Chapter 2 Her Secret

Veronica: “Do you want me to bring in someone else?” He turned to glare at me with his icy gray eyes. “If that is what you wish, I cannot stop you otherwise.” Even though my heart ached at the thought of another woman being with him, I had to let it happen. These past one year, I had given him everything, but nothing had changed. He had only become more distant from me. The reason Carlos hated me was due to what my mother had done to their family. From a young age, my father never spoke of my mother's death. It wasn't until I was ten that I overheard my stepmother's scornful remarks–my birth mother and a wealthy man had met in secret in the mountains, had sex in his car, only for their car to plunge off a cliff, killing them both. That wealthy man was none other than Carlos’s father. Branded as a shameless mistress who had destroyed Carlos’s parents’ marriage, my mother became a stain on the past. Fueled by resentment over my mother's affair, my father openly welcomed the other woman into our home, erasing every trace of his late wife’s existence. As if my very presence reminded him of that betrayal, he refused to so much as to look at me. I grew up like an orphan—utterly alone in the world. “You think you’re being smart? You think—you’ll refuse my request, and I’ll let you sit here in peace?” That didn’t happen last time. When I couldn’t be with him, he left the room and brought another woman for himself. But tonight, he looked angry. He quickly walked toward me and grabbed me by the hair in his fist, forcing me to look at him. “I’m just… not feeling well,” I managed to say while tears ran down my face. “Or maybe you slept with someone else and came home all used up,” he yelled, throwing me onto the bed and getting on top of me. I knew what he was insinuating. It wouldn’t be the first time he had accused me of cheating. “I didn’t—I swear, I haven’t let anyone touch me but you—” I began to cry and sob, but none of it softened my cold-hearted husband. “You’re lying. You’re just like your mother. A filthy whore—” As he raised his hand to hit me, I screamed. “I am not. I love you!” His hand remained in the air for a few seconds before his eyes shifted to my bag on the bed. When he pushed me, the contents had spilled out and scattered around. Among them were my reports. He got off me and grabbed them, reading with wide eyes. I had gotten up from the bed, hugging myself in shock. He had always hurt me mentally, abused me with his words, but this was the first time he was about to hurt me physically. If he had slapped me tonight, I would have been broken forever. “What is this?” He waved the files in my face, making me shut my eyes in fear. “I was going to tell you… about this,” I whispered, not daring to lift my eyes, keeping my arms wrapped around my body in fear. “Tell me what? Huh? The only thing you should have told me was that you got rid of this filth,” he yelled in my face, grabbing me by the hair to force me to look up. His anger had no limits, and tonight, he had reached a new level—one where he wasn’t afraid to grab me and throw me around. “Can we please… keep this baby? It will change so much for us. Maybe the baby will help you move on from your past and accept me as your wife—” I begged, pressing my shaking palms together before my cruel husband. “Keep the baby who has your blood? Your mother’s blood? Hell no!” He pushed me back against the wall, getting in my face. “You will make up your mind right now. Me or this filth?” he yelled, making me stare right into his eyes in shock. At that moment, I realized I was in love with someone who was not capable of being loved. I had given him too much, and now I regretted it. I couldn’t live like this. There was no hope for this man. But what could I do? Could I really escape the mafia? As he glared at me, waiting for an answer, his phone rang, and he pulled back from me. “Hm? What? Okay, hold the containers. I’ll be there in a minute.” It seemed like an urgent call—another one of those important deliveries. “By the time I come back, you better have your answer ready,” he hissed, pointing his phone at me. As he turned around, he got on another call and left the room. I had only a few hours before he returned. This was when I remembered how many times I had lost my babies before even finding out I was pregnant. His fear was so strong that I never thought of taking any tests. And then there were the miscarriages from the rough nights. I never told him, but I didn’t even know that I was pregnant until it was too late. I had done so much for him, let him disrespect me while I carried a smile on my face. But enough was enough! I was tired of it. “I will tell you who I’m picking,” I whispered under my breath, giving in to the heartbreak. It was time to accept that I had failed to win his heart. He was too far gone in his hatred for my mother. But I would no longer accept this mistreatment. I didn’t deserve punishment for my mother's sins. With that, I hastily packed my bags, grabbing whatever I could. I put in my reports and important documents along with my savings. Before leaving the room, I placed my ring on the side table. It would tell him who I had chosen. I left the manor and quietly got into the car. “Can you please drop me at the hospital? Carlos asked me to get a procedure done,” I made sure the driver wouldn’t suspect I was leaving his boss. Once he dropped me at the hospital, I snuck out through the back door and made my way to the ferry. I loaded my bag and herself, heading toward Malta. I knew there was another mafia group in Malta that didn’t get along well with the Sicilian mafia—the gang of my husband. So it seemed like a safe option to go somewhere he wouldn’t have enough power to demand I be found. “Life will be hard from here, but I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you,” I whispered, touching my belly, feeling guilty for the children I lost before this one. I felt disgusted with myself, but now I was going to change for my baby. “I am no longer Veronica Davis. I am Veronica Vega.”