Chapter 2: The Truth He Never Asked For
The look on Griffin Ashworth's face was something I had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Not the cold confidence that had carried him through billion-dollar negotiations and brutal courtroom battles.
Fear.
Real fear.
For a moment, the billionaire who had once owned half the headlines in Meridian City looked like a man who had just realized he had spent five years fighting the wrong enemy.
"Vivienne," he said again, quieter this time.
"What did he mean?""
I looked at my son.
Leo was watching us carefully.
Children always noticed more than adults thought they did.
Especially when the adults were trying desperately to hide something.
I reached over and adjusted his headphones.
"Sweetheart, why don't you watch your movie for a little bit?""
"But—"
"Please, Leo.""
Something in my voice made him stop asking questions.
He nodded and pressed the headphones over his ears.
But before turning away, he looked at Griffin one more time.
A small, innocent look.
The kind that made my chest ache.
Because Leo had spent his entire life knowing a man he believed was a stranger.
And that man was sitting three feet away.
Griffin waited until Leo was distracted before speaking.
"Answer me.""
I stared out the window.
Clouds surrounded the plane like a blanket.
"I don't owe you an explanation.""
His jaw tightened.
"After what I just heard, I think you do.""
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"That's interesting.""
"What is?""
"Five years ago, I spent months begging you to let me explain myself.""
The words landed harder than I expected.
Griffin looked away.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
The memory hit him too.
"I was angry," he said.
"No.""
My voice came out sharper.
"You were hurt. There's a difference.""
He looked at me.
"You think I don't know that?""
"I think you wanted to hate me more than you wanted the truth.""
The cabin lights reflected in his eyes.
For once, he had no immediate answer.
That alone surprised me.
Because Griffin always had an answer.
A solution.
A strategy.
A way to control the outcome.
But some things couldn't be controlled.
Like the moment you discovered your entire reality had been built on missing pieces.
"Is Leo my son?"" he asked.
The question hung between us.
Five years of silence.
Five years of secrets.
Five years of pretending I didn't remember the sound of his heartbeat beside mine.
I swallowed.
"Yes.""
The color drained from his face.
I watched his fingers tighten around the armrest.
"Yes?""
I nodded.
"Leo is your son.""
He stared forward.
Almost as if his mind couldn't process the words.
"No.""
The word came out barely audible.
"No, that can't be.""
I looked at him.
"Why?""
"Because you would have told me.""
A strange sadness moved through me.
"Would I?""
His eyes snapped toward mine.
"What does that mean?""
I lowered my voice.
"It means I tried.""
The memory came back so quickly it hurt.
The night I found out I was pregnant.
I had been sitting on the bathroom floor of our penthouse, holding the test in my shaking hands.
I remember laughing.
Then crying.
Because after months of feeling like I was losing everything, I finally had something beautiful.
Something that belonged to us.
I had called Griffin immediately.
Seven times.
He never answered.
Because at that exact moment, he was preparing to file for divorce.
When he finally came home, it wasn't with flowers.
It wasn't with an apology.
It was with lawyers.
And accusations.
"You were going to tell me?"" he asked.
"I was.""
"When?""
"When you were willing to listen.""
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Because that was the first time he considered that maybe he hadn't given me the chance.
"Vivienne...""
"No.""
I shook my head.
"Don't say my name like you suddenly remember who I am.""
The words hurt both of us.
Good.
Some pain needed to be shared.
Griffin looked down.
"Why didn't you tell me after the divorce?""
I smiled sadly.
"Because I did.""
His eyes lifted.
"What?""
"I sent you an email.""
A crease formed between his eyebrows.
"I never received it.""
"I know.""
My fingers tightened around my coffee cup.
"Because your assistant intercepted it.""
The silence afterward was immediate.
"What are you talking about?""
"I found out later.""
"Who told you?""
"The same person who helped me uncover what was really happening inside Ashworth Global.""
His face changed.
There it was.
The business.
The secret that started everything.
"Daniel," he whispered.
I nodded.
Griffin leaned back.
"Daniel Reeves.""
"Yes.""
His expression hardened.
"I thought he was your affair partner.""
"He was investigating financial fraud inside your company.""
Griffin said nothing.
The plane hummed around us.
Passengers slept.
People watched movies.
Someone laughed softly two rows ahead.
And yet, in our little corner of first class, the world had stopped.
"Daniel was working with me," I continued.
"I discovered someone was moving money through shell companies connected to one of your international projects.""
Griffin's eyes narrowed.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
I looked at him.
"I tried.""
"No, you didn't.""
The old anger returned.
A spark.
A reflex.
"You shut me out before I could.""
He went silent.
I continued.
"You saw the messages. You saw Daniel's name. You saw him saying things like 'we need to move quickly' and 'he can't know yet.''"
Griffin looked away.
Because he remembered.
Of course he remembered.
Those messages had destroyed us.
But he never knew the rest.
"Those messages were about the investigation," I said.
My voice dropped.
"Daniel and I were trying to protect you.""
Griffin's face tightened.
"Protect me?""
"Yes.""
"By hiding things from me?""
I stared at him.
"You weren't exactly open to conversations at the time.""
That hit.
I saw it.
The small crack in his anger.
The part of him that knew.
He knew he had been impossible to reach.
"What happened to Daniel?"" he asked.
I looked at Leo.
Then back at him.
"He disappeared.""
Griffin frowned.
"Disappeared?""
"Two days before I was going to show you everything.""
The billionaire beside me became completely still.
"Vivienne.""
I continued.
"After that, your lawyers sent the divorce papers. The media destroyed my reputation. And you made sure everyone believed I betrayed you.""
His voice was quieter.
"I didn't know.""
"No.""
I looked directly at him.
"You didn't.""
The plane moved slightly through turbulence.
A flight attendant walked past, unaware of the emotional wreckage happening in seat 2B.
Griffin ran a hand over his face.
"I need proof.""
The words almost made me laugh.
"Of course you do.""
"Vivienne—"
"No.""
I shook my head.
"You spent five years believing I was a liar. You don't get to suddenly demand proof because the truth became inconvenient.""
His eyes met mine.
For the first time since he sat down beside me, there was no superiority in them.
Only regret.
"I have a right to know my son.""
The sentence hurt.
Not because it was wrong.
Because it was true.
I looked at Leo.
My little boy.
The child who had asked about his father countless times.
The child who had seen other kids with their dads at school events.
The child who once asked me why he only had pictures instead of memories.
"You had a right five years ago too," I whispered.
Griffin closed his eyes.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then his phone vibrated.
He glanced down.
A message appeared.
I wasn't trying to read it.
But I saw his expression change.
The same expression he had when Leo spoke.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He didn't answer.
His hand tightened around the phone.
"Griffin?""
Slowly, he turned the screen toward me.
The message was from an unknown number.
Only one sentence.
But it was enough to make my blood run cold.
*You finally found out about Leo. Now ask Vivienne what happened the night he was born.*
I looked at Griffin.
He looked at me.
And suddenly, I understood.
Someone else knew.
Someone else had been watching.
Griffin's voice was barely a whisper.
"Who sent this?""
I didn't answer.
Because I already knew one thing.
May you like
The person who destroyed our marriage five years ago...
Wasn't finished with us yet.
