Chapter 0611
“We started talking about work, but before we knew it, we were discussing life, her husband, and her family. That’s when I noticed a bruise on her right wrist, which she was trying to hide under her sweater sleeve. Your mother was five years younger than me, the same as your father. I remember telling her that no man had the right to lay a hand on her, no matter who he was. She neither confirmed nor denied that your father was responsible.”
“And how did things end up between you and my mother?”
“Did we have something? Well, yes. She came to the firm often; I handled the Palmer family’s affairs. Everything happened while Lucius your grandfather was still around. For five years, we worked with Palmer Group. But after Lucius ran off with Electra Levett, Catherine and Leonardo decided to switch law firms. I suspect they did it because of what happened with Lucius or maybe because they knew about me and your mother.
“Martina was an incredible woman. Beautiful and kind. Many times, I begged her to leave Leonardo because of how violent he was. But she was terrified of him. As you can imagine, back then, I wasn’t half the man I am now. I couldn’t protect her from the Palmers. They’d invested a lot in her. If she had run off with me, they’d have hunted us down without mercy. So, she never accepted my proposal.
“Still, when your father found out I’d been your mother’s lover, he took three of my fingers–one for every month I’d been with her. That bastard made sure I paid for it.
her–and
“I never knew she was pregnant with my child. If I had known, I would’ve fought harder for her and for you.”
“How did you find out?”
“Your brother. He told me.”
“How did Peter find out?”
“That’s something you’ll have to ask him. All I know is that Martina left me a letter. In it, she told me you were my son. She wanted me to find you after her death and take you away from Leonardo. But the letter didn’t reach me until a year ago.”
“Did you love her?”
11
“Of course, I loved her! I never got involved with anyone else after her. I could never forgive myself for not protecting her, for not getting her away from that damned family. Leonardo didn’t find out I was your father until you were almost 14. When he did, he came after me. But after he took my fingers, I wasn’t about to stay in Valentia. I moved to France, and eventually settled here in Germany.
“As I said, I didn’t know you were my son. Every month, someone places flowers on Martina’s grave at the Flavian Cemetery. I loved her, but I never had the chance to defend her. Leonardo always put on a perfect face for the world, but behind closed doors, he was the demon who tormented her.”
“You could’ve taken her away!”
“How? Catherine and Leonardo–the Palmers–were one of the most powerful families in Valeria, if not the most powerful. I did try to take her away once, but she refused. She didn’t want Leonardo to take it out on you. Only last year did I fully understand why. She could have told me you were my son, but if we’d taken you, there would have been nowhere Leonardo wouldn’t have found us. You were just a baby. She loved you so much. She would never have done anything to put you in danger.
“My mother suffered because of you!”
“Maximus, do you think I don’t know that? There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of Martina. Not one day where I don’t blame myself for her death,” Magnus said, his voice heavy with pain.
