Dinner on Friday

40. Carla

DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

Eva never picked up the phone, and days passed before I heard anything from Dante.

A blonde woman striding into my hospital room with news of Dante was the last thing I expected.

"Hi, Carla. My name is Amanda, and I'm your husband's lawyer."

From my bed, I studied the woman as she approached. Although she seemed legitimate, I was suspicious, knowing all too well that trust was a luxury I couldn't afford.

She shook my hand firmly and then took a step back. Despite her calm demeanor, there was no hiding the deep lines of stress etched into her features.

"Dante wanted me to let you know that he's okay," she said.

"Why hasn't he called?" I asked, frustration ringing loudly in my tone.
I missed him so much that I couldn't sleep at night.

Amanda's lips tightened. "He only gets one phone call while we work on his plea deal."

"Plea deal? Why does he need a plea deal? Dante didn't do anything wrong." The thought of him spending years in prison caused a knot of anxiety to form on my chest.

"The public prosecutor thinks differently."

"I don't care what he thinks. Why can't I just tell them that he didn't poison me?"

"That's not the only reason they're going after him," Amanda confessed, her voice lowering to a hushed whisper as she cast a wary glance over her shoulder before closing the door firmly behind her. "Carla, everything I'm about to tell you is confidential. Okay?"

"Understood," I said just as my heart started pounding in my chest.

"Your husband might be gone for a long time if he doesn't take this deal." She paused a little too long for my liking. "He's being accused of murdering your friends Eva and Madeleine."

Her words echoed in the silence of the room like a thunderclap; every syllable was like a dagger piercing through my already wounded heart. I had gotten a lot of shocking revelations this past year, but nothing could prepare me for this.

"Madeleine and Eva are dead?"

"I'm sorry, yes. I thought you knew."

Amanda's words faded into the background. A cold wave of disbelief washed over me as I tried to process the news. My mind raced with a million questions, each more horrifying than the last, but amidst the chaos, one truth remained unshakeable.

I knew my husband was capable of murder, but killing my friends? That was something else entirely.

"Dante wouldn't. He loves me, and he knows how much their friendship means to me." I had no choice but to hold on to every last thread of hope I had. Otherwise, I feared I would go insane.

"I'm not saying he did it, but those are the charges," Amanda said gravely. "I'm so sorry, Carla."

Wow, this was insane. I didn't know whether to cry or to scream, whether to call her a liar or to believe the accusations against Dante.

The area under my right eye throbbed fiercely as I remained silent trying to envision a world without my friends in it.

Eva's bright smile and Madeleine's soothing voice had gotten me through many dark and stressful times. Adjusting to a new country where I didn't speak the language or have any family was one of the hardest things I had done in my twenty-three years on earth.

I thought of Eva's and Madeleine's parents and how devastated they were going to be. Eva's parents already made plans to come and visit her this year, and as usual, Madeleine was going to spend Christmas with her parents in France.

Oh, how plans changed.

I stretched my right leg, which was now stiff from sitting in one position too long. Another cruel reminder of how fragile life was.

Fear slithered down my spine as I came to a realization. Had my friends also gotten threats on paper?

And now they were all dead.

I was next, wasn't I?

I had survived the second poisoning attempt, but next time, I might not be as lucky. But then again, it all depended on how one looked at it. I honestly didn't feel that lucky.

My mother was in intensive care, my friends were dead, my husband was locked up, probably for life, and I couldn't feel my left side even if someone lit it with a torch.

I sighed. "How can I help him?"

"He sent some papers for you to sign. The house, the yacht, the restaurant, and all his other investments are fully under your name now. Altogether, that's about sixty million euros in assets."

"Why?"I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't understand. Why is he acting like he's going away for good?"

"It's a protective measure," Amanda explained. "The cops are looking into his life, his family, and knowing his uncle, he might try to freeze his assets, forcing Dante to bend to his will."

I frowned, the mention of Mathias sending a chill down my spine for some odd reason. "His uncle? What has he got to do with anything?"

"He poisoned you, no?" Amanda questioned, her Spanish accent coming to the forefront, coloring her words with an ominous weight.

My frown deepened. "Why would Mathias poison me?"

"He thinks your presence in Dante's life makes him weak."

"Weak, how?"

"Didn't Dante turn down the position as Clan Lord to keep you safe?"

"Partly. At first, he did it to keep his sister safe after his mother died."

"Well, Mathias doesn't think Annabella is fit to lead the clan," Amanda elaborated. "He wants Dante to take over, but your husband wasn't interested. Mathias thinks you domesticated him and poisoned his mind regarding the clan's legacy."

Well, shit. I paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

"He is not about that life anymore," I said. "I never told him to choose me above the clan. That wasn't something we discussed."

Amanda nodded. "He's said as much, but would you be opposed to him running the clan?"

"Is that what he wants?" Although I asked the question, I didn't want the answer to be yes. After everything that happened in the past and now with Madeleine and Eva, I wanted to get as far away from the clan as possible.

"'Want' may not be the right word. In his own words, he's doing what needs to be done."

In other words, he had already decided, and what I thought or wanted was of no consequence.

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