Chapter 4 The Revelation

Hannah’s Point of View

I couldn't deny that Ally was beautiful, but that didn't change the fact that I already resented her. She was clearly hiding something, and it involved my father.

By the time I hit the road, it was already ten o’clock in the evening. A storm of questions raced through my mind as I drove toward my parents' house in Batangas, desperate for answers. What the hell was going on? What were they keeping from me? Who exactly was this girl, and how did she know my father? A dark knot of anxiety tightened in my chest. I desperately hoped my worst assumptions were wrong; I knew my mother couldn't handle another betrayal.

My mind spun out worst-case scenarios as the highway rolled by. Was Ally my father's hidden child? Or was she his mistress? I hated thinking the worst of him, but the panic was real. He had cheated on Mom once or twice in the past, but somehow, they always managed to patch things over. We were still a family, after all.

In a way, I always admired my mother for that. She loved him unconditionally. And despite his flaws as a husband, he had always been the best father in the world to me. He never failed to support me or surprise me when it mattered most. I had even convinced myself that he secretly knew about my sexuality and just chose not to bring it up.

"Dad!" I called out, bursting through the front door.

He looked up in surprise as I rushed over to hug him. He returned the embrace warmly, though his eyes filled with immediate concern.

"Yes, my princess? What brings you here so late?" he asked, his voice tinged with a strange hint of remorse. "It must be incredibly important if it couldn't wait until morning. It's been a month since your last visit, and I know you wouldn't drive all this way on a whim."

"Where's Mom?" I asked, looking around the quiet house.

"She's already asleep, Hannah. Please, have a seat. Don't just stand there."

Stepping into the vast, sprawling house, the silence felt deafening. The sheer size of the estate felt hollow, a reminder of the suffocating tension that always lingered whenever Dad's past indiscretions threatened to break us apart.

"Dad, I can't stay long," I said, cutting straight to the point. "Something bizarre happened today. A woman came into my office, acting like she had a massive secret to deliver, but she wouldn't give me the full story."

I took a step closer, my voice rising. "She asked me if you had told me yet. Told me what, Dad? What is she talking about? Just tell me the truth—is she your mistress? Are you cheating on Mom again? Please, Dad, don't lie to me."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Dad took a long, deep breath, looking down as if searching for the strength to speak. When he finally looked back up, the color had drained from his face.

"Hannah, listen to me carefully, and please, don't lose your temper," he began softly. "Your mother and I are simply fulfilling a promise we made to a very dear friend fifteen years ago. It was a blood pact. This man saved your mother's life from a terrible mining accident. In return, we agreed that our families would be joined through marriage when the time came. But we never expected things to turn out this way."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

He hesitated, the weight of the confession hanging in the air. "His eldest son—the man you were originally arranged to marry—passed away."

It took a few agonizing seconds for the gravity of his words to sink in. When it did, a wave of pure disbelief and anger washed over me.

"Then what does that girl have to do with any of this?" I demanded, tears welling up in my eyes as a horrible realization began to take shape.

"Ally is his daughter," Dad said, looking directly into my eyes.

"What?!" The tears finally spilled over, hot and furious. "Dad, are you serious? You trapped me in an arranged marriage? With a total stranger? And with a girl? You have to be joking!"

"If it helps you accept this... I'm a lesbian, Dad!" I screamed, the truth bursting out of me after years of hiding it. My heart hammered against my ribs, my voice shaking with a lifetime of suppressed emotion. "There. I finally said it!"

"We already know, Hannah," he answered flatly, showing no surprise at all.

I froze. "You knew? If you knew, why didn't you ever say anything? And even if I like women, that doesn't mean you can just hand me over to whatever girl you choose! Please, Dad, don't do this to me! I'm begging you!"

"Think about this rationally, sweetheart," he pressed on, his tone hardening. "Ally Moore is a wonderful person. Her father raised her well, and I know she would never hurt you. More than that, this merger is vital for our company. After the wedding, our families will finally be whole. This is our final decision, Hannah, whether you like it or not. You need to get to know her."

His unyielding words felt like a physical blow. I felt completely broken, trapped in a nightmare I couldn't escape.

"But Dad, does she even want this?" I sobbed, entirely distraught. "Is she like me? Because if she isn't, we are going to make each other absolutely miserable!"

I shook my head violently, taking a step back. "I won't do it, Dad! No! You might as well kill me before forcing me to marry someone I don't love. I'm in love with someone else! You can't do this to me!"

"You don't have a choice!" Dad shouted back, his jaw clenching tightly. "Your mother and I will disown you if you disobey us!"

"How can you do this, Dad! Is a business deal more important to you than your own daughter's happiness?!"

"He saved your mother's life!" he roared, his hands trembling with rage.

But as the echo of his voice faded, his face contorted in agony. He clutched his chest, gasping for air, before collapsing heavily onto the floor.

"Mom! Mom, come down! It's Dad!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Footsteps clattered on the stairs as Mom rushed down, instantly dialing for an ambulance. I knelt beside him, sobbing hysterically as panic took over. The minutes felt like hours. Why was the ambulance taking so long? If anything happened to him because of this argument, I knew I would never forgive myself.

"Hannah, calm down!" Mom urged, trying to hold me steady despite her own trembling hands. "Nothing bad is going to happen to your father. He's not going to leave us. Not yet. We have to be strong for him."

When the paramedics finally arrived, they moved with clinical speed, lifting Dad onto a stretcher and wheeling him out to the ambulance. I climbed in right beside him, gripping his cold hand tightly, crying and praying to a God I hadn't spoken to in years.

Dad, please don't do this. Don't leave us. I promise I'll do whatever you want. Just stay alive. Please, God, give him another chance. I'll give up anything. Whatever it takes, just let him live.

The moment we reached the hospital, the medical team rushed Dad straight into the emergency room, leaving Mom and me stranded in the hallway. I pulled Mom into a tight embrace, both of us shaking with fear.

"Mom... did you know about Ally?" I whispered through my tears. "Do I really have to marry her?"

Mom looked at me, her eyes red and filled with overwhelming guilt. "It's not just about a wedding promise anymore, Hannah. Out of pure guilt because his friend's wife died while saving me in that mining accident, your father signed the controlling shares of our company over to their family name. If you don't marry Ally, we lose everything we've ever built. Your father thought this arrangement was the only way to truly repay the debt we owed them."

Before she could say another word, the ER doors swung open and the doctor stepped out. "He's out of danger, Mrs. Spaughton."

"Thank God," I breathed, instantly standing up. "Can we see him?"

"Yes, but please ensure he stays completely calm. No stress."

We hurried into the recovery room. Seeing him lying there, looking so fragile, broke whatever resolve I had left.

"Dad!" I ran to his bedside, throwing my arms around him as gently as I could.

"Sweetheart... I am so incredibly sorry for everything," Dad whispered, his eyes swimming with tears of remorse as he weakly caressed my arm.

"Shh, stop it, Dad. Don't say that," I replied, wiping my tears away. I looked at him, completely resigning myself to a destiny I didn't want. "Just rest and focus on getting your strength back. You need to get well soon... so we can go home and prepare for my wedding."

I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. I was in love with Billy, and the thought of marrying Ally felt like a betrayal of my own heart. But I couldn't watch my family lose everything and let my father slip away out of my own selfishness. I had no choice. I had to sacrifice my own happiness for the sake of everyone else.

As I stared at the ceiling, one final question lingered in the quiet room: Was Ally being forced into this nightmare too, or was she the one pulling the strings?