The Secret They Thought Was Buried

"If Tere really finds out what happened that night, she's bound to blame Cleo."

Felicia stood in front of the large window in the living room of her villa. Her face was pale. Her hands were clasped tightly together, while her eyes remained fixed on the darkness of the front yard without blinking.

Ever since Xandes had left Ana's funeral several hours ago, Felicia's mind had been filled with unease.

Felicia squeezed her eyes shut. She had never expected the consequences to go this far. Her original plan had been very simple. She only wanted to use Cleo to draw all of Xandes's attention. She had deliberately poisoned Cleo's mind before sending him to Xandes's mansion to hurt Ana, intending for the child to inflict only a minor injury so that Xandes would blame Tere for being incapable of taking care of their child.

She had never expected that the impact would claim Ana's life.

The sound of a car engine stopping in front of the villa startled her. Felicia hurried toward the door. A few seconds later, the front door opened and Xandes stepped inside.

"Xandes," Felicia called quickly.

Xandes stopped in his tracks. The man looked at Felicia with a furrowed brow. "What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Felicia immediately approached and grabbed Xandes's sleeve. "I'm scared, Xandes."

"Scared of what?"

"Tere," Felicia replied, holding her breath. "I'm afraid she knows what really happened to Ana."

Xandes let out a long sigh and removed his expensive jacket. "Why do you think she'll find out? The doctor already confirmed that it was purely an accident."

"But Tere isn't stupid!" Felicia's voice rose in panic. "She's bound to investigate why Ana fell down the stairs. What if she finds the CCTV footage?"

Xandes calmly placed his jacket over the back of the sofa. "The footage has already been deleted. There's nothing left."

"But what if she has a copy? Or what if the system stored a backup?" Felicia pressed, moving closer to Xandes.

"She won't find it," Xandes cut in firmly. "I personally made sure the entire mansion's security system was cleaned out last night. You don't need to panic."

Felicia squeezed her own fingers. "But what if Tere still blames Cleo?"

Xandes's gaze suddenly hardened. "Cleo is still a child. He didn't do anything intentionally."

Felicia lowered her head, putting on an expression of deep regret. "I know... But you know what Tere has always been like. She always considered Ana the most important."

Xandes remained silent, listening.

"Cleo was just scared at the time, Xandes," Felicia continued in a deliberately trembling voice.

"Scared of what?"

"He was afraid of losing you." Felicia looked into Xandes's eyes. "Ever since his biological father died, Cleo has never experienced a father's love. When you came into his life, he felt like he had finally found someone to protect him. He was terrified that you would leave him if all your attention returned to Ana."

Xandes sighed softly. "I never intended to leave Cleo."

"I know." Felicia smiled faintly and then took Xandes's fingers in hers. "But a child's mind doesn't work the way ours does. To Cleo, that fear of losing you made him act without thinking."

Xandes leaned back, processing Felicia's words. Deep down, he felt responsible for the child's fear.

However, Xandes never knew the truth. Felicia was the one who had been planting poison in Cleo's mind all along. She was the one who had repeatedly whispered to Cleo that as long as Ana was still around, Xandes would never truly be his father.

"So... are you saying Cleo pushed Ana because he was afraid of losing me?" Xandes asked to make sure.

Felicia nodded slowly. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "He never intended to seriously hurt Ana, Xandes. He only wanted you to remain his father."

Xandes lowered his head for a moment and rubbed his weary face. "I should have been better at dividing my attention so Cleo wouldn't feel threatened."

Felicia immediately moved closer and rested her head against Xandes's chest. "Don't blame yourself. We just need you here so much."

Xandes wrapped an arm around Felicia's shoulders. "I won't leave you."

Felicia closed her eyes, savoring the small victory in her heart. But then she lifted her face again. "What about Tere? What if she hates you after this?"

Instead, Xandes chuckled softly, a confident smile appearing on his face. "Tere loves me very much, Felicia."

Felicia's expression darkened. "You're that sure?"

"Absolutely." Xandes walked toward the sofa and sat down casually. "She's just emotional because she's grieving. After a few days, she'll be back to normal."

"What if she asks for a divorce?" Felicia asked cautiously.

"Impossible," Xandes answered quickly without hesitation. "Tere has no one else in this world since both her parents died. She depends entirely on me. For years, she's always done whatever I told her."

Xandes took a sip of water from the table. "I already explained to her that Ana's death was fate. I also offered to let us try for another baby later."

Felicia's blood boiled at those last words, but she tried desperately to keep her expression under control. "And... she accepted your offer?"

"Of course she did," Xandes replied confidently. "Don't worry. You and Cleo will remain my priority. Cleo will never lack affection."

Felicia clenched her fists behind her back, then gathered the courage to ask, "If that's the case, now that Ana is gone... why don't you just divorce Tere? We can get married and live as a complete family."

Xandes's calm demeanor instantly vanished. The man stood upright, staring at Felicia with a sharp expression.

"Felicia! How many times have I told you?" Xandes's voice was cold and cutting. "I love Tere. I will never divorce her. I'm willing to be a father figure to Cleo because I pity you and your son, but that doesn't mean I'm going to marry you."

Felicia was shocked by his harsh reaction. She quickly changed tactics, looking at Xandes with tear-filled eyes before throwing her arms tightly around him.

"I'm sorry, Xandes... I'm just afraid of losing you," Felicia whispered softly. "I'll never bring up the divorce again. Please don't be angry with me."

Xandes took a long breath, suppressing his emotions before returning Felicia's embrace. "Don't say that again."

In Xandes's arms, Felicia's faint smile disappeared, replaced by a flash of dissatisfaction. She swore she would find another way to remove Tere completely from Xandes's life.

Meanwhile, in the darkness of the villa's outer terrace, a figure stood listening to the entire conversation inside the room.

Tere.

She stood rigidly beside the slightly opened glass door. The phone in her hand was still recording, capturing every second of Felicia's savage confession and Xandes's arrogance without missing a single word.

When Tere heard Xandes say how certain he was that she loved him deeply and would never leave him, the corner of her lips lifted into the coldest smile.

"You think I love you that much, Xandes?" Tere whispered softly into the darkness of the night.

She lowered her phone and safely placed it inside her bag. This audio recording, together with the secret CCTV footage showing Cleo pushing Ana, would become a deadly weapon capable of destroying both of their lives.

Tere turned around and walked calmly toward her car, which was parked far outside the villa's gate. There were no more tears. There was no trace of weakness left in her heart.

As she got into the car and started the engine, her phone vibrated, signaling an incoming message from her lawyer:

"Mrs. Tere, the divorce complaint has been completed and is ready to be filed tomorrow morning when the court opens."

Tere stared at her phone screen, then looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror.

"Enjoy your last night as my husband, Xandes," Tere murmured coldly.

She pressed down on the accelerator, sending the car speeding through the darkness of the night, leaving the villa behind with the destruction that was about to come crashing down on Xandes.