5: The Folder

More than I had expected, the wind had turned cold that morning. I wrapped my scarf around my neck on the opposite side of the road from that mansion. His mansion. The one in which everything had fallen apart.

I hadn't returned for him. Not for his love, not for pity, and not for revenge. I returned for the truth.

Something inside me started tugging at my thoughts after Clara visited the shelter. 

Antonio wanted a paternity test. But there was something in her eyes... fear rather than pride. And Antonio? Too calm on the outside. He was hiding something there.

I had lived in that house for years, cooking his meals, folding his suits, and cleaning rooms I was never allowed to enter.

But one room was always forbidden: his study. There was a drawer he kept locked away. A folder he never let me see.

I had never cared back then; I trusted him. Foolish me. But now? Now I needed those answers.

…

I darted across the road. My boots made a crunching sound on the gravel driveway. The gate was still open. Clara must have left it as she stormed out.

Cameras? Surely, they must have been pointed away. Antonio had even switched them off during the renovations. My prayers were that they still were.

I reached the front door. It was unlocked. Just as before. My heart was pounding harder as I stepped inside.

Empty air filled with silence. Nothing: no voices, no footsteps, no laughter, no warmth. Only cold memories clinging like cobwebs.

Sneaking down the long hall like a thief, my hand brushed along the wall. My fingers remembered every crack.

I stopped in front of his study door. It was closed. I laid my ear against it. Nothing. I gently pushed it open. It creaked.

Everything was the same: the big dark desk, the tall bookshelf, and the sharp smell of leather and ink.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I moved quickly, knowing I didn't have much time.

I went straight to the desk drawer—the one on the bottom right. Still locked. I knelt down and pulled a pin from my scarf.

Years ago, my brother taught me to pick a simple lock. I never thought I would use that skill. But now I felt glad to have remembered it.

The pin was inserted, turned slowly, and with a click, it opened. A manila folder was inside. Thick. The folder was marked with just one word in black pen: CONFIDENTIAL.

My hands shook. I pulled it out and opened it. What I saw made my blood go cold.

…

Inside there were printed pages. Contracts. Agreements. Bank statements. They were all signed by Antonio.

They were not dealing with business matters. These were about me. There were records of my phone calls. My medical reports. Even copies of my birth certificate.

And worse... Pictures. Of me. Sleeping. Showering. Sitting at a park. Private photos I had never seen before.

My stomach churned. Was he spying on me? For what purpose? I flipped through the last handful of pages. A printed e-mail conversation.

From: Antonio De Luca

To: Dr. Simon Marrick

Subject: Procedure Status Update

"Make sure she doesn't find out. She'll believe whatever I tell her. She always does."

I felt my throat clench. Beneath it lay a medical form. I blinked.

Procedure: Fertility Suppression Trial

Patient: Laura De Luca

Status: Ongoing

I reached for my stomach. "No. No." I could not breathe. He had secretly... fiddled with my body? 

He let doctors test things on me? Without telling me? My eyesight blurred. I gripped the edge of the desk to keep myself standing.

I cried silently. Memories of all those days I would get sick for nothing came to my mind. Those missed periods. Those weird pills he told me were "vitamins." 

He knew. He made me believe I couldn't have children. He made me feel like I was broken. And now I was pregnant. 

That meant something went wrong with his plan. Or perhaps... something went right with mine.

Because I now had proof. Proof that Antonio was much more than a liar. He was a monster.

...

I shoved the files in my bag and had to hurry out. I took two strides to the door and froze. Antonio was standing there.

He leaned on the doorframe, calm eyes, tight jaw. "Looking for something?" he asked in a quiet voice.

I stepped back. "I didn't take anything," I blurted. "I was just—"

“I saw you on the camera,” he cut in. “I left it off for weeks. But this morning… I turned it back on.”

My heart throbbed. He stepped in, closing the door behind him. “You always were curious, Laura,” he started. “That was your Achilles' heel.”

"No," I whispered. "My weakness was loving you."

He laughed, the sound soft yet bitter. "Still dramatic."

"I know what you did," I raised my voice. "The trials, the spying, the pills—those were all to stop me from ever having a child."

His face flickered, then went back into the stone mask. "That child you carry," he whispered, "may well be the one to ruin everything." 

"Then good," I mumbled. "Let it ruin you."

I slowly walked toward the door. He came to stand before me. "You won't go public," he said. "You don't have the strength."

I looked into his eyes. "I already did," I lied. "The folder's copied. Sent. If anything happens to me, it all goes out."

He froze. I wasn't sure if he bought the lie. But I knew how to lie now, too. For a long moment, he stared. 

Then he slowly stepped aside. I didn't wait. I ran-hallway, out the door, and into the cold air. I didn't stop running until I was far away from the house.

…

Returning to the shelter, I ran into the office and placed the folder angrily on Ethan’s desk. He rose in shock. “What is this?” asked Ethan.

I unsealed the folder, which Ethan began to flip through. He seemed to darken with every sheet. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

I grabbed his sleeve. “We have to stop him,” I said.

He looked at me. His voice was low. “Laura… this goes beyond you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen this name before.” He pointed to the doctor. “Simon Marrick. He ran a clinic years ago for wealthy clients. He was banned. But Antonio must’ve funded him secretly.”

My blood went cold. “You think there are others?” I asked.

Ethan nodded slowly. “If Antonio did this to you...He may have done it to other women, too.”

…

We sat in silence for quite a while. Then Ethan turned to me. “What do you want to do now?” he asked.

Not much thought went into my answer. “I want to expose him.”