95

Maria entered the kitchen, reaching for a glass of water to clear her racing thoughts.

As she drank, her gaze strayed outside the window.

Into the darkness.

She wouldn't be able to admit it, but.

A spark of jealousy fluttered in her belly.

"If only I could have her life right now," Maria whispered, the words escaping before she could censor them.

Loretta had Fabian's heart, after all.

A heart Maria once thought she had possessed.

But Fabian's desperation to save Loretta had let the cat out of the bag.

She knew now that he had never loved Maria.

The thought stung.

Just then, her phone beeped boisterously in the silence.

Maria's brother, De Silva, flashed on the screen.

She vacillated; she did not know whether to receive the call.

Loyalty prevailed.

"Hey, brother," Maria said in the most neutral voice possible.

"Maria, I've been tracking Fabian's movements," De Silva said, his voice low and urgent.

"He was just at your house. What did he want?

Maria's grip on the glass tightened.

"How d