Arthur looked at the evidence Sophie had gathered—proof that Victoria had intercepted Isabel’s letters for decades. Arthur’s face went ghastly pale. “You knew?” he whispered to Victoria. “You kept my daughter from me?”
“I did it to protect our empire!” Victoria shrieked.
“You did it to protect yourself,” Arthur replied coldly. “Get out.”
A DNA test confirmed the truth: 99.9% compatibility. Arthur filed for divorce, costing him half his wealth, but he didn’t care. He moved Isabel to a private clinic for her cancer treatment. He spent his afternoons there with Sophie and Isabel, rebuilding the bridges burned by silence.
One evening, on the terrace of their new home, Arthur looked at the sunflower photo. “Why did you keep it all those years, if you didn’t know it was me?” Sophie asked.
Arthur smiled sadly. “Maybe, on some level, my heart recognized what my mind chose to ignore.” As the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge, the three of them sat together. The past was a shadow, but the future was as bright as a field of sunflowers in the sun.
