The Wife He Betrayed

Part 2: The Secret He Buried

The next morning, I arrived at my attorney’s office at eight forty-five.

A thick folder was waiting on the desk.

My attorney, Michael Hayes, looked unusually serious.

“Claire, before we discuss the divorce, there’s something you need to see.”

He opened the folder and slid several documents toward me.

I recognized the lakefront villa immediately. But beneath its purchase records were documents for three additional properties, two offshore accounts, and a company registered under my name.

I frowned.

“What’s this company?”

“Moretti Holdings LLC. It was established four years ago. According to these records, you’re listed as its majority owner.”

I stared at him.

“That can’t be right. I never signed anything.”

Michael adjusted his glasses.

“That’s exactly why I’m concerned. The company has been receiving money from several of Adrian’s businesses. Some of those transactions appear connected to illegal operations.”

My stomach tightened.

“Are you saying my husband used my name?”

“Possibly. And if these records are genuine, he may have deliberately made you the legal owner to protect himself.”

I leaned back, struggling to process everything.

Adrian hadn’t simply betrayed my marriage.

He might have been preparing to make me take the blame for his crimes.

Before I could respond, my phone began vibrating.

Adrian.

I rejected the call.

A message appeared immediately.

Claire, come home. We need to talk.

Another followed.

Don’t make decisions based on what you think you know.

I almost laughed.

For five years, he had expected me to believe whatever he told me.

Not anymore.

“I want everything investigated,” I told Michael. “Every account, every company, every document carrying my signature.”

He nodded.

“There’s one more thing. Adrian’s father contacted me this morning. He wants to meet you privately.”

“Why?”

Michael hesitated.

“He claims he knows why Adrian married you.”

My heart skipped.

Before I could ask another question, the office door opened.

Vincent Moretti stood there with his personal security guard.

“Claire,” he said gravely. “I think it’s time you learned the truth about your husband.”

I looked at him.

“I’m listening.”

Vincent sat opposite me and placed an old photograph on the desk.

It showed a younger Adrian standing beside a woman I had never seen before.

On the back was a date.

Five years ago.

The same month Adrian had proposed to me.

“Who is she?” I asked.

Vincent’s expression darkened.

“Her name was Isabella Romano. Her father was our biggest business rival. Adrian was supposed to marry her to secure a powerful alliance.”

I looked at the photograph again.

“What happened?”

“She disappeared shortly before the wedding. Everyone believed she had run away.”

Vincent paused.

“But three weeks ago, someone sent Adrian a message claiming she was alive.”

I slowly raised my eyes.

“And Sophia?”

Vincent shook his head.

“Sophia isn’t the woman he’s afraid of losing. She’s the woman helping him find Isabella.”

Suddenly, the affair seemed like only a small piece of something much bigger.

I stood.

“Then perhaps you should ask your son why he used my name to hide his money.”

Vincent’s expression changed.

“You know about the company?”

“I know enough to understand that your family has made me part of something I never agreed to.”

I picked up my purse.

“I’m divorcing Adrian. Whatever happens afterward is no longer my responsibility.”

As I reached the door, Vincent spoke again.

“Claire, there’s one more reason you shouldn’t go home.”

I turned.

“Adrian has been looking for you since last night. And he isn’t alone.”

My phone vibrated.

This time, the message came from an unknown number.

Mrs. Moretti, if you want to know what really happened five years ago, meet me tonight. Come alone.

Attached was a photograph.

A woman standing outside my old apartment.

The woman from Vincent’s photograph.

Isabella Romano.

And beneath the picture were six words:

Your husband knows where your child is.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I had never had a child.

So what exactly was this woman talking about?