11: Bloodlines And Betrayal
1048 Words
The world had shifted.
Every breath Amara took felt heavier, every step slower.
Her reflection in the mirror that morning looked like a stranger — same face, same eyes, but everything beneath it felt hollow.
The woman staring back wasn’t Amara Velasquez anymore.
She was Amara Alonzo Cruz — daughter of a man who had betrayed, stolen, and almost destroyed her.
And worse… the woman who had almost married her own half-brother.
⸻
By noon, the headlines were everywhere.
“Cruz Family War Brews Behind Closed Doors.”
“Sebastian Cruz’s Mysterious Wife — Who Is Amara Velasquez?”
The photos from the gala were all over social media: Sebastian shielding her from Darian’s fury, his hand protective on her back.
To the world, it looked like a fairytale.
But inside, she was unraveling.
She hadn’t seen Sebastian since the confrontation. He’d locked himself in the study, handling “business matters,” according to the staff.
Amara didn’t care.
She needed answers — not from him, but from the man who’d lied to her face and asked for her kidney in exchange for love.
Darian Cruz.
⸻
Finding him wasn’t difficult.
The Cruz family’s private club — El Cielo — was as predictable as ever. The same gold doors, the same luxury vehicles parked outside, the same hollow laughter floating from within.
Amara walked in, ignoring the stares, the whispers.
She didn’t stop until she found him in the VIP lounge, drink in hand, arrogance in every inch of his posture.
When he saw her, he smiled — slow, mocking.
“Well, well. The runaway bride returns.”
Her voice was calm, but every word trembled with controlled fury. “We need to talk.”
“About what? My uncle? Or our little scandal?” He smirked. “The media’s having a field day.”
She slammed the file onto the table between them. “About this.”
His smirk faltered. “What’s that?”
“Your history,” she said coldly. “And mine.”
He glanced at the folder, confusion flickering before he opened it — and froze.
The color drained from his face. “What is this supposed to be?”
“The truth,” Amara said quietly. “Your father’s truth. My truth.”
His eyes scanned the pages again, disbelief morphing into horror.
“This is fake. It has to be.”
“It’s real,” she said. “Sebastian found it in your father’s archive. He’s kept it hidden for years.”
Darian’s voice broke. “No… no, that’s impossible.”
“Look at the dates, Darian. Look at the names. Veronica Alonzo-Cruz — she was your stepmother. And she’s my mother.”
He dropped the folder like it burned him.
For the first time, Darian looked… human.
Lost. Broken.
“You’re lying,” he whispered. “You’re lying to hurt me.”
“Why would I?” Her voice cracked. “Do you think this doesn’t hurt me too? Do you think I wanted to know I was almost—” she swallowed hard “—almost engaged to my brother?”
He buried his face in his hands. “God…”
The silence between them stretched — thick with shock and shame.
When he finally looked up, his eyes were red. “He knew. My father knew.”
Amara nodded. “Sebastian thinks he erased me to protect the family name. He didn’t just destroy my mother’s life, Darian. He destroyed mine too.”
Darian’s voice trembled. “I didn’t know, Amara. I swear, I didn’t.”
“I believe you,” she said softly. “But it doesn’t change what he did — or what we have to do now.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Sebastian’s planning something,” she said. “He’s going after your father. I think he means to destroy the company, maybe more.”
Darian laughed bitterly. “Then he’s going to war with the devil himself.”
“Then maybe it’s time someone did.”
He looked at her — long, searching. “You’d side with him? Against my father?”
She hesitated. “Against the man who ruined both our lives? Yes.”
Something flickered in Darian’s eyes — guilt, maybe regret. “You’ve changed.”
She met his gaze. “No. I finally see the truth.”
⸻
When Amara returned to the mansion that night, the storm had finally cleared.
But a new one waited inside.
Sebastian was sitting in the darkened study, staring at the same file she’d stolen hours before.
“You went to him,” he said quietly.
She froze. “You followed me?”
“I didn’t have to,” he said, eyes cold. “Celine saw you leave with the folder. You confronted Darian.”
“I had a right to.”
Sebastian stood, his presence filling the room like thunder. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “I told him the truth.”
“The truth will get you killed.”
“Then maybe it’s worth dying for!”
The air crackled between them — raw and dangerous.
Sebastian’s voice dropped low. “You don’t understand how deep this goes. Eduardo won’t let you expose him. He’ll come for you. For both of us.”
Amara’s heart pounded. “Then let him come.”
He stared at her — and for the first time, she saw fear in his eyes. Not for himself. For her.
“You’re not ready for this war, Amara.”
She met his gaze steadily. “Maybe not. But I’m done being the victim.”
He exhaled slowly — then stepped closer, brushing his thumb across her jaw in a rare, unguarded gesture.
“I should hate you for what you’ve just done,” he murmured.
“But all I can think about… is how much I admire you for it.”
Her breath caught. “Don’t.”
“Too late,” he whispered.
For one heartbeat, the world stood still — two broken souls, bound by blood and revenge.
Then he stepped back, his expression hardening again.
“If we’re going to burn the devil,” he said quietly, “we’ll do it together.”
- Writer
