AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m so confused because, of all things, that’s what he asks me first? “No. I love him. I wanted to marry him.” Somehow I still detect traces of fury in his voice, so I prefer to slightly omit the truth as it doesn’t matter now anyway.
We married for love even when we both thought otherwise.
Some tension eases off him, and he nods. “I’m happy to hear that. You need to sign these documents.” Only then I notice a red folder in his hands, and he places it on the bed next to me. “We need to divide some shares equally, so put your signature on it, and I’ll start the process.”
“I don’t understand.” I flip it open, and my eyes widen at the figure in there. “Alvarez.” I’ve heard of them over the years.
The family-operated conglomerate opened more than fifty years ago by two brothers who ended up having more wealth than they anticipated. “Yes. We have a big family, and our grandparents are still alive.” A gasp slips past my lips as realization hits me. That’s my biological mom’s family. “They’d like to meet you once you’re ready. They’re very happy.” He looks into the distance. “They might be emotional.” He places something else on the bed, and I pick it up, swallowing hard.
Because I'm looking at my mom’s picture where she stares into the camera and holds what must be five-year-old Diego. She hugs him close and kisses him on the cheek while permanent sadness exists in her eyes.
So young yet already so broken.
“What happened to her, Diego?”
He stays silent for so long I don’t expect him to answer, but he does. “I’m not sure. I know she didn’t go back to her parents after she ran away. She raised me in love. We didn’t have much, but God, did she try for me.” I trace my fingers over her image. “One day, John and Grayson showed up in the middle of the night ready to kill me and take her away. Grayson cut my throat so she could watch and then he killed her. He couldn’t stand the fact she hated him.” A humorless chuckle slips past his lips. “Oh, how happy I am to finally find them.” His voice promises them endless torture and…good. May they rot in hell for eternity. “They wore masks so I didn’t remember their faces.”
“And then our grandparents found you?”
“No. They found me years later.”
“So—”
“Enough.” One word yet it warns me to stay away from his past because he won’t share it. “Just sign it.”
“I’m not going to sign it. I have nothing to do with this inheritance. You clearly work for the company, so it’s yours.”
“It was our mother’s, and as her daughter, you deserve half of it. If you don’t want to get involved in the business, I’ll just give you access to the bank accounts and credit cards so you can use the money freely.” I shake my head in disbelief. “You’re not broke, Isla Evans. In fact, you need to change all your paperwork that still has this name on it. You are Isla Alvarez, an heiress, and that’s how the world will know you.”
All of this sounds so ridiculous! Who cares what people think? And discovering my mother’s family hardly erases my whole life and experiences. “I married Octavius, so I’m a Reed now. What’s the point in—”
I jerk when he snaps, his tone harsh and scary, “You will not carry our mother’s rapist name in any shape or form.” He exhales heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose, and coldness sweeps over me.
I rub my arms as I didn’t think about it. “I grew up with them, you know.” He stills at this as I look away, my life flashing like a horrible movie that I wish to forget. “I grew up with our mother’s rapist and a man who almost killed you.” I finish on a hushed whisper, wiping away the tears at the unfairness of it all, “You can change my name, Diego, but you can’t change my past.”
That’s what he wishes to do, right? Erase John as if he never existed, except I can’t do it. I’ll have to live forever with this heavy burden.
“True monsters know how to hide their rotten nature well. That’s why people like Octavius and I are needed. We don’t see masks. We see what’s inside and destroy it before it harms anyone else.” An odd note laces his tone, and our stares lock again. “Change your name. It’ll give you status, protection, and a sense of belonging. Not to mention our grandparents. They’d want you to have our name.”
He softens whenever he mentions them, so they must be good people. Still, is there a point in changing my name when I won’t use it anyway? “I think the Reed name can give me all those things.”
He huffs, and I see him tying his hair in a man bun. “Then you don’t know our world very well. You’ll always be an outsider who scored big by marrying a Reed.” I frown at this and hate that idea because I don’t want anyone thinking I married my man for any reason other than being foolishly in love with him. “Trust me. Our family name will give you a true status, and no one will treat you as a lucky nobody who snagged a rich man.”
Underneath all these logical reasons, though, I detect something else. “He won’t hurt me.” He raises his brow. “Octavius. He won’t ever hurt me. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I don’t worry, Isla. It’s not in my nature.” He points at the folder. “Sign it and I’ll be on my way. I have things to do.”
Disappointment fills me at this. “So soon? We have a son, Braiden. He’s five years old. You’re an uncle.” Surprise flickers in his eyes, and I probably sound like an idiot to him because, really, what else is there to say?
It’s not like we have any attachment to each other, so why would he care about Braiden? He might not even be involved in my life in any way, just sending me checks or whatever else he has in mind.
And no matter how much I’m curious about the man who’s my twin brother, I won’t push or stalk him like I did with Octavius. I’m a painful reminder of our past, about these men and the people who hurt Gloria and him. I don’t want to add to his trauma that still rocks him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t do what he does.
“My engagement party is tomorrow.”
“Oh. I won’t keep you any longer then.” Since he says nothing else like, ‘Hey, want to come or whatever?’ I pick up the pen and quickly put my signature on it. “Here.” He takes it, and I plaster a smile on my face, experiencing a sense of loss, which is strange because how can you grieve over a relationship you never knew anyway? “Congratulations.”
“Gracias.”
