Chapter 18 - The Truth About That Night|
Elena arrived at the hospital two days later.
She waited until Vincent had left the room before taking the chair beside my bed. She looked uncomfortable, as if she feared I would blame her for a story in which she had never wanted to participate.
“I didn't know about the plan to use your medical condition,” she said. “I only discovered it when I reviewed the recovered records.”
“What did you find?”
Elena placed a photocopy on my blanket.
It was a schedule of the Moretti family's birthday celebration. Beside Vincent's name was a handwritten note: Keep him occupied until the final toast.
The note had been written by Marcus.
Another entry referred to a phone call expected from the hospital.
My stomach tightened.
“Did they know I would go into labor?”
“They knew you were experiencing complications,” Elena said. “The records show that Marcus had obtained information about your medical appointments through someone connected to the family's private office. But we don't know whether anyone predicted the emergency.”
I felt cold.
“Why would they want Vincent to stay at the party?”
“Because his signature was expected on several documents that evening. They wanted him to approve a set of business transfers before the trust records were examined.”
I thought about Sophia clinging to his arm.
Her sudden ankle injury.
The way she had insisted he stay.
“Was she pretending to be hurt?”
Elena shook her head.
“I can't prove that. The investigators are reviewing the messages and medical records. What I can tell you is that she received a message from Marcus shortly before the hospital called. It said, ‘Don't let him leave until the toast.’”
I closed my eyes.
I would never know whether Sophia had deliberately faked an injury or simply used a real one to manipulate Vincent.
But I knew what had happened.
When the choice came, he had stayed.
Elena watched me carefully.
“I understand if you hate him.”
“I don't hate him.”
“Then why leave?”
I looked at the hospital window.
“Because love doesn't erase what happened. I can understand why he made those choices without agreeing to live with them.”
Elena nodded slowly.
“That took me years to understand.”
She told me about her life after leaving Chicago. She had worked under another name, rebuilt her finances, and learned to live without constantly checking whether someone from the Moretti family was watching her.
“I thought if I stayed quiet, I could protect myself,” she said. “But silence allowed them to keep controlling the story.”
“Are you afraid of coming forward?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
Elena glanced toward the neonatal unit.
“Because I don't want another woman to discover that the people she trusted were planning her future without her knowledge.”
For the first time, I felt a connection with her that had nothing to do with Vincent.
We were two women who had been expected to accept decisions made by other people.
One had escaped years earlier.
The other was only beginning.
When Elena left, Vincent returned to my room. He had overheard enough to understand the main point.
“I should have come to you,” he said. “I should have left the party.”
“Yes.”
“I keep trying to find a reason that explains why I stayed. Sophia was upset. The guests were waiting. I thought the doctors could handle it.”
He shook his head.
“None of those reasons matter. You needed me, and I wasn't there.”
I looked at him.
“That's the truth you need to live with. Not as punishment. As a reminder.”
He nodded.
“I will.”
The following morning, the doctors told me I might be discharged soon, provided my recovery continued without complications.
I was finally going to take one step toward a life outside the Moretti estate.
But when Evelyn arrived with the divorce papers, she also brought a notice from the court.
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Marcus Vale had requested a hearing to challenge the trust's transfer restrictions.
And his filing named me as the person allegedly responsible for the disputed transactions.
