look. I’ve known you since you were four, and you were always a poor liar,” she spat. “I told you. I warned you of what would happen to your reputation, to all our reputations, and you foolishly blurted everything to Gio!”
“I didn’t–”
“Please.” Auntie held up a hand. “The deli owners tipped us off. They got several anonymous calls asking about the bodyguard registered under their phone number. I was so confused and worried until you told me Gio was doing audits. That’s when I knew…I just knew it was him calling. And if he was digging so hard into that guard, out of all guards, it must have been because you told him what happened.”
Ana swallowed, unable to deny it.
The woman exploded, shooting to her feet as she slammed a hand down on the table.
“Disobedient girl! After all the warnings I gave you, even after we disposed of that useless guard, you just had to pour your heart out.”
“I–”
“I kept trying to stop you! I had to stoop to vulgar rumors just to warn you and show you the repercussions of spilling the truth.”
A haze covered her eyes as Ana staggered back.
Staring at her aunt in shock.
“Why…?” Ana croaked, jagged shards of betrayal piercing her breast.
Celia had been telling the truth; she hadn’t been the one to start the rumors. The real culprit was standing in front of her.
Ana felt her stomach sink, unable to comprehend it. “You saw how those texts affected me.”
A sliver of guilt passed through her aunt’s eyes before she shrugged it off. “I had no choice. I was running out of options. You were determined to confess the past, and I knew–as soon as Gio heard it, he would connect the dots.”
The guard.
