The silence dragged on. It pressed on my chest until it was hard to breathe. Gabriel wouldn't look at me. Anne kept pulling at her sleeve like it was suddenly too tight. No one wanted to speak, and that scared me more than shouting would have.
"It's Natasha, isn't it?" I whispered.
No one answered. But I didn't need them to.
The way she sat there, calm, almost pleased, even with fake tears in her eyes, told me everything they were trying to hide.
Natasha stood up slowly. There was a small smile on her lips.
"Since they're too scared to tell you, I will," she said. "It happened years ago. He doesn't remember because he was drunk, but I do. I kept quiet to protect his name. But the truth always comes out."
"Years ago?" My head felt light. "If this happened years ago, why now? Where is this child?"
"He's in a private school abroad," she said easily. "And he deserves to know his father. Nathan knows now. That's why he left today. He couldn't face it. He couldn't face you."
