Vivianne sighed deeply after her conversation with her sister.
There are so many things we don't know. She glanced at the sleeping child beside her, the heaviness of guilt settling in her chest.
What if Ashley hadn't gotten hurt? Would we still be in the dark about all these secrets?
The question gnawed at her. Sometimes it takes tragedy to force the truth into the light.
Vivianne was lost in thought when the door creaked open. She looked up, half-expecting Sharlene, but instead, her gaze landed on someone unexpected.
Her brows furrowed. She remained silent as their eyes met.
"Sharlene isn't here," she said flatly.
"I know. She's in San Mateo, right?" Martin replied calmly.
His words caught her off guard. "You know she's in San Mateo? Then what are you doing here?"
Martin didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked one of his own.
"Tell me honestly—was your sister ever involved with someone else while we were married?"
Vivianne's face tightened. "What are you talking about?"
"She's there, supposedly meeting a childhood friend. And here I thought she was finally being a responsible mother," Martin muttered.
Vivianne bristled. "Didn't you and my sister already separate? Why are you even here questioning her now?"
"I just want to know if Ashley is really my child," he said, his eyes landing on the sleeping girl.
"Then take a DNA test," Vivianne shot back coldly.
Martin was silent. He just shook his head.
"Don't vent your frustrations on us," Vivianne said sharply. "If you have problems with Sheila, deal with her. Don't drag Sharlene into it."
"What do you know about me and Sheila?" Martin snapped.
"That you're both idiots," Vivianne retorted without hesitation.
Martin sighed. "I'm not here to argue."
"Then what do you want, Martin?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Don't waste my time."
He smirked, then grew serious. "Why is your sister poking her nose into the feud of the three clans?"
Vivianne blinked, trying to process his sudden shift in topic. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, my bad," Martin said mockingly, chuckling to himself. "You know what I mean."
Vivianne didn't respond, but her expression said everything.
"What did she find out?" he pressed. "Why is she digging into the past—Carmela Geraldine Santiago-Gonzalez, Leah Martinez? What is she trying to uncover?"
He leaned in. "Is this your grandmother's doing?"
Vivianne's gaze hardened.
"I heard your grandmother had ties to the Martinez, Gonzalez, and Santiago families. Is that how she suddenly came into wealth and land back then?" Martin asked with a sneer. "Did she siphon off the fortunes of others?"
Vivianne's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Don't be so proud of yourself. What kind of man blindly obeys his parents, only to help embezzle another family's wealth?"
"You think I don't know?" Martin asked, eyes narrowing.
She gave him a knowing look. "Rosario wealth... or was it both families' assets you were after?"
Martin shrugged. "My parents and your grandmother arranged it. I was just the obedient son."
Vivianne let out a laugh. "You're such a coward."
She shook her head in disbelief.
"Now I understand why you never wanted Sharlene to have a share in your assets," she continued. "You were afraid that part of that wealth would trace back to our grandmother."
She leaned forward, voice low. "When Grandma Felicia died, that was your freedom, wasn't it? You could finally walk away from Sharlene—because the contract binding you to her no longer existed."
Martin's face darkened. "How much do you know, Vivianne?"
"More than you'd like," she replied coolly. "But don't worry—Sharlene doesn't care about your money or Grandma's. She never has."
"She didn't even get a will," Vivianne added. "Grandma was too selfish to leave us anything. Yet here we are—still standing."
She locked eyes with him. "So don't meddle in what Sharlene is doing now."
Martin nodded. "So it's true—your grandmother was connected to those three clans."
"What do you really want, Martin?" she asked directly.
"Don't pretend you don't know. You inherited your grandmother's gift, didn't you?" he asked, his voice low.
Vivianne didn't reply.
He stepped closer, tapping her on the shoulder playfully. "Oops," he said with a smirk.
She glared at him, knowing he had done it to provoke her.
"Are you here to take revenge or just digging into my sister's life?" she asked.
"Sister?" he mocked. "She's not even your real sister. Stop acting like she is."
Vivianne's patience finally broke. She grabbed Martin by the collar.
"Don't you dare involve the woman you abandoned. You left her broken—and now that she's starting to heal, you show up again to stir everything?"
"I don't want to hurt Sharlene," Martin replied. "I want to know who she really is. I believe she's deeply connected to the Santiago–Gonzalez feud."
Vivianne let go, stepping back with a sigh.
"Then stay out of it. Let her deal with it herself."
Martin chuckled darkly. "Too late. I'm already involved. You know what they call our family? The neutral ones. But that changes once Sheila's sister is involved."
He turned to the sleeping child and knelt down.
"Daddy will visit again soon, little one. Get better, okay?" He whispered, gently caressing Ashley's face.
Then, without another word, Martin turned and walked away.
Vivianne sat beside Ashley again, watching over her protectively. As she gazed at the child's soul flickering softly, a sense of unease crept into her chest.
She sighed, squeezing the child's hand, silently praying that the darkness Martin carried wouldn't reach them again.