Chapter 6 - THE FORMAL APOLOGY
Three days later, the grand parlor of Valentine Manor was prepared for a visitor.
Mara sat in a plush armchair of cream velvet, dressed in an elegant dark green silk maternity dress that flowed gracefully over her subtle bump. Gabriel stood right beside her chair, resting one hand possessively on her shoulder.
The double doors of the parlor opened.
Viktor escorted Senator Thorne and Bianca into the room.
Bianca looked completely destroyed. Her luxury clothes were gone, replaced by a plain dark dress. Her face was pale, her posture slumped in utter defeat. Behind her, Senator Thorne looked ten years older, his eyes red-rimmed with anxiety.
"Don Valentine... Miss Whitfield," Senator Thorne stammered, bowing low.
Gabriel didn't speak. He simply glanced down at Bianca.
Senator Thorne nudged his daughter harshly in the ribs. "Do it now, Bianca! Do what you promised!"
Bianca bit her lower lip so hard it bled. Tears of raw humiliation spilled down her cheeks as she slowly, painfully dropped to her knees on the Persian rug right in front of Mara's chair.
Mara watched her, feeling a complex surge of emotions. Three days ago, she had been kneeling in the mud before this woman. Now, the tables had turned so completely it felt unreal.
Bianca reached into her purse with trembling hands, pulling out a handwritten letter.
"I... I come to offer my deepest apologies to Miss Mara Whitfield," Bianca read aloud, her voice shaking violently. "I confess that I struck her without cause... that I slandered her character... and that I treated her with unforgivable cruelty. I acknowledge that she is an honorable woman, and I beg for her forgiveness."
Bianca lowered her head until her forehead touched the floor at Mara's feet.
The room was completely quiet except for Bianca's choked sobs.
Mara looked down at the woman who had tormented her for three years. She felt no urge to laugh, nor did she feel any desire for further vengeance. She only felt a profound sense of closure.
"I accept your apology, Bianca," Mara said, her voice clear, calm, and dignified. "You may leave."
Bianca scrambled to her feet, practically running out of the parlor in shame, with Senator Thorne bowing repeatedly as he backed out after her.
When the doors closed, Gabriel looked down at Mara, a subtle smile touching his lips.
"You showed her great mercy," Gabriel remarked softly.
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"Mercy isn't weakness, Gabriel," Mara said, looking up at him. "She hurt me because she was insecure and cruel. I don't need to destroy her to feel strong. I have you. I have our baby. That is my strength."
Gabriel looked at her with an intensity that took her breath away. He leaned down, placing a warm, lingering kiss on her forehead. "You are more regal than any queen I have ever met, Mara."
