Dangerous Melodies - Chapter 63: Chapter 63

DANTE
Felix and I pulled up to Marisol’s place.
The mansion whispered modern elegance, every line clean, every choice deliberate. It perched in the Los Angeles hills, wrapped in sleek white stucco and panes of glass that caught the sun like polished ice. Behind it, the view spilled wide over the sprawl, as if the house had swallowed the city whole.
Inside, the space opened wide. High ceilings breathed above us. Soft lighting cast a warm glow over the pale walls. Dark hardwood pressed firm beneath my boots. Wide glass doors opened onto a terrace, where the breeze slipped inside and the walls forgot where they ended.
Too pristine. Like a place that didn’t expect to be lived in.
My place stood in contrast. Shadows and structure, all blacks, greys, and heavy wood. Hers was light, all air and angles.
Like the house, she seemed made to rise above things. I was built to hold them in.
A low-slung gray sectional grounded the living room, flanked by angular chairs and a glass table that gleamed like water. Above the fireplace, an abstract in washed blues and greens quieted the room, like a breath held between storms.
To the right, a long glass-top table rested beneath a haloed fixture, circled by high-backed chairs like quiet sentries. Beyond that, the kitchen gleamed with white cabinetry and a marble island untouched by fingerprints or time.
Quiet control pulsed through every line.
Lucas met us with a folder under one arm, tension stitched across his mouth like thread pulled too tight. He led us deeper into the house, each step clipped and precise as if he were bracing for something.
When he passed me the folder, his fingers lingered. Just long enough to be noticed.
"Here’s the NDA," Lucas said, his voice even, but tight as wire. "Everything you see or hear is confidential. Marisol has two rules. Don’t ask about her past. Don’t mention the scars on her back. Break either, and you're done."
I stiffened.
What the hell was she hiding?
"If I’m supposed to protect her, I need to know what she’s running from. Otherwise, I’m blind."
Lucas hesitated, his gaze flicking between us.
"I get it, but... It’s not that simple." His voice dropped. "She woke up in a hospital six years ago. Gunshot wound to the head. No memory. Not even a name."
A shadow passed behind his eyes, quick and unspoken. Like saying it out loud still cost him.
I froze.
She wasn’t pretending.
Relief hit hard, sudden, and blinding. She really didn’t remember. All the doubts I’d carried. Every bitter theory. Unraveled in seconds.
I was wrong.
Felix cut in.
"So she doesn’t remember anything?"
His voice held weight I hadn’t heard in years. He wasn’t just thinking about her. He was watching me.
Back in the day, I’d have followed his lead without question. Now, I watched his eyes.
Lucas nodded slowly and reluctantly.
"She’s tried, but it’s like she didn’t exist before that night. No records. No trail. Nothing."
Felix’s brow dipped.
"How’d she land on the name Marisol?"
Lucas blinked.
"Said it came to her one night. Just... popped in. Like it belonged to her before she did."
My chest tightened.
It wasn’t just a name. It was a breadcrumb. A fragment buried too deep to reach.
She’d haunted me for years, even when I thought she might be lying.
I’d have to rebuild everything from scraps. Meet her all over again.
But this time, I wouldn’t screw it up.
Felix cleared his throat, stepping into the silence.
"We’ll start with the perimeter. Then inside. We’ll look at upgrades," he told Lucas.
Their voices drifted. My mind stayed stuck on her.
I knew the truth now.
But do I tell her? Or let it surface on its own?
Every step forward felt like walking a wire. I had to protect her, but let her find her own truth.
I’d be there when the memories came. I had to be.
If I told her too soon, I could shatter her.
Wait too long, and the truth might find her the wrong way.
How much of her is still in there? What will surface? Will she know me when it does?
I didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was clear.
I’d stand beside her.
No matter what.
DANTE
We stepped outside into the crisp evening air.
The estate stretched around us, washed in gold from the setting sun. Impressive on the surface, but the security was a joke. Old cameras hung uselessly along the walls, and half the motion lights flickered like dying fireflies. High walls offered illusion, not safety. Too many gaps. Too many risks.
We walked in silence, boots crunching over gravel. My eyes scanned the aging system, but my mind was far from the cameras.
Felix broke the silence.
"So, how are you holding up?"
I didn’t answer right away. My gaze stayed on the outdated cameras, but my thoughts were miles away.
"How do you process finding out your wife’s alive after thinking she was dead for six years?" My jaw locked. "And she doesn’t remember any of it. Not me. Not us."
Felix nodded slowly.
"That’s gotta hit hard. She doesn’t even know who she is, let alone who you are."
My hands curled into fists.
"It’s more than hard. It’s infuriating. She’s right there, breathing, but she’s a stranger. The life we had? Gone. It’s like I lost her all over again."
We kept walking, tension stretched tight between us. As we turned into the side garden, Felix suddenly stopped. His eyes widened.
"Holy shit," he muttered, staring at me. "You’re still married. You never signed the divorce papers."
I froze. The corner of my mouth twitched into something close to a smile.
"I know," I said quietly. "My wife is alive."
Felix chuckled, shaking his head.
"So, what’s the plan? You're gonna reintroduce yourself as her husband?"
My jaw tightened again as we stepped back inside.
"First, I want everything there is to know about Marisol. Who she is now. Who she knows. How she lives." My voice was steady, but inside, I burned.
Felix pulled out his phone as we entered the dim security room. He scrolled. Then let out a low chuckle.
I didn’t look up from the monitors.
"What’s so funny?"
Felix shook his head, still staring at the screen.
"Looks like your wife was dating a Hollywood action star. Built like a damn tank."
My head jerked toward him.
"Who?"
"Travis Wills. Known for fight scenes and doing his own stunts."
I clenched my teeth.
"Great. Just great."
Felix kept scrolling. His smirk faded. Before he could speak, I snapped.
"What now?"
He looked up, less amused.
"She’s been linked to a few other big names, but… none of it lasted."
What if she’s moved on? What if she remembers and doesn’t want me anymore?
My fists clenched. Images of her in someone else’s arms burned through my mind.
Even if she remembers... maybe she won’t want the man I was. Maybe she shouldn’t.
I forced in a breath, dragging my mind back to the present.
She didn’t know who she really was. She hadn’t chosen this life, just survived it.
Felix’s voice cut through.
"She’s been in the spotlight a long time. That kind of life draws attention. But none of those guys stuck."
My glare sharpened, the storm in my chest refusing to settle.
She was alive, and she had a whole life I didn’t know.
But I’d reclaim what was mine. No matter how long it took.
Felix whistled softly.
"Can’t believe I didn’t know. Everyone’s heard of Marisol. Guess I’ve been under a rock."
I leaned back in the chair and sighed.
"I didn’t either." My voice dropped. "I buried myself in Kincade Industries. Drowned the grief in work. That’s all I had."
Felix shot me a look, surprised, but he didn’t speak.
I stared at the screen, my voice steel.
"But that changes now."
DANTE
Felix and I walked back into the house, our minds still tangled in thoughts of the estate’s gaping security flaws.
As we stepped into the main living area, we found her.
Marisol.
She'd just showered. Damp strands of hair clung to her neck as she raked her fingers through them. She wore a cropped T-shirt and soft shorts, her face bare. The simplicity stole my breath. She looked younger. Familiar. Like the woman I had loved before everything fell apart.
My chest tightened.
I hadn’t realized the depth of my love for her until it was too late.
I’d been a damn fool. Blind to what mattered until it vanished.
The urge to cross the room and pull her into my arms gripped me like a vice. I curled my hands into fists, grounding myself.
She had built something without me. A life I wasn’t part of.
She looked up, smiling.
"What's the verdict?" she asked, towel still in hand.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came. My throat was a knot.
Felix picked up the slack.
"A lot of it is outdated. We’ll need to overhaul the entire system. I’ll get a list together and start the order."
Before she could reply, the front door slammed.
A voice rang out.
"Mommy, I'm home!"
A blur of movement. A backpack skidded across the floor, and a little girl flew into Marisol’s arms.
My heart stopped.
Dark curls. Small limbs.
Her daughter.
I went rigid, a wave of shock slamming into me.
Marisol was a mother.
Who’s the father?
Rage and confusion churned. Is he still in her life?
It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t remember. But it didn’t make it hurt any less.
Marisol crouched down, her arms open wide.
"I’ve missed you, baby girl!"
Laughter filled the space as the little girl giggled in her mother’s embrace.
I stood frozen. Anger, jealousy, regret. It twisted in my gut.
This was the family I never knew I needed.
She wasn’t mine. I knew that. But seeing her like this in Marisol’s arms shifted something inside me.
She was part of Marisol. That made her part of me, too.
My fists clenched again. Nails biting into my skin. Years of suppression cracked wide open.
"How was science camp?" Marisol asked.
"Amazing! We made volcanoes! Mine exploded the highest! I named it Boom-Boom the Destroyer!"
Her joy was a gut punch. Pure and bright.
Marisol laughed, kissing her cheek.
"That sounds like one powerful volcano."
"Mrs. Anderson said I’m a natural scientist!"
Pride shone in her tiny voice. My throat burned.
I had missed it all.
Felix touched my arm subtly.
"She’s beautiful," he said softly, then turned to Marisol. "Science camp? She seems young for that. How old is she?"
"She’s five," Marisol replied, beaming. "But smart for her age."
Five.
I said nothing. Couldn’t. The ache hollowed me out.
Marisol led the girl toward us, her smile warm.
"Luzie, these are our new friends, Dante and Felix. They’re going to help us out. This is my daughter, Luz. We call her Luzie. She’s my light."
Luzie looked up at me.
And the world stopped.
Her hair. Her cheekbones. Her mouth. All mine. Except for her eyes.
Shock slammed into me, my breath catching.
She’s mine.
Regret surged, sharp, and unforgiving.
How many moments did I miss?
Luzie blinked up at me.
"Whoa! You’re as big as a mountain! If you pick me up, I can touch the clouds!"
A laugh broke from my chest, quiet and stunned.
"Maybe you could," I said, voice rough with wonder.
She turned to Felix.
"And you’re like a hill!"
Felix grinned.
"A hill, huh? I’ll take it."
She faced Marisol again, eyes wide.
"Can they stay for dinner? Can Dante sit next to me?"
Marisol chuckled, her gaze catching mine.
"Yes, sweetheart. They’ll be here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
Luzie jumped with excitement.
"Yay! Every time!"
I smiled, but it hurt.
This was my child. My blood. I’d missed everything.
Pride swelled, tangled with guilt.
Marisol had done it all without me. Without her memories. Alone.
But I was here now.
And I wasn’t leaving again.
Not ever.