Already gone

Isabella’s POV

“Mrs. Santiago,” A middle-aged doctor called as he walked in. Dr. Evans. He held my file in his hand. “We have the results of your blood test. You are 7 weeks pregnant. Congra—”

“Stop.” I said.

It made him pause. He looked up at me in confusion.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a thick white envelope. Inside, there was five thousand dollars in cash. I had been saving this money in secret for months, just in case.

I placed the envelope on the metal tray next to him.

As Dr. Evans looked at the money, his eyes widened. He looked back at me as I continued.

“I am not pregnant,” I uttered clearly. “I am stressed. I have severe depression. I have insomnia. That’s why I fainted. That is why I am throwing up.”

He swallowed hard as he glanced at the door to make sure it was closed. Then he looked at the envelope again.

“Mrs. Santiago… this is unethical.”

“This is necessary.” I corrected him. “If my husband finds out I am pregnant, my baby will be in danger. Do you understand?”

I didn't wait for him to answer. I leaned forward. “Write the diagnosis. Depression. Insomnia. Prescribe me sleeping pills. That is all.”

Dr. Evans hesitated for one second. Then, he picked up the envelope and slid it into his pocket. He took his pen and crossed something out on the file.

“You need rest, Mrs. Santiago,” he said, faking a professional tone. “Your depression is severe. I am prescribing sedatives.”

I let out a breath in relief. “Thank you.”

An hour later, I took a taxi and told the driver to go to the East District. It was a dirty part of the city. A place where billionaire wives were never supposed to go.

I pulled my coat tight around me and shoved a hand into my pocket. Inside it, I grabbed the velvet box. It was the ring Mateo had left behind earlier. The "apology" gift. The same one he bought for Valentina.

Taking a deep breath, I walked into a small shop. The sign flashed “Pawn Shop”. But everyone knew what it really was. It was a place where stolen things found new owners.

The man behind the counter had a scar on his cheek. He looked at my expensive clothes and smirked, “Lost your way, princess?”

I said nothing as I took out the ring box and slammed it on the counter. “I want to sell.” I said. “Cash only. No receipts. No paper trail.”

The man whistled as he picked up the five-carat ring. He looked at it under a light. “This is top quality.” He muttered. “Santiago Group design?” He looked at me suspiciously.

“Do you want to buy it or not?” I asked humourlessly.

He grinned, showing yellow teeth. “I’ll give you fifty thousand.”

It was worth triple that. He was robbing me. But I didn't have the time to bargain. I needed the money.

“Done.” I said instantly.

He went to the back and returned with a duffel bag full of cash. I counted it quickly.

I put them into my backpack and left the shop.

I walked two blocks to a noisy internet café filled with teenagers playing video games. I pulled the hood of my coat up and paid cash for a private booth in the back.

Mateo called me "boring." He said I was old-fashioned. He thought I spent my days shopping or reading romance novels. He never asked what I was doing on my laptop during those long, lonely nights while he was "working late.”

He didn't remember I had a degree in Computer Science. He didn't know I spent the last year learning cybersecurity to distract myself from the grief of losing Elena.

Heaving a deep sigh, I sat at the computer. My fingers glid across the keyboard. I bypassed the café’s security firewall in ten seconds.

Then, I accessed the Tor network. The Dark Web. The screen turned black with green text. This was my world.

I navigated to a secure marketplace I had found months ago. I ordered a "Clean Slate" package. Passport, Driver’s License, Birth Certificate. High quality. Registered in the real database.

I paid using Bitcoin I had scooped secretly on Mateo’s powerful gaming server when he wasn't home.

Then, I hacked into the hospital’s main server. It took me three minutes to break their outdated encryption. I found my file.

Patient: Isabella Santiago.

Notes: Pregnancy Test - POSITIVE.

Dr. Evans had changed the paper file, but the digital log was still there. If Mateo checked the system, he would know.

I typed a command.

Delete.

Rewrite: “Patient shows signs of hormonal imbalance due to extreme stress. Negative for pregnancy.”

I hit Enter.

The screen blinked and instantly, the truth was gone.

I leaned back in the cheap chair and touched my stomach. “You won't find us, Mateo.” I whispered to the screen. “I am already gone.”

My final stop was a small law firm in a corner of the city. Mr. Henderson was an old lawyer, famous for keeping mouth shut. Irene gave me his contact

I sat in his messy office. I placed a document on his desk.

“Divorce papers.” He said, reading the title.

Author's Note: Hello dear readers, Thank you for joining me in Isabella's Journey to freedom. I would request to sit tight, hold your breath for the coming chapters. You would love every moment of it. But please, don’t forget to add the book to your library, leave your precious comments and reviews. They mean a lot to me. Follow me on I* author_ilma or Find my F* page Author I.R for more.