His Ex Girl

Chapter 23- Emotions and Confessions

Yasmin's POV:

I watched Ethan's retreating form, his shoulders hunched and steps heavy as he stormed out of the room. A part of me wanted to shout something after him, to release even more of my anger and frustration. But I remained silent, my eyes cold and distant. Roman and my father were shaking hands, their voices a low murmur in the background while Leah watched on. None of that mattered. My entire focus was on my fiancé, who stood a few steps away, looking at me as if I hung the sun and moon in the sky.

Rafael moved toward me, his eyes never leaving mine and as he did, the rest of the room faded into the periphery, the sounds dimming to a distant hum. As soon as he was close enough, I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. His arms wrapped around me, strong and reassuring, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

He didn't ask why I needed him so desperately in that moment. He simply held me, understanding without words. The satisfaction I felt from watching Ethan grovel to be part of my family's business was more than I had anticipated. It felt like I was on the verge of euphoria but with how deeply he hurt my pride I needed more. I needed to hurt him just as much as he hurt me.

I cast a look at my father, who was silently ushering Leah and Roman out of the room. He turned to face me, his eyes serious, yet filled with a softness that was all too familiar. With one look I could already tell he had something serious to discuss and based on the way he turned on Ethan, I knew exactly what it was.

I reluctantly pulled away from Rafael, who immediately sat beside me, his presence a pillar of support. My father's gaze was steady, watching our every move. I knew this conversation was inevitable but I had hoped I would have more time to think things through. Who was I kidding? It was over the second he flew here. 

"Dad," I began, but he held up a hand, stopping me.

"Yasmin, I know your mother and I raised you and your siblings to be strong and independent but we never meant for it it to get to a point where you felt like you couldn't trust us."

"That's not-"

He cut me off before I could continue. "I need you to tell me the truth about what happened with Ethan and his family," he said, his voice calm but insistent. "I already know some of it, but I want to hear it from you."

I shared a look with Rafael, who gave me an encouraging nod. I took a deep breath and began to explain everything, starting from the moment I met Ethan. "He was charming, ambitious, and I fell for him. But his family..." I hesitated, searching for the right words. "They never accepted me. They made it clear that I wasn't good enough for them."

I could see my father's eyes darken with anger, but he remained silent, letting me continue. "His mother and sister were especially relentless. They criticized everything about me and called me a gold digger more times than I could count."

Rafael's hand found mine, squeezing it reassuringly. "It got to the point where Ethan broke up with me because of photos his mom and sister photoshopped to make it look like I cheated. I never cheated on him but he refused to believe me. He would rather listen to the people that hate me."

My father nodded, absorbing my words. "Are you planning on leaving out the part where you married him?"

My lips parted but no sound came out. I glanced over at Rafael, expecting to find him as shocked as I was but he seemed fine. In fact, it was like he knew this would happen. 

"How long have you known?" I asked the first thing that came to mind. I couldn't imagine him knowing earlier than this week but with him anything was possible.

"Did you think I wouldn't know if one of my children tried to get married?" my eyes narrowed on him, not missing the way he phrased his words. "I'm insulted you didn't think to tell your family."

"I'm insulted you've been keeping tabs on me."

"And I'll continue to do so," he shrugged. "Don't change the subject, why didn't you tell us about Ethan? Were you ashamed of him?"

I paused yet again, feeling at a loss for words. "At the time I wasn't ashamed but now I definitely am."

He nodded. "If you weren't ashamed of him, why didn't you tell us about him?"

I sighed, running a hand through the loose curls in my hair. Whenever I thought about my father finding out about Ethan, I always thought he'd be angry with me. I thought he would rage and demand that I move back home. I also imagined him hiring people to beat the shit out of him but that seemed a bit far fetched even for him. What I didn't expect was the genuine curiosity as he forced me to talk about what went down with Ethan. This was much different from what I thought would happen, I almost wished he would just yell instead of asking all these questions.

"Well?"

"I-I didn't trust him," I mumbled under my breath, so softly that not even Rafael could hear me and he was right beside me.

"What did you say?"

I sighed once again, feeling as if he knew exactly what I said but he wanted me to say it louder. "I didn't trust him, okay? Things with him were good but I never felt like sharing my real identity and anytime I came close to it I always chickened out in the end. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to distinguish between who I was as a person and me as an heiress."

I peeked at Rafael through the corner of my eye, wanting to see his reaction to what I said. I felt like such a hypocrite for as I looked down at the ring on my finger.Eventually I would have had to tell Ethan about my family, since I was married to him but I hated even the thought of doing so. But telling Rafael was a lot easier than I anticipated and what made it better was I wanted to. I didn't feel forced to tell him the truth. 

"And Rafael," he began, "what's happening between you two?"

I couldn't help but smile, a genuine, uncontrollable smile that lit up my face. I glanced at Rafael again, and his eyes were shining, reflecting the warmth and depth of his feelings for me. 

"I like Rafael a lot," I said, my voice filled with conviction. "More than I thought I could, especially after everything that happened with Ethan. He's been there for me, in ways I didn't even know I needed."

Rafael's gaze was unwavering, his emotions laid bare. I envied him. I wished I could easily express my feelings, at one point I could but after being betrayed I've begun to keep my emotions in check. My father watched us both, understanding dawning in his eyes. He nodded slowly, accepting what he saw.

"I see," he said finally. "I expect you to tell the family about your engagement soon."

I nodded, the weight of his words settling on me. I was thankful he was letting me reveal everything to the family. After getting hitched with none of them present, I expected him to take charge and try to control me but he didn't.

"Thank you, Dad," I said, feeling a mixture of relief and gratitude. "I'll do that."

With a final nod, he left the room, leaving Rafael and me alone. I turned to Rafael, who was watching me with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.

"You okay?" he asked softly, his hand still holding mine.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice filled with a newfound confidence. "I am now."