Chapter Seventy-Six

Cat fixed her eyes on him, wondering what he had to tell her. But she knew he needed to hear her side of the tale first. “When Eva came to the office, she tried to blackmail me for money. She claimed that if I paid her, she would reveal my father’s name to me.” Cat couldn’t hide from the truth as she kept her gaze on his face.

Eric frowned, expressing his disbelief. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” he said.

Cat chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Honestly, my childhood was far from pleasant. I wanted to shield you from as much of it as possible. It’s a dark part of my past. You saw Eva, Eric. She looks like someone you’d find on a street corner. It’s embarrassing to have any connection with her. The day they removed me from her care, I was terrified, but the day they took me away from her was the best day of my life.”

Cat’s confession hung heavy in the air as Eric processed her words. He had always known that Cat had a difficult past. He reached out and took her hand, offering