Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Night of Broken Ties and New Beginnings
Javier felt a rage like a volcano threatening to erupt inside him, but he swallowed it down. He couldn't scream anymore. There was already far too much terror resting on Mateo’s small shoulders tonight.
He pulled out his phone and dialed the security detail stationed downstairs.
"Come up to my room immediately. Escort Ms. Rivas out of the building."
Laura stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"You're kicking me out? Of the house we are supposed to live in after the wedding?"
"This house is in my name," Javier said coldly. "And the wedding is permanently canceled. My lawyers will contact your family tomorrow to dismantle everything."
Two massive security guards appeared in the doorway, standing at attention.
"Escort her to her car," Javier commanded.
Laura lost the last shred of her composure. She thrashed forward, her hand flying out to slap Javier hard across the face. The sharp smack echoed through the room. Elena instantly covered Mateo’s eyes.
Javier didn’t even blink. A red handprint blossomed on his cheek, but his expression remained a mask of ice.
"Take her."
Laura screamed as the guards dragged her down the hallway.
"You're going to regret this! My father will destroy your company! That woman just wants your money! That bastard child won't change the fact that you are a weak coward, Javier!"
Her voice faded away, silenced as the heavy front doors of the mansion closed shut.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the room fell into absolute silence. It wasn't the suffocating tension from before, but the exhausted, devastating quiet that follows a hurricane.
Javier staggered to the sofa and collapsed onto it. He looked like a man who had aged a decade in an hour.
Mateo was still clutching his mother's waist. He cautiously peeked out, looking at the large man sitting with his head in his hands.
"Are you... really my dad?" the boy's voice chimed, high and hesitant.
Javier looked up. His heart shattered all over again. He didn't know if he was worthy of saying "Yes." He looked at Elena for help. Her eyes were swimming with tears, but she gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"Yes," Javier choked out. "I am your dad."
There was no cinematic sprint into his arms. No joyful cheering. Real life didn't work that way. Mateo just stood still, his brow furrowed, and asked a question that made Javier's soul bleed:
"Then why did you never come to visit me?"
Javier didn't make excuses. He didn't blame Laura. He chose the most brutal honesty he could muster.
"Because I was a coward. I let someone lie to me, but my biggest mistake was that I didn't look for you and your mom. I wasn't brave enough. I am so sorry."
Mateo was quiet for a moment, blinking his large eyes.
"Do you like dinosaurs?"
The sudden shift of a child's mind caught Javier completely off guard. He let out a wet, tearful laugh.
"Yes. Although I don't know very much about them."
Mateo wiped his nose on his sleeve.
"I know a lot. The T-Rex has a really strong bite."
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"Then... will you teach me?" Javier pleaded softly.
The boy didn't smile, and he didn't answer right away, but for the first time all night, he stopped hiding behind his mother.
