CHAPTER 3

The Romano estate shimmered like a fortress made of glass under the afternoon sun. Lionel sat in the sunroom, a sleek gray blanket crossed across his lap. Elora watched him from a window, sitting in the sunroom like that, he looked so different from the man she remembered. Back then, she never would have imagined that she would be so close to him again. The maid yesterday had almost spoiled things but thankfully she had quickly gained control of the situation. Her mind flashed back to the previous night and his question.

"Tell me, Elora, was I ever good to you?"

She had pretended to be fast asleep and as such didn't provide him an answer but she had heard him loud and clear. And now, she considered the question over and over again, had he ever been good to her?

Lionel watched the clouds drift lazily past the wide windows. Elora left to make tea or so she said but she had been gone a while and the silence curled around him like a fog. Then came the sound of expensive leather shoes heading down the hallway muffled by the rug. Lionel tilted his head, the footsteps were unfamiliar.

"About time someone visited", he muttered, voice still raspy from disuse.

Benjamin Romano walked in, sharply dressed, his tailored navy suit clinging to his broad frame. His lips parted in a smirk as his gaze fell on Lionel.

"Brother", he called out.

Benjamin approached him, a smile still hanging loosely on his face until Elora walked in behind him, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits like a perfect wife.

Benjamin froze mid step, his smile vanished, replaced by something deeper.

"What the hell is she doing here?", he asked sharply.

Lionel's brows furrowed.

"You know her?", he asked.

Elora sat the tray down with calm precision.

"It's good to see you, Benjamin", she said.

"I'm afraid, I couldn't stay away for long, not when I heard about the accident", she turned to him with a syrupy smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm his wife, remember?"

Benjamin's jaw tightened, he opened his mouth to say something but his gaze drifted to Lionel who was watching them. He skulked closer to Elora and spoke in a low tone,

"You left"

"I came back", she replied, matching his whisper.

Her gaze drifted to Lionel as she said, "He needed me"

Lionel watched the two of them as they spoke, his gaze flickered between the two of them as he tried to read the energy humming in the room. Benjamin's stare was hot enough to scorch glass and Elora's expression was unreadable; cool, calm but something flickered underneath the surface.

"You two seem really familiar", Lionel noted slowly. "Is there something I should know?"

Benjamin blinked, broke off his stare with Elora and glanced at Lionel.

"They say you lost your memory brother", he said.

"It seems so", Lionel answered.

Benjamin plastered on a fake grin.

"Seems crazy to me especially seeing as how your wife is quite unforgettable"

Elora gave a soft laugh then.

"How flattering", she said with a smile.

But Lionel felt it, the tension, crackling like lightning.

~~

Later that evening, the memory flashes returned like whispers through the fog. A scream, shattered glass, rain, a smile in the dark, wet lashes, parted lips... his lips? The sound of soft footsteps in the room brought him back. He grunted, pressing a hand to his temple. The headaches came and went like waves but something about her always brought them closer. Elora knocked once before slipping into the bathroom.

"You shouldn't be in here alone", she pointed out.

Lionel stood by the mirror, his shirt discarded, one hand gripping the edge of the sink. The bandage on his ribs was loose, damp from the steam.

"I'm not a child", he muttered, but didn't stop her when she approached.

"I know", she said softly, taking a clean towel and gently dabbing at the dressing.

He watched her in the mirror, her fingers were steady, practiced, too practiced.

"How many times have you done this?", he asked.

She stilled. "What do you mean?"

"This, helping me bathe, tending to me, touching me...", his voice deepened, turned husky. "... you've done this before"

She didn't answer. Instead, her hand brushed lower, dragging the towel across the curve of his waist. He inhaled sharply,

"Elora..."

Their eyes met in the mirror, heat buzzed beneath his skin.

"You don't remember", she said, barely above a whisper.

"No", he turned slowly until they stood chest to chest. His voice was raw, "But my body does", he added.

Her breath hitched.

He lifted a hand to tuck a damp strand of her hair behind her ear, water dripped between them, her shirt clung to her like a second skin. The silence pulsed, then she stepped back, the moment snapping like a rubber band.

"You should rest", she murmured.

He said nothing as she left. But his heart pounded like it remembered everything he had forgotten.

~~

That night, the mansion was too quiet. Elora lay on the chaise lounge in Lionel's room, pretending to read. The sound of his breathing had long since settled into sleep. She rose quietly, padding barefoot across the room, she opened the door slowly, careful not to make any sound, standing in the silence for a few seconds to make sure she hadn't woken Lionel up, she slipped out of the room and carefully closed the door behind her. She padded across the hallway to the room that served as Lionel's study. She slowly opened the door and stepped inside. The moonlight painted silver lines across the floor as she approached the massive oak desk tucked against the far wall. Her fingers drifted across the drawers until she found one, locked. Her breath caught. She picked up one of the figurines and collected the key from underneath it.

She opened the locked drawer, it was empty except for a single file that laid there. Elora picked it up and switched on the desk lamp. Underneath the light, she read the label:

"Prenup - Confidential"

Elora's pulse thundered. And all at once like a dam unleashed, all the memories came crashing back, voices, raised voices, her raised voice, the reason she left Lionel two years ago and never looked back.

What kind of man needed to keep such a secret from his wife? She shuddered.

What did he have planned then?