CHAPTER 3

 The Echoes of Betrayal

The air in the dimly lit motel room was thick with cigarette smoke and the unshakable weight of betrayal. Elena sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers trembling as she scrolled through the messages on her burner phone. Every word on the screen seared into her mind like a brand—undeniable proof that the man she once trusted had orchestrated her downfall.

Gabriel.

His name had once been synonymous with love, security, and devotion. Now, it was a poison she couldn't purge from her veins. The documents she'd stolen from his office revealed more than just his infidelity—they exposed his bloodstained empire. The man she had married in whispers and candlelight was not the devoted husband she thought he was. He was a liar. A criminal. A killer.

Elena swallowed hard, her resolve hardening like steel. There was no turning back now.

A sudden knock at the door snapped her from her thoughts.

Three knocks. A pause. Two more.

Her heart pounded. That was the signal.

She tucked the gun beneath the waistband of her jeans and crossed the room cautiously. With one hand on the doorknob and the other gripping the cool metal of her weapon, she exhaled and opened the door just enough to see a familiar face.

Luca.

His dark eyes were sharp, scanning the room behind her before he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

"You look like hell," he muttered, tossing a manila folder onto the bed.

Elena ignored the jab, grabbing the folder and flipping it open. The first page alone made her stomach lurch.

A surveillance photo of Gabriel at a dockside warehouse. A woman—young, blonde, and clinging to his arm—stood beside him. But it wasn't the woman who sent a cold shiver down Elena's spine.

It was the shipment behind them.

Weapons. Crates of them. Smuggled under the radar, hidden in humanitarian aid shipments.

She exhaled sharply. "This is bigger than I thought."

Luca nodded, his jaw tightening. "It always is."

For months, she had been digging, chasing ghosts and whispers, convinced that Gabriel was hiding something. But this? This was an empire built on blood money, corruption, and lies. And she had spent years sleeping beside the devil himself.

She clenched her fists. "We take him down."

Luca sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You say that like it's simple."

"It is," she said, locking eyes with him. "We hit him where it hurts. His money. His operations. His reputation."

Luca hesitated. "And what about you? If he finds out you're behind this—"

"He already knows," she interrupted.

Silence.

Luca cursed under his breath. "Then we don't have time. He'll come for you."

Elena smirked, a dark edge in her eyes. "Let him try."

The woman Gabriel had underestimated was gone. In her place was someone far more dangerous.

Silent vengeance was coming. And when it did, Gabriel would wish he'd never shattered his vows.