The Game He Played With My Heart

The next morning, Marlowe Research Institute's New York headquarters called.

"Eliana, the final list for the research fellowship closes today," Caroline said.

Caroline directed Marlowe's Center for Port Security and Financial Crime Research on the East Coast. Three years earlier, she had offered me a lead research fellowship in New York, with my own team and a federal port-security project under my name.

It was the kind of chance people waited half a career for, and I had turned it down every time with neat excuses: unfinished papers, ongoing field studies, Luca needing someone who understood North Dock. The truth was simpler and more humiliating. I couldn't bear to leave him.

Now there was nothing left to bear.

"I'll go," I said.

Caroline let out a relieved breath. "Good. Three-year appointment. The first year will be rough, but this is the best move you could make for yourself."

After I finished the transfer papers and research handover, a few people carefully asked if I had fought with Luca again. I closed my folder and said, "We didn't fight. We broke up." The office went quiet for a few seconds, and no one asked anything else.

With the fellowship approval signed, the last official tie keeping me in Chicago was gone. Then I sent my flight details to Ava.

[I'm leaving for New York in three days. Dinner before I go?]

She replied almost instantly.

[You finally remembered I exist. Spade Casino opened a new billiards room. Come shoot with me. If we run into the Moretti crowd, I'll roast them until they question their bloodline.]

I smiled despite myself.

Spade Casino was one of the Morettis' biggest earners and Luca's favorite playground. I used to avoid it because every visit left me feeling like prey under a spotlight. That night, for the first time, I walked in without fear.

Past the main hall, at the end of the second-floor corridor, two guards stood outside a members-only billiards room. Ava was already inside warming up.

"There you are." She looked me up and down. "You look alive. I thought you'd show up like a kitten drowned in rainwater."

I picked a cue from the wall. "Sorry to disappoint."

"That's more like it. You used to be the pool champ who could shut a room full of men up without raising your voice."

My father taught me billiards. He said the harder your heart shook, the steadier your hand had to be.

Later, Luca said I looked too cold when I played, too much like a woman who belonged in lecture halls and federal briefings, not the woman standing beside him. So I stopped.

I was lining up the next shot when familiar voices came from the corridor.

"Luca, that clean run last time was insane. When are you teaching me?"

"Please," another man said. "Other than Vivian, who has ever seen Luca teach anyone himself?"

The door opened. Luca entered first, with Nico, Dante, and Vivian behind him. Vivian had her hand tucked around Luca's arm. He didn't pull away, and he didn't explain.

Nico spotted me and whistled. "Well, look who it is. The woman who almost became Mrs. Moretti."

Someone laughed. "Her mouth said breakup, but her body knew exactly where to go. One day, and she's already back at Spade."

"Guess Luca's [Whatever] was too cold last night. She came to make peace."

Ava's face went dark, but I lifted a hand before she could tear into them. I bent over the table and aimed. The blue ball dropped.

Nico got louder when I ignored him. "Eliana, don't pretend you can't hear us. Luca's right there. Aren't you going to sit with him? You know the routine. Say, 'What a coincidence,' take the seat beside him, and it's over."

I knew Luca was only a few steps away. He was probably wearing that cool, indifferent expression, neither explaining nor stopping anyone. He was waiting for me to swallow the humiliation and walk over with a smile. If I did, the airport would become nothing, just another story they could laugh about later.

I had done it too many times because I was afraid of cold wars, unanswered texts, and everyone saying I was too sensitive. That part of me had died in the airport terminal.

I sank the last red ball, straightened, and handed the cue to a server. "Let's go."

Ava blinked once, grabbed her bag, and followed.

As we passed Luca, Vivian laughed softly. "Don't worry. Isn't she always like this? She'll come back in a couple of days."

I stopped and turned. Vivian leaned against the table with her chin lifted. I had seen that look every time I fought with Luca because of her. With one careless line, she could turn all my hurt into entertainment.

Luca shifted half a step, putting himself in front of her. The movement was small, but the meaning was clear.

Again, he protected Vivian first.

I felt too tired even to be angry, so I smiled. "You're right. I used to be."

Vivian's smile faltered. I didn't explain. I walked out with Ava, leaving the billiards room and its laughter behind me.