The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“She has information we need,” he said finally, his tone clipped. “She claims she can help us take down the De Lucas for good.”

“And you believe her?” Carmen asked, her disbelief clear.

“I don’t trust her,” he admitted. “Not completely. But I’m not in a position to turn down what she’s offering—not yet.”

Carmen shook her head, anger and hurt twisting inside her. “She’s playing you, Marco. You’re letting her use you again. And this time, it’s going to cost us more than you realize.”

He stepped closer, his voice softening slightly. “I’m doing this for us. For the family. You have to trust me.”

Her throat tightened as she fought back tears. She wanted to trust him, but the cracks in their foundation were widening, and Arianna’s presence wasn’t helping.

“I hope you’re right,” she said finally, her voice heavy. “Because if you’re wrong, she’s going to destroy everything we’ve built.”

As she turned to leave, Marco called after her. “Not everything is what it seems.”

She stopped, glancing back at him.

“You’ll see soon enough,” he added, his tone laced with meaning she couldn’t decipher.

…

The sunlight filtered through the windows of Carmen’s sitting room, casting long shadows on the polished wood floor. The room, typically a place of comfort, felt oppressive today. Carmen sat on a plush chair, her posture rigid as her trusted confidante, Sofia, hesitated near the doorway.

“Say it,” Carmen urged, her tone sharper than she intended. “Whatever it is, just tell me.”

Sofia stepped forward, wringing her hands. “Arianna De Luca… she’s moved into the old Greco estate. Two streets over.”

Carmen’s chest tightened, but she kept her face impassive. “Are you certain?”

“I am,” Sofia said. “She arrived yesterday. There’s no mistaking her.”

Carmen rose from her chair, moving toward the window. The perfectly manicured garden below felt like a mockery of her fraying composure.

“Does Marco know?” she asked, her voice carefully controlled.

Sofia hesitated. “The staff says they’ve seen him coming and going from her estate. They… they think it was his idea.”

The words were a punch to the gut. Carmen gripped the edge of the window frame, her knuckles white. “Anything else?”

“They’ve been spotted together more than once,” Sofia continued, her voice lowering. “People are talking, Mrs. Venetti. They’re saying she’s… trying to rekindle what they had.”

Carmen let out a humorless laugh, a sound that startled even herself. “Of course they are,” she murmured, turning to face Sofia. “Thank you. You can go.”

Sofia bowed her head and left without another word, the door clicking shut behind her.

…

The whispers didn’t stop.

As Carmen moved through the estate that day, she overheard snippets of conversation in hushed tones.