Chapter 108
ELODIE’S POV~
When I heard Sienna answer the phone, I wasn’t surprised.
I should have been, maybe. But I wasn’t.
After all, Dante and Sienna had become so close that there was no longer any distinction between them. His phone was her phone. His space was her space. What was his was hers.
So what was wrong with me calling my own husband?
I kept my voice calm and steady. “I’m looking for Dante p>
Sienna’s tone shifted immediately into something colder, and sharper. She knew it was me. Of course she did. “He’s taking a shower. If you have something to say, you can talk to me p>
Talk to her?
I almost laughed. Almost.
But the thing was, this matter did concern Sienna, didn’t it?
Uncle Jason had seen Lauren in the neighborhood, but the person who’d actually bought that villa across from our house? That was probably Logan. My father. Sienna’s father. ‘Our’ father, though he’d never really felt like mine.
If Logan had bought that house, it was likely to honor Sienna’s grandmother, his mother-in-law now. It was a gesture. A statement. Another way to show the world how much he valued that side of the family.
So if I told Sienna about this, would she stop her aunt’s family from moving into that villa?
No.
She wouldn’t.
And honestly? I didn’t believe for a second that Sienna was unaware of the plan. She had to know. Logan wouldn’t make a move like that without telling her. He never did anything without considering Sienna first.
So telling Sienna about this would be useless. Worse than useless, actually. It would probably just make things worse.
I stayed silent for a moment, my thumb hovering over the screen.
Then I hung up without any explanation. No goodbye.
Over an hour passed.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone, waiting for it to light up. Waiting for Dante’s name to appear on the screen.
But it didn’t.
I wasn’t sure if Sienna had failed to tell him about my call, or if Dante simply didn’t want to return it.
At this point, it made no difference to me.
I told myself that, anyway.
I picked up my phone again, fingers moving on autopilot, and dialed his number.
This time, it didn’t even ring.
“The number you have dialed is currently switched off p>
My grip tightened around the phone until my knuckles went white.
Switched off.
He’d turned his phone off. Or someone had done it for him.
I sat there for a long moment, just breathing. In and out. Slowly and controlled. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a band around my ribs and was pulling it tighter with every breath.
After a while, I forced myself to calm down.
I couldn’t afford to fall apart. Not over this. Not over him.
I called the housekeeper instead.
She picked up on the second ring. “Hello, ma’am p>
“Are they at home?” I asked, keeping my voice even.
“No, why p>
“Nothing,” I said quickly, and ended the call before she could ask any more questions.
That night, I didn’t sleep well.
I kept waking up, my mind churning through everything. Lauren moving in across the street. Sienna answering Dante’s phone like it was hers. The way he’d turned it off afterward, like I was some kind of nuisance he needed to block out.
By the time morning came, I felt hollowed out. Exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with lack of sleep.
But I got up anyway. Showered and got dressed and drank my coffee.
At a little after 9 a.m., I dialed Dante’s number again.
This time, it rang.
Just once though.
Then it was immediately disconnected.
I stared at the screen, my jaw tightening.
I didn’t know if it was Sienna who’d hung up, or Dante himself.
I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to dig into what that meant, who had seen my name flash across the screen and decided I wasn’t worth the trouble of answering.
I grabbed my phone and my bag and left the house.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to Dante’s villa.
Our villa, technically. Though it hadn’t felt like mine in a long time.
The housekeeper was outside when I arrived, trimming the hedges near the front entrance. Her face lit up when she saw me.
“Luna, you’re back p>
“Yes,” I said, forcing a small smile.
She set down her shears and wiped her hands on her apron, looking genuinely pleased. “Would you like to have lunch here? I can have someone prepare it for you p>
I hesitated for just a second.
Then I nodded. “Yes. Thank you p>
Because if Dante wouldn’t answer my calls, then I’d make him face me in person.
Then I went upstairs. When I reached the second floor, I paused for just a second, my hand resting on the banister, before I turned and entered the master bedroom.
I set my bag down on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed, my eyes scanning the room.
Everything was the same. Nothing had changed. The same heavy curtains, the same furniture, the same faint scent of his cologne hanging in the air like a ghost. But my skincare products, the ones I’d left behind the last time I’d stayed here to be with Liora, were back in their original places on the vanity. Perfectly arranged. Like someone had taken the time to put everything exactly where it belonged.
Even the clothes I’d changed out of had been returned to the wardrobe, hanging neatly beside Dante’s.
It looked like I’d never left.
I stared at the closet for a long moment, my jaw tightening.
I didn’t bother calling Dante again. He still hadn’t returned my call from earlier, and I wasn’t about to beg.
Dinner came and went. I ate alone in the dining room, the housekeeper hovering nearby, asking if I needed anything else. I thanked her and sent her away.
To be honest, I’d considered asking Nonna for help. She was one of the few people in this family who actually treated me like I mattered. But if I involved her, the situation would only get messier. It would turn into a family drama, arguments, ultimatums, all of it. And even though Dante respected his grandmother, whether he actually listened to her was entirely up to him. He did what he wanted. He always had.
After dinner, I went back upstairs, opened my laptop, and resumed my work. The glow of the screen was the only light in the room. I lost myself in it, into the lines of code, problems with clear solutions, a world where logic actually meant something.
The night grew deeper.
The house was so quiet I could hear the hum of the air conditioning, the occasional creak of the floors settling. I’d almost convinced myself that Dante and Liora wouldn’t be coming back tonight when I heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.
My fingers stilled on the keyboard. I didn’t get up. Didn’t look out the window. I just sat there, listening.
A car door opened. Then another.
Then I heard Liora’s bright and excited voice, cutting through the quietness. “Oh, it’s Mommy’s car! Daddy, Mommy is home p>
My chest tightened.
“Mm,” was only what Dante replied.
I closed my laptop slowly, and started packing up my things.
Downstairs, I could hear Liora asking the housekeeper, “Where’s Mommy p>
“Madam is upstairs p>
“Okay!” Her footsteps thundered up the stairs, fast and eager.
I had just stepped out of the master bedroom when she came running down the hallway and threw herself into my arms. “Mommy p>
“Mm.” I patted her head gently, but I didn’t hug her back. Not really. My hand just rested there, lightly and detached.
She didn’t notice. She was too caught up in her own excitement, chattering away about where they’d been, what they’d done, how much fun she’d had.
I listened, nodding in the right places, keeping my expression calm.
Then I heard slower and heavier footsteps on the stairs that belonged to Dante.
He reached the top, and our eyes met.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
His expression was neutral. Unreadable. He didn’t look surprised to see me. Didn’t look annoyed, either. Just… indifferent.
I kept my face just as calm. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of anything else.
I turned back to Liora, who was still talking, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let Aunt Sabina help you with your bath. Mommy needs to talk to Daddy p>
Liora’s face fell slightly. She’d been in such a good mood after two days of fun, and now I was cutting our reunion short. But she didn’t argue. She just nodded and headed back toward her room, where Sabina was already waiting.
I watched her go, then turned back to Dante.
He was leaning against the wall now, fiddling with his phone like I wasn’t even there. Like I wasn’t worth his full attention.
My jaw tightened.
“Shall we talk in the room?” I said, keeping my voice calm.