Love in the Shadows [Book 1]

Chapter Three

Felix' POV

Katherine and I were so in love with each other that we could do anything for one another. She is my childhood friend and our families have been close for a long time.

My parents and her parents are partners in business and they both decided to migrate to the Philippines since our mothers are Filipino.

I graduated in BS Economics in Harvard while Katherine graduated in BS Psychology in the same university. We were not in a relationship then and we were just friends.

After our graduation, I started to feel differently and courted her. Then because of my overwhelming love for her, I convinced her to make love with me even without marriage. She denied me at first but later on succumbed to her desires and invited me to her bed.

And then one day, during the third year of us being together, we realized that she is with child. This fact did not escape the knowledge of our conservative parents so they demanded for us to marry each other right away.

I was sure then that she would become my lawfully wedded wife in just a few months only to be betrayed by the news that she was pregnant by someone else.

She confessed that she was taking another man in her bed and that she is pregnant with that man's child. Her parents decided for her to marry that man instead, stating that they could not bear seeing me raise someone else's child.

I told them that it was okay for me to raise the child as long as Katherine is with me but they refused and demanded for Katherine to not see me anymore.

I never saw her again after that. And one day, the news about her engagement with the man named Paul Nash spread like a wildfire.

At first, I refused to believe the news and kept on denying Katherine's involvement with it. But when I saw her on the screen telling the media that she will be marrying that man next month, my world fell apart.

I could not believe that the woman I entrusted my life and happiness with had betrayed me.

I was enraged upon hearing the news which made me break all the things that I could grab, making a mess in my room. My dad stopped me by hitting my face and telling me that I need to get a grip of myself because we are facing a more urgent matter.

I looked at him and saw the panic in his eyes and that calmed me down.

Deciding to set my heartbreak aside, I asked him what was happening and what he told me convinced me that Katherine and I are really over. He told me that the Tanaka family conspired with the Nash family for the takeover of our conglomerate.

Those two families decided to join forces in the form of marriage so they could cast us out of our own throne and take the kingdom from us.

"She doesn't love you, son. She only acted like she did so she could manipulate you into doing things that her parents commanded." He revealed, referring to Katherine and her supposed manipulation.

"I do not understand." I confessed and sat back on the bed, feeling weak on the knees.

"Has she asked for your seal before?" He prompted.

An incident instantly crossed my mind when he said that. I remember Katherine asked for my seal a few weeks ago telling me that she needs it so she could sign the paper that we need for our new house.

"She did, but it was just for our house-"

"She used that to forge a document stating that you are forfeiting your inheritance and passing it to your son." He interjected and that made my bone cold.