The air seemed to thicken as Daniel continued to pace furiously. His muttering filled the room, his thoughts clearly racing. "This can’t be it... There has to be a way out..."
Suddenly, his movements slowed, and he froze, his eyes snapping wide open. His face twisted into a smile as if he had just come up with a brilliant plan.
"Oh, right," he murmured, as though an idea had just struck him. "The wedding..."
He stopped abruptly, his gaze flickering nervously to me. I stood motionless, watching him closely.
But instead of continuing, Daniel turned away, pulling out his phone and dialing without saying another word. As he paced away from me, his voice began to rise, speaking rapidly in Italian.
I knew exactly what he was saying.
"Move the wedding up," he barked into the phone. "This week. I need her money now. The company is crashing, and I can’t afford to wait any longer. She has to invest. Don’t worry about the details—just make it happen."
I stood frozen in place, the words slicing through me like a chill wind. Every syllable felt like a betrayal.
When he ended the call, Daniel slid his phone back into his pocket and turned toward me, his face carefully composed. "Sorry, sweetheart," he said with an almost casual air. "That was just a business partner. He doesn’t speak English, so I had to handle it in Italian."
"Of course," I replied, my voice flat, betraying none of the turmoil I felt inside.
Daniel didn’t seem to notice the detachment in my tone. He crossed the room to me, his hands finding their way to my shoulders in what he probably thought was a comforting gesture. "Look," he began, his voice lowering, "I know things are crazy right now. And I’m going to be swamped with work for the next few months. I don’t want you stuck here alone while I’m dealing with all this."
I raised an eyebrow, trying to mask my suspicion. "What are you getting at?"
He hesitated, as though weighing his words. "I think you should go to Costa Rica. Just for a little while. Take a break. Rest. You deserve it."
"Costa Rica?" I repeated, the surprise evident in my voice.
"Yeah," he said, his tone lightening with excitement. "I’ll take care of everything—flight, hotel, the works. You’ll love it. Once things settle down, I’ll bring you back. I promise."