PART 2: SEVEN MONTHS LATER
The day I walked out of Daniel's family home, everyone assumed I'd come crawling back.
After all, I was seven weeks pregnant.
Alone.
Heartbroken.
And suddenly facing a future I hadn't planned for.
According to Beatriz, reality would eventually "humble" me.
According to Daniel, I was being emotional.
According to Sofia, I was making a mistake.
They were all wrong.
The divorce was finalized three months later.
Daniel barely fought it.
In fact, he seemed relieved.
As if removing me from the picture made everything easier.
Maybe it did.
For a while.
Meanwhile, I focused on the only person who mattered.
My baby.
I moved into a small apartment near the ocean.
It wasn't luxurious.
It wasn't impressive.
But it was peaceful.
For the first time in years, I could breathe.
No criticism.
No manipulation.
No family meetings deciding my worth.
Just me and the little life growing inside me.
Then came the gender reveal.
Not mine.
Theirs.
News traveled quickly through San Pedro.
Especially when Beatriz was involved.
Apparently, she'd organized a huge celebration.
Family.
Friends.
Neighbors.
Everyone was invited.
And everyone heard the result.
Sofia was having a boy.
The future heir.
The grandchild Beatriz had wanted all along.
The family celebrated as if they'd won the lottery.
Photos flooded social media.
Blue balloons.
Blue cake.
Blue decorations.
Blue everything.
Beatriz posted proudly:
"The Voss family legacy continues."
I laughed when a friend showed me the post.
Because for the first time, it didn't hurt.
It just seemed sad.
Months passed.
My pregnancy progressed smoothly.
I stayed away from the drama.
Away from Daniel.
Away from the Voss family.
Then one afternoon, my phone rang.
The caller ID surprised me.
Daniel.
I almost ignored it.
Almost.
Curiosity won.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Then his voice.
"You look good."
I frowned.
"What?"
"I saw your photo online."
The one from my baby shower.
Friends had posted it.
I looked genuinely happy.
Because I was.
Daniel sounded different.
Not confident.
Not smug.
Just... uncertain.
"What do you want?"
Another pause.
Then:
"How's the baby?"
The question irritated me.
For seven months he barely checked on us.
Now suddenly he cared?
"We're fine."
"We?"
"My daughter and I."
Silence.
Long silence.
Then he quietly said:
"You're having a girl?"
I smiled.
"Yes."
More silence.
And for some reason, he sounded disappointed.
Not because of the baby.
Because of everything he'd lost.
But by then, it was too late.
Far too late.
Two weeks later, something strange happened.
A mutual friend called me.
Her voice sounded nervous.
"Have you heard about Sofia?"
"No."
I immediately sat up.
"What happened?"
The answer stunned me.
Sofia had left Daniel.
Completely.
Moved out.
Blocked his number.
Disappeared.
Just weeks before her due date.
Nobody knew where she went.
Nobody knew why.
The Voss family was in complete chaos.
Beatriz was furious.
Daniel was desperate.
Everyone was searching.
But Sofia was gone.
Vanished.
At first, I assumed she'd finally realized what kind of family she'd joined.
Then another rumor surfaced.
And this one was worse.
Much worse.
Apparently, Sofia had discovered something.
Something Daniel had hidden from both of us.
Something serious enough to destroy their relationship overnight.
No one knew exactly what.
Only that once she found out...
she packed her bags and left.
The mystery spread through town.
People whispered.
Speculated.
Gossiped.
But nobody had answers.
Not yet.
Then, exactly seven months after I walked out of that dining room, I received an invitation.
A formal invitation.
From Beatriz herself.
The woman who had once reduced my unborn child to a competition.
The card contained only one sentence:
"Please come to the family gathering on Saturday. There are things you need to know."
I stared at the invitation.
Confused.
Suspicious.
Curious.
Part of me wanted to throw it away.
Another part wanted answers.
Because something had happened.
Something big.
Something powerful enough to make Beatriz reach out after all this time.
So on Saturday afternoon, I drove to the Voss family estate.
I had no idea why I was there.
I had no idea what waited inside.
But the moment I walked through the front door, I knew something was terribly wrong.
The house was silent.
No music.
No laughter.
No celebration.
Only frightened faces.
Then I saw Daniel.
And I barely recognized him.
His eyes were hollow.
His face was pale.
And sitting on the coffee table in front of him was a thick brown envelope.
An envelope that would expose a secret nobody in that family saw coming.
A secret that would change everything.
May you like
Including the identity of the child everyone had been celebrating for months.
TO BE CONTINUED...
