I turned to Marco, my voice barely above a whisper. “She doesn’t belong here.”
His jaw tightened. “Not now, Olivia.”
But I couldn’t let it go. “She wasn’t Celeste’s family. She wasn’t her teacher, her friend. What reason does she have to be here?”
Marco exhaled sharply. “She worked for me. She knew Celeste.”
“Knew her?” My voice rose slightly. “She barely even interacted with her. And now she’s standing there like she lost something?”
Marco’s grip on my arm was firm, a silent warning. “This is neither the time nor the place.”
I yanked my arm away, my heart hammering in my chest. I couldn’t stand to be near him anymore.
I turned to my mother, my voice strained. “I’m staying with you for a while.”
She nodded without hesitation, her grip on my hand tightening. “Of course, sweetheart.”
Marco said nothing. No protest, no attempt to convince me otherwise.
And that silence told me everything I needed to know.
—
Later that night, when the house should have been empty, I returned.
I needed Celeste’s favorite teddy bear—the one she couldn’t sleep without.
The lights were off as I let myself in, my footsteps soft against the polished floor. The house felt colder, emptier without her laughter echoing through the halls.
I made my way to her bedroom, the sight of her untouched toys making my chest ache.
Then I heard voices.
From our bedroom.
My heart slammed against my ribs. I crept closer, pressing myself against the hallway wall.
Marco’s voice was low, tense. “You shouldn’t have come.”
A soft, mocking laugh followed. “Why not? Your wife’s gone, isn’t she? You should be thanking me.”
Selena.
My stomach twisted violently.
“I didn’t ask you to come here,” Marco snapped.
“You never ask,” she purred. “But we both know you never say no.”
A rustle of fabric. A soft hum of amusement.
I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood.
Selena continued, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “Honestly, the way you looked at me today at the funeral? It was thrilling. Your dead daughter, your grieving wife, and yet you couldn’t take your eyes off me.”
A choked sound rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
“Enough,” Marco muttered. “This is dangerous.”
Selena scoffed. “Dangerous? Please. The only danger is Olivia finding out the truth.”
A pause. Then, her voice dropped into a cruel whisper.
“She doesn’t know, does she? That it was me behind the wheel that night?”
My entire body turned to ice.