Yes, Clara was my daughter, and she deserved stability.
But Valentina would not play the victim in front of me.
Not anymore.
She was exactly where I wanted her: inside my home, unable to run from consequences, unable to escape the pressure she’d forced me to live with.
And I would make sure she felt it—day after day.
Nearly an hour later, two sharp knocks hit my door.
Valentina entered without waiting for permission, her gaze determined and defiant.
“You wanted to talk,” she said, voice controlled as she shut the door behind her. Her arms were crossed like armor. Her posture rigid—clear proof she had no intention of making this easy.
“Sit,” I said, gesturing toward the chair in front of my desk. I didn’t stand. I didn’t offer courtesy.
My face stayed neutral. Cold. Like this was business.
Valentina didn’t move.
The refusal was deliberate.
A familiar irritation sparked—but I didn’t let it show.
“As you prefer,” I said, leaning back. “Let’s get to it. You don’t have to like this situation. But there are rules.”
Her brow lifted, almost amused.
“Rules,” she echoed. “Interesting word coming from you. I thought you preferred making your own—and changing them whenever it suits you.”
I ignored the provocation.
“First,” I said evenly, “we are legally married. We will act like it in public. You will play your role flawlessly. No scenes. No games. No drama.”
Valentina’s lips pressed together.
“I don’t need a lesson in pretending,” she said. “I learned that when you left me at the altar.”
A cold smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
It still hurt her.
That knowledge was a dark satisfaction I didn’t bother resisting.
“Then we won’t have a problem,” I said. “Second: Clara.” My voice sharpened. “I didn’t appreciate today’s surprise. I don’t tolerate lies in my house—especially ones involving my daughter.”
“Clara barely knows you,” Valentina snapped. “Two weeks of visits don’t change that. She thinks you’re a friend. And for now, that’s what you will be.”
“She has a right to know.”
“And you had a right to abandon me at the altar while I was pregnant?” she shot back, heat rising. “Is that the kind of ‘right’ you mean?”
“I was destroyed,” I said, anger tightening my voice. “Your betrayal destroyed me.”
“You were fooled,” she said, deadly calm. “You still are. And you can stay broken if you want—but don’t break her.”
I rose and braced my hands on the desk, leaning forward.
