Chapter 7 - The True Heir
"She's mine," Gabriel whispered, tears of profound, agonizing heartbreak violently flooding his piercing gray eyes. "You didn't die in the fire. You survived... and you took my daughter away from me for seven years."
Elena backed away, clutching Maya tightly against her chest. Maya buried her face in her mother's shoulder, completely confused by the terrifying emotion in the room.
"I had to!" Elena wailed hysterically, completely abandoning her fake identity as her entire world collapsed. "You were a monster, Gabriel! You were bringing the cartel war right to our doorstep! When the house caught fire, I barely managed to climb out the back window. I knew if I stayed with you, my baby would eventually end up in a coffin!"
Gabriel physically staggered backward, the brutal, undeniable truth completely destroying his arrogant pride.
"So I ran," Elena sobbed, her voice cracking with heavy guilt. "I changed my name. I hid in the shadows. I worked minimum-wage jobs just to keep her safe from your world."
"Then why did you come back here?" Gabriel asked smoothly, his voice dropping to a freezing, desperate frequency. "Why apply to be a maid in the exact house of the man you were running from?"
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Elena looked at him, her dark eyes radiating pure, unadulterated terror.
👉 Elena dropped a massive, apocalyptic revelation that completely shifted the entire power dynamic.
