The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 33

The Venetti estate seemed quieter than usual, but Carmen knew better. Silence in this place wasn’t peace; it was tension, stretched tight enough to snap. She felt it in the wary looks from Marco’s guards as she passed, in the whispers that died whenever she came near. Arianna’s poison was spreading again—she could feel it seeping through the walls like smoke.

Standing in the dim corridor outside Marco’s office, Carmen braced herself, smoothing her hands down the front of her coat. You have to keep him focused, she thought. He needs to see the real threat.

Taking a breath, she pushed open the heavy door without waiting for an invitation.

Marco sat behind his desk, slumped forward with his elbows on the wood, a glass of whiskey within arm’s reach. The faint glow of the desk lamp threw shadows across his face, highlighting the tension in his brow and the lines etched into his jaw. He glanced up when she entered, his expression unreadable.

“You didn’t knock,” he said flatly.

“I didn’t think I needed to,” Carmen replied, closing the door behind her.

Marco leaned back slowly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. “What do you want, Carmen?”

She ignored the bitterness in his tone and stepped closer, pulling a folder from her bag and placing it on his desk. “This.”

Marco didn’t move, his gaze locked on her face instead of the folder. “More documents?”

“Yes,” Carmen said tightly. “More proof. Arianna is still feeding information to the De Luca remnants. She’s regrouping, Marco. She’s in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.”

Marco’s lips twisted into something halfway between a smirk and a scowl. “And you just happened to find this?”

Carmen’s jaw clenched. “Yes. My contacts—”

“Your contacts,” Marco interrupted, his tone sharp. “Your network. It’s always something you can’t prove, Carmen.”

“It’s all there!” Carmen snapped, pointing at the folder. “You just have to look. Arianna hasn’t stopped, Marco. She’s turning everyone against you.”

Marco’s expression darkened. “And what about you, Carmen?”

The question hit her like a slap, the accusation lurking just beneath his words. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Marco rose from his chair, rounding the desk slowly until he stood in front of her. His gaze was hard and searching as if he were trying to peel away every layer she had built around herself.

“You left,” he said, his voice low but steady. “You ran to Vincent. You spent weeks under his roof. And now you come back, telling me Arianna’s the threat, that you’re the one trying to save me. Why should I believe you?”

Carmen stared at him, stunned. “You still think this is about Vincent?”

Marco’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer.

Carmen took a step closer, anger flickering in her eyes. “You’re so blind, Marco. You’re so wrapped up in Arianna’s lies that you can’t see what’s right in front of you. She’s been playing you since the beginning.”

“And what were you doing with Vincent?” Marco fired back, his voice rising. “You still haven’t told me the truth about that. Why did you go to him? Why stay with him for so long?”