She Took Her Sister’s Blind Date To Help Her Escape — Then The Mafia Boss Across The Table Revealed He Had Been Waiting For Her Name For Years.
PART 6
“I want to see her.”
“You understand she helped build this.”
“Yes.”
“You understand she placed you inside a building she knew might be attacked.”
“Yes.”
“And you still want to see her.”
“She’s my sister. That explains why I need to see her. It doesn’t determine what I’ll say.”
—
Delphine was held in a quiet apartment in a neighborhood Vivienne barely recognized — two chairs, a lamp, a covered window. When Vivienne walked in, Delphine stood immediately.
Still beautiful, even after a night of failed plans. Mascara smudged beneath her eyes, clothes wrinkled, one heel snapped. For once she didn’t look like a woman certain the world would rearrange itself around her. She looked like someone standing inside the full weight of her own choices.
“You’re alive,” Delphine whispered.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know Salvato would send men into the tunnels. Preston said it would just be business pressure. Said Nikolai would lose the building, the records would vanish, no one would get hurt.”
“You registered the property company.”
Delphine’s eyes dropped. “Yes.”
“You took Salvato’s money.”
“Yes.”
“You signed the marriage agreement to get access to Nikolai’s finances.”
“I thought Preston and I would be free after.”
“And at 7:43 last night, you sent me to take your place.”
Delphine’s eyes filled. “Vivienne—”
“One answer. When you called me, did you know something would happen at that restaurant?”
“I knew there’d be an operation.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I didn’t know exactly what kind.”
“You told yourself that meant you didn’t know.”
Delphine flinched. “Yes.”
The exhaustion of the whole night settled into Vivienne’s bones. She’d imagined this confrontation in the tunnel — shouting, accusations sharp enough to make Delphine feel exactly what she’d felt. But the anger had burned out hours ago. What was left was clarity.
“I’ve spent my whole life coming when you called,” she said. “Every crisis. Every broken lease. Every terrible boyfriend. Every promise you made without thinking about who’d pay for it.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t. Because every time I absorbed the consequences, you learned consequences were temporary. You learned I’d stand between you and whatever was coming.”
Delphine began crying silently.
“You built last night around me. You needed someone who’d walk into a room without asking enough questions. Someone who’d go because you said your life depended on it.”
“I came back.”
“I know.”
“I made it to the gate. Then Preston said Salvato changed the plan. I realized you were still there, and I came back.”
“That matters.”
Hope flickered across Delphine’s face. Vivienne didn’t let it become a misunderstanding.
“But it doesn’t erase what came before it.”
The hope faded.
“I’m not going to ask Nikolai to protect you from what you did,” Vivienne said. “I’m also not asking him to punish you for me. You’ll cooperate with the investigation. You’ll tell the truth about Preston and Salvato. You’ll accept whatever legal deal is offered.”
“You’re abandoning me.”
“No.” Her voice stayed calm. “I’m choosing not to carry you anymore. That’s different.”
Delphine looked more frightened by those words than by any threat of prison. “Will you ever forgive me?”
“I don’t know.”
The answer hurt them both. Vivienne let it stay true.
Nikolai had arranged for Delphine to enter federal protective custody in exchange for cooperation — relocated after testifying, one chance to build a life not financed by someone else’s suffering.
At the door, Vivienne stopped. “You’re not a monster, Delphine. You’re a person who kept making selfish choices because someone always softened the landing.”
Delphine wiped her face. “You?”
“Yes.” She opened the door. “That’s the part I take responsibility for. It ends now.”
—
Nikolai waited at the end of the hallway. He hadn’t entered the room. Hadn’t sent anyone to interrupt. He’d simply stayed available.
“She’ll cooperate,” Vivienne said.
“I believe you.”
“Not her?”
“Not yet.”