Chapter 10
Julian came to Cesare’s house at 1:10 the next morning.
Alone.
Cesare opened the door.
His son looked broken.
“I lied to you.”
Cesare said nothing.
Julian walked into the library but remained standing.
“I knew.”
Cesare’s face became still.
“How long?”
“Twelve days before the gala.”
The answer landed harder than Cesare expected.
Julian had gone to Vanessa’s condominium late one evening after a board dinner.
She thought he would not arrive until midnight.
He entered the bedroom and found her standing in front of the mirror.
No pregnancy belly.
No padding.
Nothing.
The prosthetic sat on the bed.
Vanessa confessed immediately.
She told Julian she had invented the pregnancy because she believed he would never commit to her otherwise.
Julian was furious.
He planned to end the relationship that night.
Then Vanessa panicked.
She reminded him that the gala was twelve days away.
Hundreds of donors had already congratulated them.
The foundation had included the pregnancy in private family conversations with major supporters.
A public scandal would explode through the event.
Diane arrived twenty minutes later.
Julian had not called her.
Vanessa had.
Diane convinced him to keep quiet until after the gala.
“Why?”
Cesare asked.
Julian looked ashamed.
“Because I agreed with her.”
He had told himself twelve days did not matter.
He would let Vanessa appear at the gala.
Afterward, they would announce she had suffered a private pregnancy loss.
Then the relationship could end quietly.
No public humiliation.
No questions.
No scandal.
Cesare stared at his son.
“That is why there were two.”
Julian nodded.
One prosthetic was worn regularly.
The second was reserved for gala fittings because Diane feared the first could be damaged or misplaced.
Diane had not bought a backup for Vanessa’s original lie.
She bought it to help Julian maintain the lie after he discovered it.
Cesare stood slowly.
For days, Julian had sat beside him asking how Vanessa, Diane, and Ethan could deceive him.
But Julian had become part of the deception himself.
He had known there was no baby.
He had watched Avice talk about becoming a sister.
He had entered the gala knowing Vanessa’s belly was false.
He had simply never imagined Diane would attack his daughter to protect the secret.
Cesare’s voice became quiet.
“Your daughter was thrown onto the floor because four adults decided appearances mattered more than truth.”
Julian’s eyes filled.
“I didn’t know they were doing anything to her.”
“No.”
Cesare looked at him.
“But you taught them you were willing to protect the lie.”
Julian lowered his head.
May you like
For the first time, the betrayal was no longer outside the Lombardi family.
It was standing in Cesare’s library.
