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169

Author: Rossy
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-07-06 17:22:20

CATALINA

I watched him without blinking. His jaw was set tight, too tight, as he read through the contents of the flash drive on my laptop. The only sound in the room was the tick of the wall clock and the restless sigh he let out.

Each word seemed heavier than the last. I could see it in how his shoulders curled inward like the weight of each sentence was chiseling itself into his bones.

I felt sick because I knew what it would do to him.

Dante believed in loyalty as if it were a religion. And now the altar was burning. He didn’t speak. His hands trembled once, just once, and then steadied, like a man preparing for war. I took a slow breath and stepped closer, placing my palm on his back.

I didn’t ask if he was okay. He wasn’t. I just stayed there, the only thing at that moment I could offer was presence.

The silence between us was heavy with realization. The world had shifted, and nothing would be the same again.

He turned to me with furrowed brows. My pulse quickened at how he l
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  • THE REMARRIED HEIRESS    196

    CATALINAThe christening had ended with applause and polite smiles, but all I remember now is how long I stared at the front door that night, waiting for it to open. I’d kept my phone nearby, charging and blinking quietly on the coffee table. There were no calls, no texts, and it was past ten when I started pacing.The kids were asleep, exhausted from running through the hall and chasing after crumbs of cake. My baby girl was tucked into her crib, her breath soft, her christening bracelet still tied loosely around her wrist.The house was too quiet.Abby stood stationed by the front window, arms folded. She didn’t speak, but her eyes flicked toward me now. She always knew when I was spiraling, and tonight, I was unraveling in slow motion.I rechecked the clock. Eleven twenty-two. He should’ve been home hours ago.My fingers hovered over his contact. I didn’t want to call. A part of me was afraid to hear the excuse, and another was afraid he wouldn’t answer.So, I glanced at the baby

  • THE REMARRIED HEIRESS    195

    CATALINA"I love you and I know I’ve made it hard to believe that lately. But please… don’t give up on me yet.”After he said those words… I felt his sincerity. But why am I still doubting him?He stared at me as longing and love were evident in his eyes.With a sigh, I pushed the stranger's phone toward him gently, like I was offering proof of something I hoped wasn’t true. As soon as he looked at the screen, his jaw clenched.Yes, it was Karen. But the phone doesn't have anything more. It was a burner phone, so there's nothing inside it except the photo.“That’s you,” I said, my voice trembling despite everything I rehearsed in my head. “And that’s Karen. Why do you look like you’re about to kiss her?”He didn’t reach for the phone, just stared at it. His lips parted slightly, as if words were stuck somewhere behind his guilt.“It’s not what you think,” he murmured.My chest tightened as I stood, folding my arms to stop them from shaking.“Then help me think differently.”He sighed

  • THE REMARRIED HEIRESS    194

    DANTEThe soft clack of my keyboard is the only sound left in the room. Everyone’s gone home, even the cleaning crew called it a night an hour ago. I’m surrounded by mahogany and glass and a skyline that flickers like it’s mocking me, reminding me that while my city keeps living, I’ve become something of a ghost in my own life.Funny, isn’t it? I feel like I’m losing the only thing that ever really mattered.My Lina.My phone suddenly rang. I hastily grabbed my phone, hoping it was my wife. But to my disappointment, it was Ralph.“What?” I answered.“Yow! Wassup…” he always has high energy. I wonder what he drinks every day that gives him that kind of energy, as if he's not worried about his controversial life. “What do you want?”“I just miss my cousin, so I called to hear you sigh and have that low–”“I'm asking again." I firmly said, cutting his words off. “What do you want?”He let out a deep sigh that lasted five seconds. I scratched my temple as I was about to put down the call

  • THE REMARRIED HEIRESS    193

    CATALINAI held the phone like it might vanish if I blinked. In the back seat of the car, the world outside the window blurred. Banners flapping on lampposts, motorcycles weaving between sluggish taxis, the chaos of the roads but I couldn’t see any of it. My eyes were fixed on the image in a stranger’s phone.The woman's face wasn’t visible, only her back was turned, and her body was slightly angled toward my husband. But her stance… the familiarity of it clawed at me. There was something intimate in how she leaned in, how her arm rested against his chest like it belonged there.My pulse pounded while I stared at the clothes.She wore a cream blazer over a soft blue dress, the shades I knew too well. The texture of that dress, the cut, the gold buttons at the wrist that I saw worn before… by Karen.My stomach dropped.It couldn’t be. Karen? The stranger who handed me the phone made no explanation and didn't give a name. And I hadn’t seen the woman’s face. I wanted it to be someone e

  • THE REMARRIED HEIRESS    192

    CATALINAMorning arrived dressed in gray clouds and a sluggish breeze. The kind of day that promised nothing and felt like it kept secrets. I sat at the edge of the garden café, the table carefully chosen far from the entrance, with just enough privacy.Karen had said she’d meet me here. I texted her the venue and time, but I didn't get a reply. I still came early, though. I ordered green tea because coffee felt too bold for the conversation I suspected we were about to have. I wasn’t naive. I knew she’d been caught in whatever explosion happened between her and my husband yesterday. But I also knew Karen, or at least I thought I did. She didn’t walk away without explanation.Minutes turned into an hour.I checked my phone but found nothing. No text. No missed call. Not even a polite cancellation.The tea was cold now as I hadn’t touched it in thirty minutes.At one point, the server came over with sympathy in her eyes and asked if I wanted to order something else. I declined politel

  • THE REMARRIED HEIRESS    191

    CATALINAThe baby in my arms moves as her tiny mouth twitches in sleep. I adjust her gently, just enough not to wake her. Her warmth anchors me, but my eyes drift again to the balcony, to where Dante and Karen were talking about work-related matters.“Why are you anxious?”“I don't know–” I paused and gazed at Abby, whose brow raised. “I'm not anxious.”“It’s obvious, ma'am.”“I was just looking at them.” I avoided her eyes and just looked at Lia on my lap who was sleeping peacefully.Abby didn't say anything after that. I know she's not convinced, and I'm glad she's not the type of person who will force you to speak up.She excused herself to get some water in the kitchen. I watched her walk away and I couldn't help but look at the balcony again.Suddenly, Dante leans against the railing while gesturing toward something on the tablet Karen is holding. They’ve been out there for nearly an hour and I can’t hear everything, but I know enough that it’s serious. I glance back at the liv

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