The Truth That Was Hidden

Tere had just stepped through the cemetery gates when the phone inside her bag vibrated repeatedly, forcing her to stop.

She stood motionless at the side of the deserted road. For several seconds, Tere simply stared at the screen as it continued to flash, with no intention of answering. Her body felt weak, her strength completely drained after spending hours standing rigidly in front of the mound of wet earth where Ana’s small body had been laid to rest. There were no tears left to shed, only the emptiness of losing the daughter she loved.

The name displayed on the screen made the corner of her eye twitch slightly.

Marvin.

Tere drew a long, heavy breath, trying to suppress the tightness blocking her airway before finally sliding the green button across the screen.

“Yes?”

“My condolences, Tere.”

Marvin’s voice sounded low, deep, and heavy on the other end. There was genuine compassion in it, a kind of concern Tere had not received from her own husband in years.

Those two simple words made Tere’s heart feel as though it had been cut open.

“Thank you,” Tere whispered softly, her voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the evening wind.

“I know there are no words or amount of money in this world that can bring your daughter, Ana, back,” Marvin continued.

Tere squeezed her eyes shut. The moment Ana’s name was mentioned, the image of her daughter’s tiny, pale, lifeless face on the operating table came crashing back into her mind.

“I should have been able to save her, Marvin...” Tere’s voice suddenly broke. Her defenses crumbled completely. “I should have brought her there sooner! I’m her mother... I should have been able to protect her from that man!”

“Don’t blame yourself, Tere.”

“If only I hadn’t been held up at the reception desk because my cards were blocked...”

“Tere, enough!” Marvin cut her off firmly. “The person you should blame is the bastard who cruelly abandoned his own daughter when her life was hanging by a thread.”

Tere fell silent. Marvin’s sharp tone left her speechless. She closed her eyes, trying to calm the emotions raging inside her heart.

Marvin slowly exhaled on the other end of the phone, releasing the restrained anger he had been holding back. “If you want me to, I can deal with Xandes right now.”

Tere’s eyes slowly opened. The sorrowful look in them suddenly sharpened. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t need to explain in detail what I can do to him.” Marvin’s voice turned cold and dangerous. “As the head of the mafia, I have enough enforcers and connections to make Xandes lose everything overnight. His business, his power, his reputation, even his freedom.”

Tere’s fingers tightened around her phone. “Don’t.”

“Tere...”

“I said don’t, Marvin!” Tere cried softly, struggling to control her violently trembling breath.

“But that bastard has hurt you and made it impossible to save Ana, Tere.”

Tere lowered her head deeply, wiping away the last warm tear at the corner of her eye. “I know, Marvin.”

“Then let me destroy him for you,” Marvin urged.

“No.” Tere’s answer sounded much calmer this time, but beneath that calmness burned a raging vengeance.

“Why? Do you still love him?”

Tere stared straight ahead at the deserted road. “It’s not because I still love him,” Tere whispered flatly. “I don’t have even the slightest bit of love left for Xandes.”

“Then?”

“I just don’t want you to dirty your hands over something this vile.” Tere drew a deep breath. “I want him destroyed by my own hands.”

A long silence filled the phone line. On the other end, Marvin began to sense the change in the aura of the woman he had once loved.

“I know that look in your eyes right now, Tere,” Marvin said gently.

“I don’t need anyone to save me anymore, Marvin.”

“I know.”

“I just need time.”

“All right,” Marvin replied firmly, without hesitation. “But remember one thing. If you need help or change your mind, call me. I don’t care how much time passes... I will always answer your call.”

The call ended. Tere slowly lowered her phone. She no longer felt alone. But she was also firmly determined that, from this moment on, she could not depend on anyone. Not even Marvin. She would end this suffering with her own hands.

Night had fully fallen when Tere finally stepped back into Xandes’s mansion.

The magnificent modern building stood solidly against the darkness of night. Grand, silent, and unbearably cold. For the past six years, this place had been a silent witness to her life, the place where she had devoted herself as Xandes’s obedient wife, where Ana had first called her Mommy, and where they had once laughed together as a complete family.

But tonight, the mansion felt so empty and desolate.

Tere slowly pushed open the main teakwood door. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes immediately fixed on the grand marble staircase in the center of the room.

Her body froze instantly. Her breath caught in her throat.

That staircase. The place where Ana had fallen covered in blood.

The horrifying memory of that night came crashing back. The image of Ana’s small body tumbling violently down each step flashed rapidly before her eyes. The sound of her daughter’s final whimper as she called, “Mommy!” seemed to echo through the cold silence of the room.

Tere covered her own mouth, suppressing the hysterical scream that nearly escaped. Her body swayed, and she almost lost her balance. But before her knees touched the marble floor, Tere forced her eyes wide open.

Her gaze suddenly turned sharp.

No. She could not break down here. There were too many questions she needed to solve.

With determined steps despite her still trembling body, Tere walked toward the mansion’s security surveillance room in the back corner. She turned on the main CCTV monitor, entered the password, and immediately searched for the video recording folder from the time of the tragic incident that night.

However, her finger froze above the keyboard.

The recording file for that date and time had been completely deleted. Tere frowned and tried to open the backup cloud folder. It was empty. She checked the recordings from several hours before and after the incident, and they were all there and intact. Only at the exact minute when Ana had been thrown from the staircase... the recording was gone.

There was only one person in this mansion who had the full authority and access to delete the security footage this quickly without leaving a trace.

Xandes.

Tere’s blood ran cold. What had happened that night? Why had the footage of the incident been deleted?

A suspicion suddenly crossed Tere’s mind.

What if Xandes knew? What if he knew Ana had not fallen on her own? What if that man knew Ana had not pushed Cleo, and he had chosen to cover up the crime?

Tere felt her entire body tremble with anger. But then the corner of her eye caught the position of a small hidden camera installed between the decorative ceiling lights, a secret camera she had deliberately installed herself years ago without anyone’s knowledge for her own protection.

“You underestimated me, Xandes,” Tere murmured coldly.

With trembling hands, Tere removed the secret memory card and connected it to her personal laptop.

The video opened. Tere fast-forwarded through the footage until the crucial minutes arrived.

On the screen, Cleo could be seen standing on the staircase while Ana approached him holding a doll. They appeared to have a brief confrontation. Then, clearly and unmistakably, Cleo raised both hands and forcefully pushed Ana in the chest.

Ana was shoved backward and tumbled down the stairs, rolling until she landed motionless on the floor below.

Tere froze in place. Her breath stopped instantly.

Her daughter had not pushed Cleo. Her daughter had not fallen on her own. Her daughter was the victim of the lies and cruelty of the child of her husband’s mistress! Xandes... Xandes had deliberately deleted the main CCTV footage to protect that murderous child!

The pain of losing Ana was now replaced by unbearable vengeance. Tere immediately copied the authentic video file onto three separate storage devices, one on her laptop, one on her phone, and one on a secret drive.

Just as Tere slipped the secret drive into the pocket of her dress, the heavy sound of leather shoes suddenly echoed from the main hallway, approaching rapidly toward the surveillance room.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Tere turned stiffly, her eyes immediately meeting Xandes’s hardened gaze as he stood in the doorway.