FOLLOWING AFTER ALL THAT HAPPENED, the security detail was a constant presence now for me. And Thiago insisted it.After everything that had happened with Jasper and his associates, Thiago wouldn’t let me step foot outside without guards following my every move. Even at the office, they stood in the hall outside my door, always within earshot, which took some getting used to. I was still adjusting to this new way of life when Charles suddenly showed up at my office one afternoon. I barely recognized him at first—he looked different, almost subdued, dressed in a sharply tailored suit that seemed out of character. My guard, Collins, stayed by the door, clearly wary of letting him through.“Bridgette,” Charles began, glancing briefly at Collins before turning back to me. “I just need a moment of your time. I thought we could talk alone.”Collins glanced at me, clearly uneasy. “Ma’am?”“It’s fine, Collins,” I replied, though I was every bit as hesitant. “Just wait outside, but stay close
In the days that followed, I tried to keep my suspicions to myself, but the tension between Thiago and me only grew. Every interaction felt strained, and I found myself second-guessing everything—every kind word, every affectionate touch, every lingering look. It was like a wall had grown between us, one I couldn't cross, no matter how hard I tried. Every night as he held me, I would close my eyes, wondering if his secrets ran as deep as the investigator had hinted. I’d force myself to remember the Thiago I knew—the man who’d protected me, the man who fought tirelessly for his family’s legacy and for us. But these doubts clung to me, whispering just out of reach.One evening, as I was packing up at the office, my phone rang, the sharp tone breaking the silence. It was the investigator I’d hired, his voice crackling with urgency."Bridgette, I found something you might want to see. Are you available tonight?"My pulse quickened. "Yes, where should we meet?"We arranged to meet at a d
The weeks of suspicion and relentless digging had led to this moment, a moment I never would thought I would thought of depending on to find answers that had been bugging up my mind lately.I couldn’t believe that I would end up going to see my father again. Romeo Martinez, my father, was the only person who might hold the key secrets behind my mother’s death. Which was why when the perfect opportunity arose, I quickly grabbed it. A few days later, I told Thiago I’d be on a business trip in Nebraska with Lucia, but in reality, our flight was bound for Miami. I hate to even actually go and lie about it to my husband but I needed answers—answers only my father could give me.When we arrived, Lucia immediately concern etched into her face. She leaned in, her voice low. “Are you sure about this, Madam CEO? You know what kind of man your father is. She might hurt you.”I took a steadying breath. “That’s exactly why I have to do this. He may be a monster, but he’s the only one who can gi
When I returned to Monaco, my mind was a tangled mess of questions and anger. Each step toward the house felt heavier, the confrontation with my father gnawing at me, his words burrowing deep into my psyche. “Thiago murdered her… Avenge her… Bring justice.” They replayed like a terrible song stuck on repeat, one I couldn’t shake, no matter how much I wanted to.The house felt emptier than usual. I looked around, wondering if Thiago was here, if he could see through the mask I now wore. If he could sense the wall growing between us. But as much as I wanted answers from him, a part of me recoiled at the idea. I needed more—proof, clarity, something I could hold on to.Lost in thought, I nearly jumped as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I looked down to see Charles’s name flash on the screen. The last person I wanted to talk to. But something about my conversation with my father, combined with Charles’s involvement, made me feel that he held something I was missing. I hesitated, then an
With all the information I gathered from my father, plus the somewhat related ones I had gathered from Charles, I finally have decided to call my private investigator to ask for updates.The moment the call came in, I froze, my heart lodged somewhere between fear and relief. The investigator’s voice was calm, clinical, as he laid out each piece of evidence he had collected—facts that aligned all too closely with the stories Charles and my father had told me. Each revelation was another blow to my resolve. Every instinct in me wanted to reject it, to deny the truth lurking in those findings.But there was no denying it anymore. Thiago’s secrets, the shrouded details of my mother’s death, and the suspicion that had crept into my life like a silent intruder—all of it had been validated in one damning phone call.I clutched my phone in a white-knuckled grip, barely feeling the sensation in my fingers. My mind raced back to that night in Miami, to my father’s words and the darkness in Char
As I drove away from the mansion, the bitter chill of the night seemed to seep through the car windows, sharpening the anger and determination pulsing through me. The quiet hum of the engine was the only sound breaking the silence, but inside, my mind was chaotic, unraveling Thiago’s words, each one sinking like a blade into the depths of my resolve. He’d admitted to everything—without remorse, without hesitation. I could still see the cold indifference in his eyes as he’d said it, as if my mother’s death had meant nothing more to him than a minor inconvenience.But if he thought he could silence me or manipulate me into staying, he had sorely misjudged me. Whatever small, twisted bond we’d shared was gone, dissolved into nothing under the weight of his betrayal.I wasn’t just going to leave. I was going to make sure Thiago paid for every single life he had ruined—starting with my mother’s.I parked the car at a nearby overlook, the city lights below shimmering in a way that would’v
Days had passed since I’d stormed out, but the weight of everything that happened between Thiago and me still felt fresh, raw.Eventually I had decided to return for two reasons: one was to collect my things and finally close the door on the life I thought I’d been building here. The life I’d been lied into. And then the second, was to gather anything I could find from Thiago’s things that would associate him to my mother’s death.It has been so long since that murder happened, and I bet finding evidence from Thiago’s things would be rough but I was still willing to bet on whatever I would find.When I arrived back, I wasn’t really expecting him to be here, yet there he was, waiting in the foyer as if he’d known I’d return. His expression was unreadable, a mask of both anticipation and wariness. But I didn’t care to decipher his emotions anymore; I was done trying to understand this man who had made a fool of me.“I’m only here for my things,” I said, my voice sharp and emotionless,
Starting over was harder than I thought it would be.Filing my resignation at the Bermudez Group was the first step, yet walking out of that building felt like tearing away a piece of myself. My work had been tied to Thiago for so long, every project, every deal stamped with his mark, whether I liked it or not. I took a deep breath as I left for the last time, reminding myself this was the beginning of a new chapter. The divorce papers followed next. It was a hollow victory, knowing it wouldn’t be easy; Thiago’s stubbornness was practically a trademark, and he would drag this process out as long as possible.The knowledge weighed on me as I tried to slip back into some semblance of normalcy. Each day felt both liberating and strangely empty, like I was relearning how to navigate life on my own terms, without him lurking in the background, dictating or influencing my decisions. My focus was clear: rebuild and find out the truth. I needed to know exactly how Thiago was tied to my mo