Page 97 of Vexatious Queen

“So, if Yuliana is not your mother, who is?”

“Yuliana is my mother, she’s not yours,” I said softly.

Sabastian pushed the chair away from the table and shot to his feet.

“Lies. Why would you say that to me?”

“I’m not saying it to hurt you, Sabastian. You had to know the other day when my father showed up, that you hadn’t been told the truth about who you are. Who we are.”

He ran his hand through his chocolatey hair and began to pace.

“No…this can’t be real. Why would my father lie to me all this time?”

He stopped and turned to face me, his features twisted in anger and betrayal. I understood those emotions all too well.

“My guess is to keep up appearances. From what I’ve been able to piece together, you are the son of your father and his mistress. I am the daughter of Yuliana and Edmundo. But because your father and my mother were married, they pawned us off to the world as siblings.” I held up the photo. “Twins.”

“How long have you known?”

“Before I knew who you even were,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’m sorry that I didn’t come clean sooner, but it was…awkward.”

“So, you lied to me, too.” His hands balled, and his jaw ticked. “You let me believe that we were family and pretended to care about me? That’s just sick, and you call my father an asshole.”

Grabbing a handful of the photos, I stood and faced him.

“I do care. We still grew up together, just like step-siblings. Not being related doesn’t suddenly mean I don’t care for you like family.”

“Like…that is the important word in that sentence. At the end of the day, I’m not family, and you’ll never care for me the same way.” He rubbed his eyes.

“I get that you’re angry, Sabastian, but I’m not the one you should be angry with. I’ve only known a handful of months and didn’t even know who you were until after my accident. But your father chose to lie to you for all these years. What else hasn’t he told you? What lies did he twist about my mother?”

“Are you trying to turn me against my father?”

“No, I’m trying to get you to see that he’s not perfect and that maybe there is more to him that you don’t know. Your anger toward me is misplaced. We are both victims of their lies and deceit, no matter what their intentions.”

“So, you’re saying that I’m illegitimate.”

“So am I,” I said with a shrug. “I’m telling you this because, unlike your father, I think you deserve to know. I’m sick of all the secrets, and it hurts me to think that you believe my mother abandoned you and ran with me because she loved you less.”

“You’re right…she didn’t love me at all,” he said, and my heart sank.

Walking to him, I grabbed his hands, but he jerked away.

“Don’t. I don’t need your sympathy or pity.”

“I don’t pity you. I understand your pain. I’ve been digging for the truth since my mother was murdered before my eyes. Every day since coming here has been another painful realization that I don’t have a clue who my family really is. The man who raised me wasn’t my father. My name isn’t my real name, and I have family that I’m pretty sure wants to see me dead. I don’t pity you, Sabastian, but I refuse to let the lie between us continue any longer. It’s not fair to either of us.”

His eyes softened, so I tried again to comfort him and gave his arm a squeeze.

“I want us to get to know each other on our terms without our parents’ mistakes between us. If you’re willing, I want to create a bond outside of the lies that have tried to ruin us. Please don’t think that I’m the enemy just because I’m the only one brave enough to be the messenger,” I said, and let my hand fall from his bicep.

His gaze met mine, shimmering with unshed tears.

A hard knock broke the moment. Sabastian walked away, his face once more masked with a calm expression. He opened the door, and I could tell before he said anything that it wasn’t Ivy.

“Dad, what are you doing here,” Sabastian asked.

Christov walked in, and his cold, calculating stare found me in the middle of the room.