Chapter 132 132

Chapter 132 132
\[Selena's POV\]

The weight of what we're planning settles over me slowly, like snow accumulating on branches.

I need air, need space to process the scope of Lisette's obsession and what it means for our family. The balcony off our bedroom has become my refuge during these final months of pregnancy—a small square of sky where I can breathe without the walls closing in. The apartment, despite its warmth and safety, feels suffocating right now, the walls pressing closer with every new revelation about the woman who's been hunting Alessandro  for years.

The city sprawls below me, indifferent to my turmoil, and I grip the railing and let the cold air fill my lungs. The metal bites into my palms, sharp and grounding, a reminder that I'm still here, still standing. Meghan shifts inside me, responding to my elevated heartbeat with kicks that feel almost protective. Five months along now, and she's making her presence known with increasing frequency. Each movement is a small miracle, a reminder of what we're fighting for.

"You're worried," Caden says, appearing beside me with the quiet grace that's become so familiar. He doesn't touch me yet, just stands close enough that I can feel his warmth against the January chill. His presence is a comfort I've come to depend on, steady and certain when everything else feels like quicksand.

"I'm always worried. It's my natural state." I keep my eyes on the skyline, watching the clouds drift across buildings that scrape the heavens. "But yes. This specifically. The scope of it, Caden. She's been doing this for years. Different people, different methods, but the same pattern. Alessandro  thought his career problems were bad luck. They were orchestrated by someone who's made revenge into an art form."

"I noticed that too." He's quiet for a moment, organizing his thoughts in that methodical way of his. The silence between us is comfortable, filled with unspoken understanding. "Three documented cases before Alessandro . Possibly more. She's careful—never leaves fingerprints, always maintains deniability. But the pattern is unmistakable once you see it."

"And now she's escalating. The subway encounter, the continued networking even after leaving Columbia." I turn to face him, searching his features for the reassurance I need. His eyes are calm but serious, reflecting my own fears back at me along with something steadier—resolve. "She's not going to stop, is she? Not until she's destroyed him completely."

"No. I don't think she is."

The confirmation of my fears should feel worse than it does. Instead, there's something almost clarifying about it. We're not fighting shadows anymore. We have a clear enemy with documented patterns of behavior. That's information we can use. The terror is still there, coiled tight in my chest, but now it has a direction—a target instead of an endless void.

"Alessandro 's been quiet since he finished reading the files," I say. "Too quiet. That scares me more than if he were raging."

"He's planning." Caden's expression shifts into something knowing. "I recognize the signs. When Alessandro  feels out of control, he finds ways to take control back. It's how he's wired."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing right now?"

"Depends on what he's planning. But honestly? I think it might be exactly what he needs. He's been a passive target for too long. Having a strategy, feeling like he's fighting back—that could be healthier than continuing to absorb her attacks."

I consider his words, turning them over in my mind like stones. He's right—Alessandro  does need to feel in control. It's one of the things I learned about him early in our relationship, how uncertainty gnaws at him in ways that can become destructive if not channeled properly. The helplessness has been eating him alive; maybe purpose is the antidote.

"The symposium next month," I say slowly. "The one on immigration policy. Alessandro 's consulting work would make attendance completely legitimate."

"And Lisette will almost certainly be there. She never misses opportunities to network."

"If he goes, if she approaches him..." I trail off, not wanting to voice the possibility and the risk it carries. The words stick in my throat, sharp-edged with fear.

"Then we'll have documentation of her behavior in a public setting. Witnesses, potentially. Evidence that she's not content to let the past stay past." Caden's hand finally finds mine on the railing, warm despite the cold. His fingers intertwine with mine, a wordless promise. "It's a risk. But it might be the opportunity we need."

"And if it backfires? If she says something that hurts him, that gets in his head?"

"Then we'll be here to help him process it. That's what we do, Selena. We show up for each other, even when showing up is hard."

I lean into him slightly, accepting the comfort he's offering. The city continues its endless noise below us—traffic and voices and the distant wail of sirens—but up here, in our small sanctuary, everything feels possible. The cold air fills my lungs, and I let it wash away some of the fear, making room for something that feels dangerously like hope.

"I should go back inside," I say finally. "Talk to Alessandro . Make sure he knows we're behind him, whatever he decides."

"He knows. But hearing it again won't hurt."

We return to find Alessandro  in the office, surrounded by printed pages and Post-it notes arranged in a configuration that looks like chaos but probably makes perfect sense to him. His laptop displays multiple browser tabs, each one open to different information about harassment documentation and legal options. The room hums with his intensity, the air charged with purpose.

"Alessandro ?" I say from the doorway. "Want to tell us the full plan?"

He looks up, and there's something in his eyes I haven't seen before. Not fear or despair or even anger. Calculation. The sharp focus of someone who's stopped being a victim and started being a strategist. The transformation is startling—and beautiful in its fierceness.

"The symposium," he says. "Next month. I'm going to attend. And if Lisette approaches me—when she approaches me—I'm going to let her reveal exactly who she is."