Chapter 11 - NOAH’S FATHER
Alejandro stared at the screen.
“That’s impossible.”
Isabella crossed the room.
“What?”
He turned the phone away.
Too late.
She grabbed it.
Her face changed.
“No.”
Alejandro looked at her.
“Explain.”
“I can’t.”
“Isabella.”
“I can’t.”
He lowered his voice.
“Noah is your son.”
“Yes.”
“The report says I’m his father.”
“I know what it says.”
“Then explain it.”
Isabella looked toward Noah, who was asleep on a sofa with Elena beside him.
“Not here.”
They went into the library.
The same room where Alejandro had first opened the letter.
Isabella closed the door.
“Noah is not your biological son.”
Alejandro frowned.
“The test says he is.”
“The test was manipulated.”
“By who?”
“Richard.”
“Why?”
“To scare you away from me.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It wasn’t for you.”
Isabella sat down.
“It was for Beatriz.”
Alejandro stared.
Isabella continued.
“Richard knew Beatriz cared about bloodlines more than anything.”
“So he fabricated a report?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To make her believe Noah was proof of something horrible.”
Alejandro understood slowly.
“He wanted leverage.”
“Yes.”
“Against Beatriz.”
“Yes.”
Alejandro rubbed his face.
“Then who is Noah’s father?”
Isabella smiled sadly.
“A good man.”
“Alive?”
“No.”
Alejandro closed his eyes.
Of course.
His sister’s life seemed built from funerals.
“His name was David Coleman.”
“We met eight years ago.”
“He knew everything.”
“He helped me build a normal life.”
“What happened?”
“Cancer.”
Alejandro looked toward Noah through the glass door.
“He lost his father.”
“Two years ago.”
“And now he almost lost you.”
“Yes.”
Alejandro sat beside her.
For the first time all day, the anger faded.
“I should have been there.”
Isabella looked at him.
“You were twenty-three when I disappeared.”
“I should have looked harder.”
“You did.”
He frowned.
“How do you know?”
“Elena told me.”
Isabella smiled through tears.
“You hired investigators.”
“You fought with Dad.”
“You broke into Beatriz’s office.”
Alejandro almost laughed.
“I forgot about that.”
“I didn’t.”
She took his hand.
“You never stopped loving me.”
He looked at her.
“Then why didn’t you call?”
“Because after Dad died, I thought it was finally safe.”
“It was.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Beatriz sent me a picture of you.”
“A picture?”
“You were leaving your office.”
“There was a red circle around your head.”
Alejandro went cold.
“She threatened you again.”
“Yes.”
“So you disappeared.”
“Yes.”
Alejandro looked toward the door.
“I’m going to make sure she never controls anyone again.”
Isabella squeezed his hand.
“Then don’t become her.”
He looked at her.
“That means what?”
“It means don’t destroy Victoria.”
Alejandro’s face hardened.
“She knew you were being held.”
“Yesterday.”
“She still walked toward the altar.”
“She was terrified of her father.”
“So were you.”
“Yes.”
“And look what silence did to us.”
Isabella nodded.
“Then teach her another way.”
Alejandro said nothing.
A knock came at the door.
Daniel entered.
“Victoria’s gone.”
Alejandro stood.
“What?”
“She left the property.”
“With who?”
“No one.”
“Where?”
Daniel looked at his phone.
“Her car was found near the river.”
Alejandro’s heart sank.
“Was she in it?”
“No.”
May you like
Daniel looked at him.
“But there was blood on the driver’s seat.”
