No Longer A Pawn, Now A Queen

ished orphan saved by the wealthy Estrada family. They gave me a h

riend, Dyan, had betra

and they had a son. My entire life was a lie, orchestrated and funded by

coming gala and have me quietly institutionalized

s her naive heart," Andres ha

stood in the shadows, watching their perfect, secret li

an empire. Now, I would sh

pte

on the solid bedrock of that lie, believing every fabricated detail. They told me Dyan Schneider, my best frie

Dyan was

she was

e was out to

dres' s parents, became the parents I never had. They funded my education, nurtured my talent, and offered me a home. Andres, their son, my fian

e talented architect, the beloved fiancée, the cherished pseudo-daughter of the powerfu

ed lie, a beautiful, glittering

ered was a Tuesd

me around five

t meeting just wrapped up, pap

rise him. I packed a small container of the still-warm lasagna, grabbed a bottle of his favorite Cabernet, and headed for his down

usually bustling. Tonight, it was quiet. The security

ndres already left for the nig

e did? He just texted

logetic gesture. "Left about an hour

usually so sharp, felt fuzzy, trying to make sense of the conflicting information. Maybe he sent i

answer. I called again

pp. Andres insisted we both have it, "for safety," he'd said. I always tho

e, not towards a public restaurant. It was heading north, deep into the exclusive, gated communities

read intensified with every mile, turning into a bitter taste in my mouth. I tried to push it down, to rationalize, to te

structure like Andres favored, but an ornate, almost fantastical house, all turrets and intricate stone

d as I walked, drawn by an invisible string. The front door was ajar, the f

. The boy shrieked with joy, his tiny hands clutching Andres' s hair. Andres' s smile, wide and genuine, was one I rarely saw, a

tepped into

y

with Andres' s. She looked nothing like the broken, ashamed girl I remembered. She wore a simple, elegant dress, her hair swept up, highlighting a diamond n

r lips. A long, tender kiss. The ki

from head to toe. I stumbled back, seeking refuge in the deep shadows of an an

ard their voices, clear and

get me more cake!" Th

a

dd

terror is insatiable. Just like his father." She squeezed his arm. "Speaking of which, did you m

ive heart. She always does." His eyes glittered with amusement. "Besides, Howard and Bernice are keeping her occupied tomorrow with t

to have you." Her voice dripped with saccharine sweetness. "They've been so generous, haven't they? Funding our little secre

es said, his tone devoid of any affection

s betrayal, the financiers of this elaborate lie. They had cultivated my gratitude, my depende

lously woven tapestry of lies, each thread pulled b

rose in my throat. I backed away, silently, mechanically, my mind a blank slate of shock. I

uzzed. It

. Heading home no

n the steering wheel. The grief was overwhelming, a tidal wave threatening t

he' d been parading around, the convenient plac

t love truly meant.

their empire on my broken heart. I would not go home. Not to that