The truth

Isabella’s POV

I stirred half-conscious on the couch as I felt someone lift me. When I smelled sandalwood, I knew if was Mateo even before I fully woke.

His scent. It used to calm me. It used to make me feel safe. Now… it made my stomach twist.

I forced my eyes open, staring up into the face of the man I had worshipped for years. “Mateo, what are you doing?”

"You are awake. I am taking you to the bed." He replied. "I’m sorry, Bella. The year-end audit turned into a nightmare. I should have called more." He said, smiling down at me, the way he always did when he thought charm could fix everything

"It’s fine, Mateo," I said.

"It’s not fine. I broke a promise." He set me down gently. His hands stayed on my waist. "Hit me. Yell at me. I deserve it."

He wanted me to throw a tantrum. He wanted the "clingy" Isabella back because my anger was something he could manage. It was an ego boost.

I pushed him away as I felt a sudden cramp blooming in my abdomen. "Don't."

His eyes sparked with amusement, mistaking it for a lover’s spat. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out velvet box. "I have something for—"

Before he could finish his words, his phone rang. Mateo’s face stiffened when he grabbed his phone and glanced at the screen.

“Babe,” it read.

Valentina.

I caught the flicker of panic in his eyes as Mateo’s thumb flew to the "silent" button.

"Spam," He muttered, locking the phone. "They never stop."

I didn’t speak. I just watched.

His phone didn't stop vibrating. New messages. One after another.

Sighing, he unlocked the phone and read it. “Stomach pain,” I heard him mutter under his breath.

Before I could ask, before I could even move, he fumbled with the ring box, placed it in my lap, and muttered something about a sudden company emergency.

And just like that, he was gone

I looked down at the box. I didn't open it. A while later, my phone buzzed in my lap.

Valentina: I’m having such bad stomach pain, so I asked Mateo to come over and keep me company. You won’t be mad, right?

Then she sent another message with photo.

Oh, right. He is so sweet. Look what he bought me. Do you think it’s pretty?

Attached was a photo of her hand. On her finger was the exact same marquise-cut diamond ring that sat in the box in my lap. He hadn't even bought two different rings. He had bought a set. A buy-one-get-one-free for the wife and the whore.

I almost laughed.

Later that day, I went to the hospital for a checkup. My morning sickness had worsened.

I held the appointment slip in my hand and walked slowly, one step at a time, reminding myself to breathe. Just a checkup, I told myself. Just make sure the baby is fine.

I was turning the corner toward the obstetrics wing when voices reached me.

Familiar ones.

I stopped without thinking.

I froze, pressing my back against the wall.

“…are you insane?” The female voice snapped. I recognized it right away. Sofia’s. My step mother. Her voice carried easily down the corridor. “She is pregnant, Mateo. Pregnant. Do you know what that means? That child is the future heir.”

“I don’t care what excuses you have,” Sofia continued. “You divorce Isabella. Immediately. You marry Valentina.”

Valentina’s voice followed, sobbing, “Aunt Sofia, please… don’t yell. Mateo will listen. He just needs time.”

Then I heard the third voice. “Valentina, don’t worry. I will always support you. You are family. We won’t let you suffer alone.” It was my father. Gabriel.

I pressed my fingers into the wall to keep myself steady.

Sofia shouted again. "Listen to me, Mateo! If you won't marry my sister, I will take her straight to the hospital for an abortion! I would like to see what’s so great about that barren woman you call a wife!"

My breath hitched. Barren?

On the other end of the call, Mateo must have said something, because Sofia’s voice rose again. “Heartless! You sleep with her, get her pregnant, and feel nothing? After everything you have done together?”

Valentina broke then. “He said… he said I was more passionate than her. He said if He had met me first, he would have married me.”

I could see her face without looking. Tearful that made people feel sorry for her.

“He says I am more open than.” Valentina continued. “But when my stomach hurt, when I begged him to come… he said he would. And he never came. He only loves Isabella. Her tone shifted suddenly, it sounded so hateful. “That witch. She was born to ruin everything. Why doesn’t she just die already?”

My breath caught in my throat.

Sofia didn’t scold her. She sounded like she agreed with her. “She is not even a real Romano anyway.”

The words hit harder than any slap.

“Sofia?” Gabriel muttered. “Lower your voice.”

Sofia scoffed. “It’s the truth. That woman who gave birth to her was nothing but a maid. A nobody who trapped you.”

The world tilted. The floor felt like jelly beneath my feet. Not a Romano?

Sofia went on, “That girl has no right to the Romano name. No right to Mateo. No right to anything.”

Everything suddenly made sense.

The cold dinners. The way my father always looked past me. The constant reminders to be grateful, to be quieter, to stop causing trouble.

It was all a lie. My entire identity was a lie constructed to keep a secret.

Then Valentina’s voice rose. "Sofia, if he won't marry me, we need to take action. I saw Isabella a few days ago in the hospital. I think she is pregnant. I hope she isn't. But if she really is, we need to get rid of it. Whatever it takes."

My hand flew to my abdomen.

Sofia didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Without an heir from her, Mateo will have no reason to stay. And miscarriages happen all the time.”

“Or a fall.” Valentina said. “Just like Elina.”

I stopped breathing.

"That stupid woman." Valentina laughed. It felt like a physical blow. "She still thinks she left the baby alone. She doesn't know that Mateo was with me in the guest room…”

Sofia cut her off nervously, "Valentina, be careful…"

But Valentina didn't stop. “We were having sex. That poor baby fell, and Mateo heard the thud. He went to check, but he was so eager to get back to me that he just put Elena back in the crib and came back to finish what we started. He didn't even check if she was hurt."

"Enough!" Gabriel hissed. "Someone might hear you."

I didn't scream. I couldn't. I put my hand over my mouth as tears streamed down my face in silent.

Elena didn't die because of a grocery run. She died because her father chose his mistress’s bed over his daughter’s life.

He had watched me blame myself. He had watched his mother spit on me at the funeral. He had let me believe I was the monster so he wouldn't have to admit he was the devil.

And now, they were planning to kill the baby in my womb.

I needed to leave. I can't afford to wait six months anymore. I needed to move fast. I wouldn't let them hurt my baby again. I would take revenge for my Elena.

I wiped my tears off and took a step around the corner.

But before I could walk away, a hand grabbed my arm.

"Isabella!" I heard Sofia gasp as she yanked me into the corridor. "What are you doing skulking around?"

I looked at her. I looked at Gabriel, the man who wasn't my father. I looked at Valentina, the woman who had helped kill my daughter.

I didn't flinch. I didn't even stutter.

"I was just looking for the exit," I said, keeping my voice calm. "But I think I have finally found my way out."