ALESSIA
Three months ago…
“Why did you bring Claude here?” I asked Ramiro, my voice edged with frustration.
I had enough of Claude, it just felt like this setup would just happen over and over. I just grew tired of it. If it was hard for him to at least listen to me, then our relationship was useless.
“He said he wanted to see you. Actually, he took your wedding ring from me.”
I exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “I don’t care where that wedding ring is. What’s the point of the ring if he doesn’t even value our marriage?”
Ramiro looked at me with curiosity. “What do you mean by that?”
I could feel the pain and bitterness rising within me as I began to explain. “He didn’t tell you? We had separated before. He had prepared the divorce papers, but before they were processed, I chose to leave. It would’ve been too humiliating to wait for him to kick me out of his parents’ mansion. We didn’t see each other for five years. If it weren’t for Adrian being the ring bearer at my friend’s wedding, we wouldn’t have met again. It just so happened that the groom is his friend.”
Ramiro nodded, taking in my words. “So, what happened next? Did you get back together because of your son?”
“Something like that. I forgave him even though I was hesitant. Then that scandal video came out. He didn’t believe my explanation. He just got furious and ignored me for days. Then Haven had me kidnapped and brought to you. I was already confused, and then she added to the chaos. She’s such a nuisance!”
Ramiro’s face darkened with regret. “I’m sorry, Sia. I thought you were Cali, my secretary who betrayed me. She helped her boyfriend Luther rob me. They even took an interest in my wife’s wedding ring.”
I sighed deeply, the pieces of the puzzle starting to fit together. “How did you mistake me for your secretary?”
“Haven said so. Besides, you two look alike. You could be twins. But both Claude and I made mistakes. I mistook you for Cali, and Claude mistook you for the woman in the scandal video, who was actually Cali with Luther.”
I blinked several times, the truth slowly dawning on me. “Actually, I was just adopted by the parents I grew up with. Lia is their only biological child.”
It was only five years ago when I learned the truth about my adoption. I didn’t get any further information about that. All I knew was the OB-GYN was the one who arranged my adoption. I had no clue about my biological parents, who they were, where were they from, and stuff like that. What I only knew was that my biological mom passed away after giving birth to me.
The thought of having someone who looked exactly like me reminded me of all the missing pieces in my life. I had never felt the urge to know more about them, I was already having a hard time raising my son, and I thought that finding about them was not important at all.
“Let’s forget about what happened. It was all Haven’s fault.”
I nodded, feeling a slight relief but still wary. “But please, don’t bring Claude here anymore. I really don’t want to see him. He’s a worthless man.”
I had so much questions running in my mind, but I chose not to bring those up. I just wanted to be away from Claude again, and I want to take my son with me no matter what.
Ramiro bit his lip, looking troubled. “I don’t think I can do that. Isn’t Claude bringing your son here? Besides, I need his help to find my wife. You might know her.”
“Who do I know?” I asked, confused and curious.
“My wife.” Ramiro took out his phone, pressed a few buttons, and handed it to me.
My heart nearly stopped when I saw the wallpaper on Ramiro’s phone. “Is this your wife? What’s her name?”
“She’s Amalia Harris. Do you know her?”
I dropped Ramiro’s phone. He quickly picked it up.
“Hey! Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry I dropped your phone. I was just shocked. How did Lia become your wife? As far as I know, my sister married Harding Martin, the old owner of Horizon Bank.”
Ramiro rubbed his temples, clearly frustrated. “It’s a long story. But for your information, I am Martin’s only son and I’m the current CEO of Horizon Bank.”
I had dropped the idea of asking Ramiro about his relationship with Haven, but judging from my little knowledge about Haven, it was not a surprise that she could go that far.
Now, another reality confronted me. How small could this world be?
I also thought of Lia, if she was with Ramiro, how could she not even think that Ramiro’s secretary looked exactly like me.
I got what I needed to know about my sister straight from Ramiro’s mouth. Lia had an affair with him while being married to his dad. When the old man knew about it, he was furious, and he threatened to kill my sister and disinherit Ramiro. The confrontation between him and his dad went so extreme that caused the old guy to have a heart attack, Lia had already left days before that happened.
Since then, Lia was nowhere to be found. Ramiro had been searching all over for her, he thought that since his father had passed away, Lia and him could go on with their relationship.
I sighed deeply, trying to process this new information. “My life is already a mess, and it seems my sister’s life is even more complicated. How did she disappear?”
Ramiro closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, they were red with emotion. “She said she was going to visit your aunt at your parents’ house. But she never came back. I’ve been searching for her all over the US but still can’t find her. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”
I fell silent, trying to remember the last time I saw and spoke to my sister.
“As far as I recall, I talked to her a few days after Mr. Martin forcibly took her. But we didn’t meet in person, we only spoke over the phone. She said she was okay. A few months later, I left Claude’s mansion. When I got home, Aunt Edith was gone. She had gone with Lia when she visited a week before I arrived. According to Pia, she heard Aunt Edith and Lia talking. My sister was pregnant and had run away from her husband,” I explained, my voice trembling slightly.
Ramiro’s eyes widened in shock. “Lia was pregnant? Are you sure?”
“Yes, that’s what Pia told me. If the child survived, he would be about the same age as Adrian. My son is turning five.”