Chapter 2
Valeria’s breath hitched in her throat. The words echoed in the suddenly silent space around their table, bouncing off the mahogany walls and the expensive glassware. Her mind raced backward through ten years of marriage, through bitter court dates, through whispered accusations, and finally landed on the blonde man standing directly behind her.
"Your... dad?" Valeria whispered, the venom draining out of her voice, replaced by a cold, hollow dread. She turned her head slowly, her eyes locking onto the blonde man—her ex-husband—who refused to meet her gaze.
The older man in the dark suit didn't raise his voice. He reached down, picked up his cloth napkin, and placed it neatly beside his untouched plate. "Yes, Valeria. My son. And your former husband, who apparently never learned to tell you the truth about his family, his business, or why we were forced to cut him off years ago."
The older woman with the dark reddish-brown hair finally spoke, her voice trembling with a mixture of sorrow and long-repressed anger. "We never wanted you to find out this way, dear. But Julian refused to tell you who we were, and when your marriage fell apart three days ago, we came here to offer him a final chance to come clean before we left the country."
Valeria staggered back a half-step, her fingers gripping the gold chain of her beige handbag until her knuckles turned white. The maroon dress felt like armor that had just been stripped away, leaving her utterly exposed in the center of the crowded room. She looked from the older man to the woman who was apparently her former mother-in-law, and finally back to Julian.
"You lied to me," Valeria said, her voice dropping to a fragile whisper that carried a dangerous, rising storm beneath it. "For ten whole years, you let me believe your family was dead, that you were entirely alone in the world, while all this time..."
May you like
Julian finally raised his head, his blue eyes defensive and desperate. "I had my reasons, Val. You don't know what it’s like growing up under his shadow."
Before Julian could finish his sentence, the older man stepped between them, his gaze cold and absolute. "The time for excuses ended years ago, Julian. And as for you, Valeria, there is much more about your divorce settlement you need to know."
