70. Break Me

“It was them, Nathaniel and Mrs. Carlos,” I cried, sitting on the couch in Brenda’s apartment, still wearing my wedding gown. The veil had been torn into two pieces, and streaks of mascara ran down my cheeks from all the crying. The day I had pinned so much hope on had been completely shattered. Kelly lay quietly in my lap, resting her head, not saying a word since we left the wedding venue. I felt terrible for her, this wasn’t how I’d imagined things would turn out, especially after telling her Ivan was her father.

“I knew something was wrong when Mrs. Carlos suddenly changed. I should’ve known she had something up her sleeve. And Nathaniel...”

“V, calm down. We’ll figure it all out later,” Brenda said, her voice gentle but firm. “Right now, you need to get in touch with Ivan. He’s the one dealing with the biggest shock.”

“I can’t, Brenda. His line isn’t going through, and I’m not sure he even wants to talk to me right now,” I sniffed, feeling the crushing weight of everything. “My l