Chapter 3: The Man I Buried in My Past
The name on Daniel’s phone felt like a ghost stepping out of a grave.
“Ethan Cole.””
I hadn’t heard that name spoken aloud in three years.
Not since the night I promised myself I would never look back.
Daniel’s phone continued vibrating in his hand.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Even the music from the speakers had stopped.
“Answer it,” Evelyn said.
Her voice was quiet, but there was no hesitation.
Daniel looked at me.
“Victoria?””
I forced myself to stand still.
“It’s not what you think.””
Those words sounded weak the second they left my mouth.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Then tell me what it is.””
I looked around.
The guests.
The cameras.
The people who had come to celebrate my future and were now watching my entire life collapse.
“Not here.””
Evelyn’s expression didn’t change.
“Why not?””
I looked at her.
She tilted her head slightly.
“Is the truth only embarrassing when other people hear it?””
The question struck harder than I expected.
Daniel answered the call.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice came through the speaker.
I couldn’t hear everything.
Only pieces.
“Daniel Hawthorne?””
“Yes.””
“I need to speak with Victoria.””
My heart stopped.
Daniel looked at me.
“She’s here.””
A pause.
Then Ethan spoke again.
“I know.””
My stomach dropped.
Daniel’s face changed.
“How do you know?””
Another silence.
Then Ethan said something that made Daniel’s expression turn cold.
“He knows about the documents.””
Daniel ended the call.
“What documents?”” he asked.
I looked away.
“Daniel…”
“No.””
His voice was different now.
Not hurt.
Not confused.
Controlled.
“Three years ago, you told me you had no secrets.””
I swallowed.
“I didn’t lie.””
Evelyn let out a quiet breath.
“That depends on what you call a secret.””
I looked at her.
“You don’t know anything about me.””
She stepped closer.
“No?””
She opened the handbag again.
This time, she removed a photograph.
She handed it to Daniel.
His fingers tightened around it.
I didn’t need to see it.
I already knew.
It was a picture of Ethan and me.
The two of us standing outside a courthouse.
The day everything changed.
Daniel looked at the photo.
“You were married?””
The question came out almost like a whisper.
The garden became painfully silent.
I closed my eyes.
For three years, I had carried that truth like a locked box.
And now someone else had opened it.
“No,” I said.
Daniel looked up.
“Then what was this?””
I stared at the photograph.
“An engagement.””
His face hardened.
“You were engaged to him?””
“Yes.””
“And you never thought to mention that?””
I wanted to explain.
I wanted to tell him it wasn’t simple.
That Ethan wasn’t just an ex.
That he was the reason I became the person standing in front of him.
But before I could speak, Evelyn interrupted.
“You should tell him everything.””
I looked at her.
“Why are you doing this?””
Her expression softened slightly.
“Because my son deserves the truth before he gives you his name.””
That sentence hurt.
Not because she hated me.
Because she sounded like she was protecting Daniel.
And maybe she was right.
I took a slow breath.
“Ethan and I were together for five years.””
Daniel looked away.
“Five?””
“Yes.””
“Five years, Victoria?””
His disappointment was worse than anger.
“He was supposed to be my husband,” I admitted.
The words felt strange saying them aloud.
“But he betrayed me.””
Daniel’s eyes returned to mine.
“How?””
I hesitated.
The memories came rushing back.
The apartment.
The suitcase.
The message on my phone.
The woman standing beside him.
“I found out he had been using me.””
Evelyn watched carefully.
“For what?””
I looked down.
“My family.””
Daniel frowned.
“What family?””
I said nothing.
That was the mistake.
Because silence was an answer.
Daniel took a step back.
“Victoria.””
I looked at him.
“Who are you?””
The question cut deeper than anything else.
Because I knew what he meant.
Not who I was today.
Who I had been before.
The poor girl.
The ambitious girl.
The woman who walked into his world with a carefully edited past.
“I changed my name,” I finally whispered.
Daniel froze.
“What?””
“My real name isn’t Victoria Lane.””
A gust of wind moved through the garden.
The roses shook.
The guests listened.
“My name is Isabella Moretti.””
The color disappeared from Daniel’s face.
Even Evelyn looked surprised.
Because that name meant something.
Everyone in business knew the Moretti name.
A family once considered one of the most powerful in the country.
Until everything collapsed.
Daniel stared at me.
“You’re a Moretti?””
I nodded.
“My father lost everything.””
Evelyn stepped forward.
“And that’s the part you left out.””
I looked at her.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
Because the truth was ugly.
“Because everyone who knew my family treated me differently.””
Daniel’s expression softened for a moment.
But then he looked at the documents again.
“What about Ethan?””
My chest tightened.
Before I could answer, Evelyn spoke.
“That’s not the only thing she hid.””
I turned toward her.
“What?””
She looked at Daniel.
Then at me.
“The documents weren’t about her past relationship.””
My blood went cold.
“Then what are they about?””
Evelyn slowly handed another page to Daniel.
His eyes scanned the words.
Then his face changed.
“Impossible.””
I stepped closer.
“What is it?””
Daniel looked at me.
And for the first time that night, I saw fear in his eyes.
“The company shares.””
I frowned.
“What?””
He held up the paper.
“Ethan didn’t just know you.””
A pause.
“He knew your family.””
My heart began pounding.
Then Evelyn said the words that shattered everything.
“He was never trying to marry you.””
May you like
She looked directly at me.
“He was trying to get back what belonged to you.””
