Chapter 8 - The Truth Anna Feared|
Gabriel returned to the estate with one thought burning through every other concern.
Anthony Vale claimed that Anna was not the first person in the family to receive her diagnosis.
The statement made no medical sense. Cancer was not a secret that could be passed from one person to another, and nothing in Dr. Shaw's records suggested that Anna's condition had been known before her symptoms appeared.
But Anthony had not said the same illness.
He had said the same diagnosis.
Gabriel found Anna in the garden, sitting beneath the glass canopy with a blanket across her knees. She was watching rain collect along the edges of the roof.
He sat beside her.
“Can we talk?”
She looked at him.
“That depends. Is this another conversation where you tell me what you discovered after I asked you to be honest?”
He accepted the criticism.
“Anthony Vale has been found. He claims he has information about your medical history.”
Anna went still.
“Anthony?”
“You know him?”
She looked down at the blanket.
“I met him once, before we married.”
Gabriel waited.
“He came to my apartment with your mother. They said they were checking the background information required for the family trust. I signed a few forms. I didn't think much about it.”
“Did he ask you about your health?”
“Yes.”
“What did he ask?”
“Whether I had ever been hospitalized, whether there were any serious illnesses in my family, whether I had ever been treated for anxiety or depression.”
Gabriel frowned.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because it happened before we were married, and I thought it was an ordinary background check.”
“Did he say anything else?”
Anna's fingers tightened around the blanket.
“He asked whether I had ever experienced unexplained bruising.”
Gabriel stared at her.
“Why?”
“I don't know. I told him I hadn't.”
“Did you?”
She turned toward him.
“Gabriel, what are you asking me?”
“I'm asking whether there is something about your health you haven't told me.”
Her expression changed.
For a moment, he thought she would refuse to answer.
Then she whispered, “I had a blood test when I was twenty-two. I was tired all the time, and my doctor thought I might be anemic. The results were normal.”
“Was that the only test?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone tell you that you might have a serious condition?”
“No.”
He watched her carefully.
“Then why are you frightened?”
“Because I know how your family treats information. You collect it, you file it away, and you decide what it means before the person involved has a chance to speak.”
He lowered his eyes.
She was right.
“I don't want to do that to you.”
“Then don't.”
He reached for her hand.
“Anthony wants to speak to you. You don't have to see him. But if there's something he knows that could help us understand what's happening, I think we should hear it.”
Anna considered the request.
“Will you be there?”
“Yes.”
“Will you let me ask the questions?”
“Yes.”
“And if I want him to leave?”
“He leaves.”
She nodded.
“Then I'll meet him.”
The conversation took place in the estate's library, with Marco standing near the door and Lucia seated beside Anna. Anthony Vale entered wearing a gray suit and an expression that suggested he had spent the past several days rehearsing what he intended to say.
He looked older than Gabriel remembered.
“Mrs. Moretti,” he began.
“Anna,” she corrected.
He nodded.
“Anna. I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For allowing your medical information to be used without your knowledge.”
Gabriel leaned forward.
“Start with the truth.”
Anthony glanced at him.
“Your father believed that medical information could become a liability if it was discovered by the wrong people. He established a private file system for the family, intended to keep sensitive records away from the public.”
“And you accessed Anna's file,” Gabriel said.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because someone requested it.”
“Who?”
Anthony looked toward Lucia.
She stared back at him, her face pale.
“Peter Lang,” Anthony answered. “He said he was acting on behalf of the family trust.”
Lucia's voice was sharp.
“I never authorized him to obtain confidential medical records.”
Anthony lowered his eyes.
“He told me the request had already been approved.”
Anna's face had gone white.
“What did you find in my file?”
Anthony hesitated.
“Nothing that suggested cancer. But there was a record of a previous blood test and a note from a doctor who recommended further monitoring if certain symptoms developed.”
Anna gripped the arm of her chair.
“What symptoms?”
“Unexplained fatigue. Persistent fever. Swollen lymph nodes.”
She looked at Gabriel.
“I had those symptoms last year.”
The room fell silent.
“You told me you were tired,” Gabriel said.
“I thought it was stress. I went to my doctor, but the symptoms came and went. He said we should monitor them.”
“Did he recommend more tests?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have them?”
Anna looked away.
“No.”
Gabriel felt a surge of fear, but he forced himself to remain still.
“Why not?”
“Because I was afraid of what I might find. Because we were fighting all the time. Because I kept telling myself I would go after your next trip, after the next meeting, after the next crisis.”
Her voice broke.
“And then the symptoms got worse, and I finally went.”
Anthony spoke quietly.
“Peter Lang knew about the earlier symptoms. He believed they could become a problem for the family trust if the diagnosis became public.”
Anna stared at him.
“A problem?”
“He was concerned about insurance, estate planning, and the family's financial exposure.”
Gabriel rose so abruptly that his chair scraped the floor.
“My wife's life was reduced to a financial risk?”
Anthony did not answer.
Lucia stood.
“Peter will answer for this.”
Anna looked at all three of them.
“I don't care about the trust. I don't care about the money. I want to know whether anyone knew I was sick and chose not to tell me.”
Anthony's expression crumpled.
“I didn't know you had cancer.”
“Did you know I needed more tests?”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing?”
“I was following instructions.”
Anna rose slowly.
“Then I hope you understand that following instructions can still hurt people.”
She walked out of the library without waiting for Gabriel.
He started after her, but Lucia caught his arm.
“Let her go.”
Gabriel stared at his mother.
“She needs me.”
“She needs room to breathe. Don't turn her pain into another emergency you have to control.”
He looked toward the doorway.
Then, for once, he listened.
That evening, Anna asked him to sit beside her while she reviewed her next treatment plan.
He did.
They discussed the options, the risks, and the questions she wanted to ask Dr. Reed. Gabriel took notes but made no decisions on her behalf.
When she finished, she rested her head against his shoulder.
“I wish I had gone to the doctor sooner.”
“So do I.”
“I wish I had told you.”
“So do I.”
She looked up.
“Are you angry with me?”
“No.”
“Not even a little?”
He thought about it carefully.
“I'm angry that you were frightened enough to face this alone. But I'm not angry at you for being afraid.”
Anna closed her eyes.
For the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to lean fully against him.
Gabriel held her without asking for anything more.
But in the study downstairs, Lucia was reading a new message from Peter Lang.
If Anna discovers what happened to the original medical file, the family will lose everything.
May you like
And beneath the message was a photograph of a document Gabriel had never seen.
A document bearing his own signature.
