Lahat ng Kabanata ng Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak: Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

The private jet touched down on the soil with a gentle thud. I straightened my tie, already reaching for my phone before we'd fully taxied to a stop."Car's waiting," I said to Raul and Clara, who I noticed exchange worried glances across the aisle. I ignored it and instead said "We're going straight to the vineyard.""Alejandro," Raul said cautiously as we disembarked, the warm Madrid air hitting us after hours in recycled cabin oxygen. "Maybe we should think this through before doing anything."I ignored him, striding toward the sleek black Mercedes I'd arranged to pick us. The driver opened the door, and I slid into the back seat, already punching the vineyard's address into my phone."Alvarez Vineyards," I instructed the driver. Raul caught the door before it closed. "Boss, wait." His voice was firm enough to make me look up. "This is a mistake.""Get in the car or stay behind," I said coldly. I am still angry at the both of them. "I don't care which."Clara slipped in beside me

The world tilted before me dangerously. I had to grip the balustrade to steady myself."Stop saying that! Antonio is my daughter’s father," I insisted, my voice cracking. "He died in a crash. The crash that I survived. Take your bullshit elsewhere."He shook his head, an almost pitying look crossing his face. "There was no car crash, Estella. You were in a plane crash on your way to the Amalfi Coast.""I'm not Estella!" I shouted, tears threatening at the back of my throat. "My name is Amelia Alvarez. And I don’t fucking know you. "Something flickered in his eyes – surprise, maybe. "You have to believe me this is all a cover," he said, then cleared his throat. "What had a sort of an arrangement.""What arrangement?" I demanded, confusion overwhelming me."Our marriage." He moved closer still, until I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "The one we had and both agreed to as revenge against Marco Valdez. Your ex-husband who nearly destroyed you.""Marco..." For a moment, all

The house was silent when I finally slipped into my bedroom, but my mind was anything but.I shut the door behind me, pressing my back against it. My body felt heavy, like all the adrenaline from the last twenty-four hours had suddenly drained out of me.I walked to my closet, peeling off my gown and slipping into one of my silk nightdresses.I climbed into bed, tucking the blankets up to my chin. But sleep?It did not come.I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, my mind cycling through the same, torturous questions.What if he wasn’t lying?What if my entire life—the life I had accepted, the life Eleanor built for me—was the real lie?I squeezed my eyes shut. No.He was manipulating me. That was what Eleanor said. He was obsessive. He wanted something from me. That’s why he knew so much about my past.Why had he looked at me that way? Like he had already decided who I was—like I didn’t have a say in it?I turned over, reaching for my phone on the nightstand.My fingers hovered

Alejandro's POV Eleanor's face drained of color the instant our eyes met. Recognition flashed across her features. For a moment, no one moved. The playground sounds faded to white noise around us as we stared at each other across the short distance. The old woman's eyes darted between me and Arielle, horror slowly replacing shock. Then Eleanor stormed forward, gripping Arielle's hand with such force that the child winced. "Come, darling." Her voice was tight, forced calm barely masking panic. "We need to go home now." Arielle's face crumpled into a pout. "But I was talking to—" "Now." I stood motionless, watching as Eleanor pulled her away. Something primal and possessive surged through my veins. Before Eleanor disappeared into the crowd of mothers and children, I spoke, my voice carrying just far enough. "You had no right to take advantage of Estella condition. To keep a child—my child—from her father." Eleanor stiffened, her back to me but her posture rigid with f

I don't remember the turns I took, the lights I stopped at. My mind was consumed by those numbers on the test.99.99% probability.How was this possible? How could Arielle be his daughter? It made no sense. None of it made any sense.Unless...Unless I really was her. Estella De Luca. His wife.No. That was impossible. I was Amelia Alvarez. I had a life here. A company. A daughter with Antonio. Antonio who had died......five years ago?My thoughts raced, colliding and fracturing. Could I trust anything I knew about myself?I screeched to a halt in the driveway, grabbed the test results, and rushed inside. The villa's grand foyer felt suddenly unfamiliar, like I was seeing it through a stranger's eyes.I burst through the door, breathless, pale, clutching the DNA test in my hand like it might explode.Eleanor looked up from the living room sofa, setting down a cup of tea. Her face immediately registered concern."Amelia? What's wrong?""You." My voice shook with barely controlled rage