Chapter 99
Galatea stood frozen, her eyes locked on Ambrose as the reality of the situation hit her. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon, especially not in such an intimate setting, alone with him.
“I’m here to see Alaric,” she said, her voice trembling slightly as she took in the sight of Ambrose seated across the room. “Is he not here?”
“Oh, Mr. Alaric just had a small meeting. He asked me to wait here. We’re having lunch together,” Ambrose replied casually.
Her heart sank. Wasn’t it Alaric who had called her to come over? Why would he not be here now? With the realization dawning on her, Galatea glanced up at the corner of the room where a security camera was subtly positioned. Of course. Alaric had orchestrated this moment, and it was all a test. A deep breath caught in her chest, and before she could stop it, a tear slipped down her cheek.
She quickly wiped it away, forcing a smile as she met Ambrose’s gaze. “Sorry for the inconvenience. You can wait here. I’ll leave first.”
Turning away, Galatea felt her stomach tighten with regret and self-loathing. How had she been so naive? She had rushed over in a panic, believing Alaric was seeking an explanation, but now it seemed her arrival had been set up as part of some twisted game. As the elevator doors opened, she quickly stepped inside, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
Then, standing in front of her, was Alaric.
He must have been watching her on the surveillance cameras. There was no other explanation for him appearing just as she was leaving.
“What’s going on, Alaric?” Galatea asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and frustration. “Is this your idea of fun? Watching me like this?”
Alaric’s gaze was hard, his expression unreadable. “I never thought of it that way.”
“So what do you want from me?” Galatea’s voice cracked. “What conclusion have you drawn from all this?”
The confrontation felt suffocating. After their brief exchange in the office, what could Alaric possibly conclude? She had been trying to explain herself, to be honest, but every time she tried, something stopped her. Now, with Alaric’s cold demeanor, she felt the weight of her lies bearing down on her.
Alaric’s frustration boiled over. “Isn’t the conclusion obvious?” he snapped. “Do you think I’m a fool? You’ve been lying to me from the start, and now—this.”
“I’ve never thought you were a fool,” Galatea said, her voice rising in frustration. “If you wanted to know, you could have just asked. There was no need to do this!”
“I’ve asked,” Alaric shot back, his voice ice-cold. “But every time, you dodged the truth. You said your husband was dead, that his name was Alistair Storm. So where does that leave me now, huh? Who is Ambrose?”
Galatea’s mind spun as his words pierced her heart. She had lied. She had lied about everything. The truth, all these years, had been buried deep inside her, and now it was spilling out in front of Alaric, too late to stop.
The silence that followed stretched unbearably between them. Alaric’s eyes drilled into her, demanding an explanation.
Galatea’s throat tightened. She had never planned to deceive him this way. She had never imagined that her lies would lead to this moment. But it was too late now. The damage was done.
She took a shaky breath and, with a voice full of regret, said, “You’re right. Most of what I’ve told you isn’t true. I was just a woman full of lies… hypocritical and dishonest.”
The words spilled out, as though they had been waiting for this moment to escape. “Alistair Storm, my so-called dead husband… it was all a lie. After our family’s downfall, he left me. I was foolish—so foolish—to still long for him, even after all these years. I gave up my career and came back to Arizona, hoping to find him. But instead, I met you.”
Tears blurred her vision as the weight of her own words sank in. “At first, I never thought about marrying you. But then… you had money, and you were good to my child. I couldn’t find Alistair, so why not? All those times I rejected you, all that arrogance—it was all a facade. I’m a despicable woman. A very despicable woman. Are you satisfied now?”
Her voice broke on the last words, and the pain in her chest was almost unbearable. She could feel Alaric’s eyes on her, could feel the anger and the hurt radiating from him. But there was no going back now.
Alaric’s fists clenched at his sides, his face contorted with a mix of rage and disbelief. He was on the edge, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he grabbed her wrist with a force that made her gasp.
“Say something, Galatea!” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
But Galatea remained silent. Her heart was breaking, but she couldn’t bring herself to say more. She had already said too much.
“Get out of here!” Alaric shouted as employees began to gather, their nervous glances shifting between the two of them.
As the employees hurried away, Galatea tried to pull back, but Alaric’s grip tightened, dragging her with him toward a private room. She struggled against him, but the harder she fought, the stronger his grip became.
“Let go of me!” she cried out, trying to free herself from his hold.
Alaric, in his anger, released her with a sharp flick of his hand. Galatea stumbled backward, and before she could steady herself, she collapsed onto the floor. The pain was sharp, but it wasn’t enough to numb the emotional wreckage she felt inside.
Alaric stood frozen, watching her, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. His instinct was to reach out to her, to help her up, but something stopped him. He was caught between anger and concern, torn by the revelation that she had kept so many secrets from him.
As Galatea scrambled to her feet, her tears fell freely. She wiped them away in a futile attempt to regain control. But nothing felt right anymore. Her world had unraveled, and there was no putting it back together.
Without saying another word, she turned and ran.
She didn’t know where she was going. All she knew was that she couldn’t stay there, couldn’t face Alaric any longer.
She ran until her legs gave out, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Finally, she collapsed by the side of the road, exhausted and broken.
A car screeched to a halt beside her. The door opened, and Ambrose’s concerned voice called out to her.
“Are you okay?”
Galatea didn’t want to look at him. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. But as she looked up, she realized the truth: the games Alaric had played, the manipulation, and the twisted dynamics between these men—she was just a pawn in their twisted game.
And in that moment, she understood the true faces of the men who had once promised her security, who had once seemed like a refuge.
But now, they were just another part of the lie.