Chapter 2: The Wife Everyone Believed
Chapter 2: The Wife Everyone Believed
The next morning every newspaper in Chicago carried the same photograph.
Ellie dancing with Dante Russo.
Headlines exploded.
RUSSO'S SECRET WIFE.
WHO IS ELLIE SULLIVAN?
THE WOMAN BESIDE THE KING OF CHICAGO.
Ellie wanted to crawl under a blanket forever.
Instead, she walked into Dante's office.
He looked up from his desk.
"You've seen the news."
"I've become the news."
A hint of amusement appeared.
The first she'd seen from him all morning.
"Temporary."
"People think we're married."
"We encouraged that."
"You encouraged that."
Dante nodded.
"Fair."
Ellie folded her arms.
"Tell them the truth."
"No."
She blinked.
"No?"
"No."
The answer was infuriatingly calm.
Dante stood.
Moved around the desk.
Stopped in front of her.
"If people believe you're mine, they leave you alone."
Ellie froze.
The words shouldn't have affected her.
But they did.
Because nobody had ever sounded so certain.
So absolute.
As if protecting her wasn't a favor.
It was a fact.
"You don't even know me."
Something changed in his expression.
A shadow.
A memory.
"I know enough."
Before she could ask what that meant, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
For the first time, Ellie saw genuine alarm.
Dante answered immediately.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Then his face hardened.
"No."
Another pause.
His jaw clenched.
"When?"
The call ended.
Ellie's stomach dropped.
"What is it?"
Dante looked directly at her.
"Your father."
The room spun.
"What about him?"
"He contacted us."
Hope exploded inside her.
"He's alive?"
"Yes."
May you like
The answer barely registered before Dante added:
"And someone just tried to kill him."
