Whisper Destiny

Chapter 79

~ Natasha ~

The living room was unnervingly quiet, the kind of silence that presses against your chest like a heavy weight. In front of me, my parents sat side by side, exchanging furtive glances. Their eyes flickered between Catherine and me as if they had something to say, but neither seemed to know how to begin. Catherine, as calm and composed as ever, sat beside me.

We had detoured here on their insistence, skipping the office to head straight to their house. Apparently, the rumors swirling about Catherine and the so-called "mystery ginger" had grown legs—and claws. Paparazzi, and social media was having a field day. By the time we arrived, the gossip had escalated to wild conclusions: 'End of the married relationship between two business tycoon.'

Catherine had dismissed it with a simple "Ignore it, the team is handling this matter." I tried, but I couldn't shake the unsettling feeling in my mind. Each headline, each post stung like a needle, pricking at my composure.

Now, sitting here in this unbearable quiet, I started to feel suffocated. I shifted in my seat, the tension building with each passing second. It felt like the walls were closing in, and I had to say something before I went insane.

Finally, I cracked. "Just ask already. Whatever it is you're dying to know—just ask." My voice was sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it. "I can't take this silence anymore."

My mother blinked, startled, then exchanged a brief look with my father. She cleared her throat, her hands nervously smoothing the hem of her blouse. "Before anything else," she began, her voice quieter than usual, "we need to know... is it true? Is the person in that photo really you, Cate? And is there any truth to the news?"

Catherine turned to me, her eyes calm but unflinching. Then, without hesitation, she answered, "Yes. It's true."

The words hung in the air like an echo that refused to fade. My mother's lips parted as if to say something, but no sound came out. My father glanced at her, his expression unreadable, though I caught the faintest flicker of concern in his eyes. Sadness? Disappointment? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that their silence was worse than any reaction I'd imagined.

"Well—"

"Let me explain—"

Both my mother and Catherine spoke at once, their words overlapping. My mother gestured for Catherine to continue.

But before she could, I jumped in.

"It was me," I blurted out, the words tumbling out faster than I could control them. There was no point in circling around it. Let it spill out—quick, raw, and done with it.

My parents exchanged confused glances.

"What?" my mother asked, her brow knitting in confusion

I took a deep breath. "I said... it was me. The 'mystery ginger' from the pictures." I repeated it, I looked at them, trying to steady my breathing, though my heart raced in my chest.

I waited for a reaction, but my parents just stared at me, their confusion still written plainly across their faces. It was as if they were trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces, uncertain of what to make of my sudden confession.

"But, honey, your hair... it's not red," my mother said, finally addressing the elephant in the room. Her tone was cautious, as though the words might crack something fragile between us.

I froze, my heart pounding against my ribs as I scrambled for an explanation. I had braced myself for their questions, but now that we were here, the words refused to come. There was no way I could explain the details of the intimate moment Catherine and I had shared last night. Especially not to my parents.