I spoke with your mother. I know everything.
The driver passed the palacio’s gatehouse and pulled into the courtyard. Antonio was already opening his door before the car stopped. Jumping out, he rushed inside, his heart pounding.
Empty. The palacio was empty.
Ice gripped his heart as he walked past dark rooms filled with antiques, past the salon on the main floor, with its big windows. Turning on a light, he went slowly up the sweeping staircase, feeling like he’d aged fifty years. He already knew what he would find: an empty bedroom, with all her clothes gone from their closet. All his attempts to hide his unworthiness from her had failed...
A light clicked on. He saw Hana sitting in the bedroom’s armchair by the empty fireplace. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well in days, either.
Seeing her, Antonio felt a rush of joy. Then he was overwhelmed by fury. By betrayal.
“How could you?” Dropping his briefcase to the bedroom’s tile floor, he ground out, “I made it clear I have no desire to learn about my past. Ever.”
Hana lifted her chin, her eyes defiant. “I had to.”
“Why? Do you hate me so much?”
She stopped, blinked. “No. I love you. That’s why I did this. I’m trying to help you.” Her expression became tender as she said softly, “You need to know the truth.”
“But I burned that man’s letter—”
“I remembered his name. I looked him up on the internet and called him.” She paused. “Yesterday, I took the train up to Etxetarri.”
“Where?”
“A little fishing village to the north.” She took a deep breath. “I met your mother. In person.”
“You. What?” Sudden vertigo made him light-headed.
“Please, just listen. You have to know. It could change everything. As Ren told me when he came here, the truth can set you free—”
Ren Tanaka? That made Antonio stop cold. All his fear and pain and uncertainty coagulated around this one point. “He was here?”
“You’re missing the point—”
“You invited Tanaka to this house?” His eyes narrowed. “Behind my back? While I wasn’t here?”
“Behind your back? Are you serious?” A hard laugh burst from her lips. “The only reason you weren’t here is because you left me. In the middle of the night. After I told you I loved you.”
Antonio thought of Lund’s wife and the yoga instructor. “I told you I didn’t want you to be friends with Tanaka anymore.”
“Yes, you’ve told me a lot of things.” She lifted her steady gaze to his. “Like when you said the company would belong to us equally. When you said we’d share our lives. But from the moment we arrived in Madrid, you’ve been pushing me away. And when I told you I loved you, you left.”
She saw right through him. His weaknesses. He said coldly, “You keep bringing that up. But one has nothing to do with the other. And don’t change the subject from Tanaka—”
“Ren came to show me the engagement ring he bought in Paris.” For a split second, ice gripped Antonio’s throat, before she continued, “He’s going to propose to his girlfriend. Emika.”
He stared at Hana blankly. “Emika?”
“Emika Ito,” she prompted. “The head of your Tokyo office. Remember?”
“Of course I remember,” he snapped. He took a deep breath, forcing his shoulders to relax. So Tanaka wasn’t a rival after all. He felt dizzy with relief. “He came all the way to Madrid to tell you that?”
“Ren came to thank me. He told me it hurt him in April when I told him I’d never love him, but it also set him free,” she said quietly. “When he was forced to give up old dreams, he was able to have new ones.”
Her voice was strange. He set his jaw. “What are you trying to say?”
Hana’s eyes met his. “You’re afraid to let me love you. Because you’re afraid to love me.”