Seven Years, One Lie: My Fiancé's Secret Family

I caught myself against the wall, unsteady.

His question cut into me like a blade, splitting my chest open and stirring everything inside.

All that love I'd once burned with had turned to rotting flesh, festering, breeding pale maggots.

All at once, so much of my life felt like it had nothing left to reach for.

Seven years ago, Nathan knelt outside my family's door for a long time.

It didn't win my father's approval.

Seven years later, he hid himself in silence, like a total bystander.

No longer defending me. No longer stepping into my family matters.

I don't know how my father left.

I only remember Imogen, Beatrice's hand in her left, shopping bags in her right.

Like the lady of the house, she walked straight to the pink Bentley and got in.

"Miss Cannon, Beatrice's fever just broke. She can't be out in a draft."

"I'll just borrow Mr. Sanchez's car for a bit~"

I yanked the door open and grabbed her by the collar.

"Get out! This is my car!"

Before I could put any strength into it, my scalp screamed with pain.

Nathan wrenched me away.

Not even in my worst dreams.

The man who'd knelt outside my family's door seven years ago, begging my father.

Seven years later, he shoved me away, hard and cold, to protect another woman.

I lurched sideways, my head slamming straight into the car window.

My ears rang for a long time.

Nathan helped Imogen up.

She rubbed her wrist, and the corners of her eyes went red in an instant.

"Mildred Lambert, take Imogen to ice that, quick."

Then it was just the two of us in the garage.

That Bentley was the car Nathan had given me to get around.

Afraid it was too flashy, I'd never once driven it to work.

The beautiful custom paint job now carried several long scratches.

And in it I could see my own face, gray as dead ashes.

Hatred sat on Nathan's face.

"I didn't expect your father to show up. Things are messy enough already. Why can't you let it go?"

I looked up and saw a clump of my hair still clenched in his palm.

"Just now, in front of my father, you made it even more humiliating for me!" I screamed at him.

"Oh, please." Nathan sneered. "Seven years of nothing, not a word, and the old man thinks he's got a granddaughter, so he comes rushing over to claim family."

My scalp throbbed, and I couldn't tell whether it was the wound or the knife in the back from the man I loved.

"Daddy, Mommy said someone was bullying her, so she took a taxi and left. Is Mommy going to be okay?"

Beatrice peeked timidly through the side door.

Nathan scooped the child up and soothed her.

"How could Daddy bully Mommy? Come on, let's go find Mommy first."

"But Daddy," Beatrice lifted her head from Nathan's shoulder and said, word by word, "the one who bullied Mommy was the aunty."

Nathan stood at the top of the stairs and gave me a cool sidelong glance.

"You have to apologize to Imogen."

"Nathan, she was the one who started it—"

I stepped forward twice, up onto the stairs, wanting to reason with him.

He turned aside to shield Beatrice.

Bang. The garage door shut out every sound.

My foot met empty air, and my body lost its balance.

The world spun.

I tumbled all the way down the stairs.

My lower abdomen slammed hard into the corner.

My phone screen flickered on.

【*Sanchez Media Founder's Four-Year-Old Daughter Revealed for the First Time*】

【*Nathan Sanchez's Secret Marriage and Hidden Daughter*】

Warm liquid slid down between my legs.

The pain crashed over me, and in despair, I closed my eyes.