Where Oaths Are Left to Die

That necklace alone was enough to seal his fate.

There was no need to torture myself further.

I contacted my father's Consigliere overnight and told him everything.

After the plane landed, Xavier was there on the private airstrip, waving at us from a distance.

The moment our daughter saw him, she launched herself into his arms.

Xavier scooped her up, then reached out to pull me into their embrace.

His voice was laced with mock injury. "Cara mia, why were you gone for so long? Did you two forget about your poor husband waiting at home? I've been wasting away without you!"

With that, he leaned in to kiss me.

The thought of that mouth having kissed someone else countless times made my stomach roil.

I subtly turned my head, avoiding the kiss. "Not here, Xavier," I said coolly. "The soldati are watching."

Xavier pouted pitifully.

Our daughter giggled. "Papa only thinks about Mamma. Don't you miss me?"

"Of course I miss my little princess! Come home and see what Papa has prepared for you!"

I watched the two of them walk ahead of me, a perfect picture of a father and daughter.

If I hadn't overheard that phone call, would I ever have known?

When we arrived home, the house was immaculate.

My gaze immediately landed on the bottle of rare whiskey my father had given him, sitting in the study. The seal was broken.

"You opened the bottle?"

Xavier paused, then calmly explained, "I had an important guest over a few days ago, so I cracked it open. What do you think? It's good, isn't it?"

I didn't say anything.

I knew that wasn't like him.

In all our years together, Xavier had never used that bottle to entertain a guest.

Someone else had been in our home. I didn't want to imagine what they did here, afraid I'd throw up.

I hesitated at the door to our bedroom, suitcase in hand.

"What's wrong?" Xavier asked, approaching me.

I shook my head and walked in.

The bedroom looked just as it had when I left, only the sheets and duvet cover had been changed.

If I hadn't seen that photo, I might have convinced myself it was all in my head.

Xavier wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Gio, I missed you terribly. Don't leave me for so long again, not even for our daughter. You have no idea how badly I sleep when you're not here. Just look at these dark circles."

As he spoke, he nuzzled my neck, about to kiss me.

The thought that just a short while ago he’d held another woman like this, whispering the same sweet nothings into her ear…

Instantly, my stomach churned.