Broken

by Scarlett Avery

  “You… Really…” I open my mouth to speak but I’m still so shocked I can’t string together a coherent sentence.

  “Are you willing to uncross your arms and sit down now?” My mother is pleading with me with her eyes and I reluctantly take a seat.

  “This is Spain and family matters should never be discussed on an empty stomach. We’ve already quarreled for far too long without food. I’ll come back with something to nibble on and coffee.” Diego has already disappeared before I can protest.

  None of this is making sense. I thought my parents were happy.

  My mother and I sit in silence. I know her eyes are on me, but I’m too hurt by what she’s revealed to meet her eyes. There’s still a storm of fury raging inside me.

  “Why did you sleep with him and cheat on Dad?”

  The question escapes my mouth before I can catch it. It startles Diego as he walks back in the room with coffee and finger sandwiches.

  “Honey, it’s not as cut and dry as that,” my mother says.

  “Ciara, I may only be your mother’s friend and I know you don’t like me very much right now—in fact, you most probably hate me—but there are better ways of asking such a delicate question.” He’s as stern as a strict parent would be under these circumstances.

  I know I should back off, but something takes over me and I counterattack like a lioness protecting her cubs. I jump to my feet and close the gap between us. I get so close to Diego I can admire every shade of blue in his piercing eyes and smell his refined cologne.

  “You don’t get to tell me how to talk to my own mother when you dupe me into a meeting under false pretenses and shatter my entire existence. If she’s cheating on my dad with you, I have a right to know,” I hiss.

  He casts a dark look at me and holds my gaze. We stand in the middle of his office like two heavyweight boxing champions before the bell rings—ready to destroy each other. “I would never accept this kind of impertinence from my own children.”

  “Aren’t you lucky you don’t have to worry, since I’m not your child?”

  The exasperation on his face is unmistakable and I know I’ve hit a nerve. “Show her the papers so we can put an end to this,” he grunts in my mother’s direction.

  What papers is he talking about?

  “You’re a bad influence on her. You’ve changed her.” I poke his impeccable suit with my manicured finger.

  “I’m not. I love her and I always have,” he whispers in a softer voice as he lowers his gaze.

  Love? Whatever.

  I turn to face my mother and she’s shaking like a leaf. “Diego, give me a chance to smooth things out with Ciara,” she says.

  “Julia, she doesn’t want to listen. She’s already condemned us without knowing the real story.”

  “Mom, what is he talking about?” Fuck, my head is hurting so badly it’s as if a jackhammer has been chiseling at my left temple for the last hour.

  “Show them to her, Julia, or else I will.” His icy stare sends chills down my spine.

  Oh, God, what now?

  My mother grabs her bag and pulls out a yellowed folded piece of paper. She stands up and hands the paper to Diego.

  “Why don’t you read the facts and you can decide if you want to continue hating me this much. Maybe by then you’ll be more receptive to listening to your mother’s confession.”

  I snatch the paper from his hand and search my mother’s eyes for answers. She’s avoiding my gaze.

  Shit, this is not good. I unfold the paper slowly, afraid of what I’ll discover.

  What the…? I’m scandalized. “My birth certificate?” Cold sweat trails down my back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a copy of this before.

  I take a step back as I gasp in horror. “No, no, no. This cannot be happening.”

  A tear rolls down my mother’s face and I know my fate is sealed in the document I’m holding. I blink and I reread the line containing the name of my father.

  How can she do this to me?

  “I think if you had inherited my blue eyes, it would have been easier for you to accept me, Ciara.”

  I stare at him blankly and turn my attention to my mother who is still standing by his side. My world as I know it is coming down brick by brick.

  “Mom, this is a mistake, right?” I beg my mother for an explanation. “Please tell me there’s another birth certificate showing my father’s name. I’m seriously confused right now because the paper I’m holding states Diego Alejandro Echevarria de Balcázar is my father. Please, Mom, it can’t be true?”

  “It’s not a mistake,” she whispers.

  “Can you repeat that, Mom? You’re going to have to speak louder if you’re going to stand there and destroy me like this,” I yell at her.

  “Ciara, she’s not trying to hurt you,” Diego says. “Please, lower your voice.”

  “How does she explain this? You can’t possibly be my real father.” I’m so numb inside, I can’t even cry.

  “Ciara, you’re mine.”

  His words send shockwaves throughout my entire body. “I’m not yours, Diego, and I never will be. I’m sure this document is false.”

  “Baby, your hair, your height, your athleticism and your fighting nature—it’s all his,” she says, holding on to Diego’s arm like a shield. “You even have the exact same way of laughing.”

  I violently shake my head, refusing to accept her words. There’s no way this is true. “Emilio Herrera is my real dad. Do you remember him, Mom? He’s the man who’s been there for me my whole life.”

  “Emilio knows and he’s accepted the truth, honey.”

  What does she mean? Dear God, this can’t be real.

  “You may be angry as hell right now, but you know you’ve come to me numerous times while growing up, confused and even hurt by the fact your sister and father shared so much in common. You often felt like you shared so few similarities with your father.”

  I’ve always been jealous of the closeness Sofia shared with Dad—something I never had with him. “He’s known of this since I was born?”

  “No, Ciara. I made sure your dad never saw this paper. I hid this from him and from your sister. The minute I was able to get you passports of your own I did and I minimized the chances you’d ever need this document. When you were a kid, I was the one going to every single doctor’s appointment so Dad would never know. My mom helped me keep this a secret.”

  “Grandma knew?” I ask, bringing my hands to my face, shocked by the news.

  “Yes. My mother and father knew. I never told any of my siblings for fear someone would have a vendetta against me one day and try to hurt you in the process. You know how dysfunctional my relationship with my brothers and sisters is. I couldn’t take such a huge chance.”

  I summon the courage to face Diego. Our eyes meet and I’m forced to find a fictitious point of interest on the wall behind him, too frightened by what I finally see.

  Oh my God, I do look like him.

  Since this man came into my life, it’s the first time I’ve seen myself in him and the idea of my entire life being no more than a big fat lie breaks me to the core. I take a step back, but my legs are trembling so much I falter and hold on to the desk to avoid falling. Diego reaches out and catches me and brings me back to my feet.

  “I’m so sorry we have to meet like this, my dear daughter, but I told your mother I couldn’t go on like this any longer. I wanted to get to know you.”

  “I need to sit down,” I plead, pushing myself away from him. “I don’t feel well.” I fold my body over my legs and wrap my arms around them in an attempt to find comfort. “This is the worst day of my life,” I whisper to myself.

  “If you’ll allow me to explain how we met and how we fell in love, I believe you’ll feel very differently.” My mom is imploring me with her eyes, and although a part of me refuses to find out more about the details surrounding my mother’s affair, there’s another part of me dying to understand how the man standin
g in front of me became my father.

  “You’re the product of the most passionate love I’ve ever known, Ciara, and if you’d just be willing to listen to Julia for a few more minutes, you might be more accepting of me.” Diego is looking at me with the same desperate eyes as my mother.

  I nod, defeated by their plea. “All right, I’m willing to listen.” Maybe if I leave here with a better sense of their story, it might quiet the rage burning inside me.

  For the next hour, my mother pours out her soul as she recounts every detail of her secret life—from the moment she got a dream job in Barcelona, to their chance encounter, to the moment they both fell in love with each other and the day they made love for the first time. She reveals it all. By the time she’s done, I’m surprised by how invested I am in their heart-wrenching story and how much they’ve loved each other for so many years without being able to be together. I’m also able to better appreciate the sacrifices my mom made by choosing duty over passion when she remained with my dad instead of running away with Diego.

  “There’s one more thing I should add,” my mother says after taking a breath.

  “Please don’t tell me I have a twin sister somewhere,” I mock.

  “Nothing so dramatic. I want to apologize for one more mistake I made, honey.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Diego contacted you in this rushed way because he flew to New York to tell me he couldn’t wait any longer to reveal his real identity to you, but as you know, I was in training in L.A. while you were on your business trip in Toronto. I’m so clueless when it comes to technology, I stupidly left my phone at home without even knowing it since I rarely use the phone.”

  “I understand now why he was parked in front of my office.”

  “I thought Julia was avoiding the unavoidable,” Diego says. “Not being able to reach her sent me into a rage of frustration and I decided I was going to wait until you got back from your trip to Canada to finally meet you in person.”

  “Yeah. He was furious because he thought I was ignoring his pleas to get to know his only daughter better when in reality, I was unaware he had paid me a surprise visit,” my mother says. “When he finally caught your attention and bought your plane ticket, I decided to make the trip to Barcelona to be here when he broke the news to you.”

  “I’m sorry, Ciara, but I was in such a rush to get to know you, I was afraid the moment would pass if I didn’t come out and tell you I was the man who brought you into this world. I screwed up badly, but it’s your fault for having so many Echevarria traits,” Diego jokes.

  The three of us laugh aloud.

  “I want you to know more about your lineage because we have a rich heritage spanning from this continent all the way to the Americas, but this is Spain and we’ve been cooped up in here forever. It’s time for cocktail hour and I’m dying to eat. Why don’t you come out for dinner with your mom and I, and I can share more.”

  Shit, Nikolaj. We were supposed to go out together and I haven’t been in touch. He must have texted me ten times already.

  “I don’t think I can,” I respond with a sly smile.

  “You can’t or you won’t?” My mother flashes me a disappointed look and I’m forced to open up.

  “I can’t, Mom. I sort of have someone waiting for me at the hotel.”

  “You’re kidding me. You’ve been here two days and you’ve managed to seduce a man.”

  “It takes me far less time to tempt a guy,” I retort, feigning that she hurt my feelings.

  “I don’t need to hear such details, Ciara.” Diego is so freaked out by my revelation and I can’t help but laugh.

  “I didn’t meet him when I got here. He flew from Tokyo to spend four days with me. He’s the one I met in Toronto, Mom.”

  “Ah, the Danish billionaire?”

  “Billionaire? You surely know how to pick them.”

  “Diego, you have no idea what your daughter is capable of,” my mother says. “It’s your fault. She’s as flirty as you and her beauty is as disarming as your charm.”

  “In other words, we’ve created a man-eater.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating. I’ve been known to have my way with men, but I wouldn’t describe myself so harshly. I’m almost offended.” I smile.

  “Spare me, Ciara. Your mother has shared a few of your dating stories and remember, I saw the covers of those British tabloids with my own two eyes.”

  Shit, shit, shit. Damn papers.

  “Why don’t you call this rich guy and invite him?” Diego says.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He doesn’t know of my strict dating rules. Dinner with parents is so not doable.

  “Julia, what is your daughter talking about?”

  “Oh, now she’s my daughter?” Mom nudges Diego’s arm and he wraps her in his arm like a kid holding onto his favorite teddy bear.

  “I mean, meeting parents is a big step and I don’t get to such a turning point with a guy unless I think he’s worth it.”

  “Do you like him?”

  Diego has to stop being so blunt. “I met him not long ago,” I blurt out in my defense.

  “Perhaps you didn’t understand my question. I know I have a bit of an accent, so let me break it down for you, dear daughter.” He flashes me a cocky gaze.

  No wonder Mom fell for him. He’s totally irresistible when he smiles.

  “When a man flies all night long from Tokyo to be with a woman, it means one of two things—he has nothing better to do with his life or he really likes you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your Danish guy didn’t wake up one day and realize he had built a billion-dollar business. He must have worked hard for his success, unless his father passed away and left him a massive fortune. Which leaves the latter, Ciara.” Diego’s eyes are nearly burning my soul, searching for an answer. “The question is do you also like him or is this a passing thing you find amusing?”

  How do I answer such a loaded question without revealing too much?

  I still can’t get over the fact I’ve broken so many of my cardinal rules for Nikolaj and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m totally into him. “I do like him,” I reply, lowering my eyes. Why am I so nervous about this?

  “This guy must be something, because you’ve never used the word like to describe any of the guys you’ve been with in the past, Ciara.” My mom slaps her cheeks with both hands as if she were a young Macaulay Culkin on the poster of the movie Home Alone.

  “You don’t need to be so dramatic.”

  “Are you kidding me? I never thought I’d see the day when a guy melts your heart.”

  “You’re making too much of it,” I respond, a bit ticked off. “He doesn’t annoy me like many others, that’s all.”

  “I hope it has nothing to do with the size of his pocket.” Diego raises his eyebrow.

  “No. Hardly. I might never have been with a billionaire before, but I’ve had my fair share of multimillionaires. He’s a great guy and our personalities click. He’s a riot to be with, he makes me laugh, he’s full of surprises and without him, I would still be in my hotel room crying my eyes out after leaving your office last night. I’m very successful, Diego, and I don’t need a man to pay my way.” I’ve never judged a man by the size of his wallet because it’s so easy for a guy to hide who he is at his core behind a cloud of expensive gifts and exotic trips. Been there and I’m not going back.

  I also have too many girlfriends who got caught up with extremely rich Manhattan tycoons, only to wake up one day and realize they were completely dependent on their husband. Hubby dearest called all the shots and they had little say in their own lives, finances and major decisions concerning their children. No, thank you.

  “It’s a done deal. Call or text the man and invite him to come out with us. He’ll be among friends. Let’s get out of this office and go celebrate, ladies.”

  “I’ll call him and invite him on one condition.”

  “You’re imposing conditions
now?” Diego asks. “What’s the secret you want me to keep?”

  “Please don’t tell him I told you I liked him. I don’t want it to get to his head.”

  Diego studies me for what seems an eternity. He uncrosses his legs, gets up and closes the gap between us. He extends his hand and helps me to my feet.

  “My God. I can’t believe how well you’ve turned out.” He holds my gaze as he caresses my cheek and strokes my hair. This is so weird, but at the same time, it’s so right. “I can see my mother in you. It’s uncanny to me.”

  I shake my head instead of answering, overtaken by the intimacy between us.

  “My dad fell for your grandmother the second he saw her walk by. She broke so many men’s hearts, but she chose my father and they had the most passionate love affair and marriage. She never stopped loving him until he passed away and even after he was gone, she wouldn’t let go. I’m so overtaken with joy right now to finally have you in my life.” Diego chokes up. “I promise not to tell this rich guy you’re crazy about him as long as you wear your signature smile all evening long. Do we have a deal?”

  Damn, he’s a smooth operator. He has a way with words. “We do, Diego.”

  “Bravo. I’m finally free to be with the woman of my dreams and my only daughter hasn’t killed me yet for shattering her perfect childhood. Thank God for small favors.”

  “Careful, the evening is still young.”

  BOOK 3—BROKEN

  Chapter Three

  “Is your lover boy texting you back?”

  “Diego, stop teasing me. He’s not a boy,” I reply without lifting my eyes from my iPhone. We’ve already been sitting at the restaurant for close to half an hour and there’s no sign of Nikolaj. Like most Barcelonan restaurants at this time of the night, Nueve Reinas is bustling with activity. Hungry locals are crammed in this quaint eatery in search of great food, good wine and animated conversations. The décor is deceptively understated, but a second glance reveals the exquisiteness of each piece.

  “Ah, thanks for correcting me. Did you notice, Julia, how your daughter didn’t correct me on the lover part?”

  “Diego, you’re as playful as a child tonight,” my mother says. “What’s gotten into you?”