99. The Truth

Mrs. Carlos’ face paled, her eyes widening in shock as the weight of Ivan’s words hit her. For the first time, her composed mask slipped, revealing the fear and desperation underneath. “Nathaniel told you…?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “That ungrateful, how dare he?”

Ivan released her wrist and stepped back, shaking his head in disbelief. “Yes, he told me everything. And I still can't believe you of all people would do that to me, I thought father was the bad one. Because he left when we were young, but now I see you for your true colors. I thought the problem was Nathaniel, all this time, I thought it was just him acting out of spite, but it was you pulling the strings. You did everything you could to make sure we would never be happy. And for what? Your pride? Your obsession with control, money? Did you stop for once your think about me?“

Mrs. Carlos’ eyes flickered between Ivan and me, her face contorted with a mixture of fury and panic. “I did it to protect you!” she spat.