Chapter 4 - “Then someone discovered it.”
“Yes.”
“And instead of reporting you, they used it to make it look as if I had done it.”
Daniel nodded.
“I think so.”
“Why?”
“Because they needed someone outside the family.”
Claire stared at him.
“And you let Adrian think I was involved?”
“No.”
“Then who told him?”
Daniel looked away.
“That was the part I couldn't explain.”
Adrian's voice was quiet.
“Tell her.”
Daniel took a breath.
“Someone gave you a file.”
“Yes.”
“It contained copies of Claire's signature.”
“Yes.”
“They were altered.”
Adrian's face hardened.
“By whom?”
Daniel looked at Claire.
“I don't know.”
A silence followed.
Then Daniel reached into his bag.
“I brought something.”
He placed a small envelope on the table.
Claire opened it.
Inside was an old handwritten note.
She recognized the handwriting immediately.
It belonged to Adrian's father.
She read the first line.
Claire,
If you're reading this, Adrian has probably misunderstood what happened.
Her hands began to tremble.
She continued.
The truth about the foundation accounts is not in the company files.
It is in the hospital records.
Claire looked up.
“What hospital?”
Daniel shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Adrian took the note.
His face changed.
Claire had never seen him look so stunned.
“You recognize this?”
“Yes.”
“What does it mean?”
“My father wrote this six months before he died.”
“Why would he mention the hospital?”
“I don't know.”
Daniel stood.
“There was one thing he told me before he died.”
“What?”
“He said there was a file he wanted Adrian to find.”
“Where?”
Daniel looked toward the window.
“At St.
Vincent's.”
Claire's pulse quickened.
“That hospital?”
“Yes.”
The same hospital where Claire had seen Adrian days earlier.
The same hospital where Vanessa's father was being treated.
The same hospital where Claire had heard her baby's heartbeat.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Adrian looked at Claire.
“I need to go there.”
She nodded.
“I'll come with you.”
He hesitated.
“You don't have to.”
“I know.”
She placed the note back into the envelope.
“But I want to.”
The hospital archives were on the basement level.
A records administrator named Mrs.
Alvarez met them at the security desk.
She listened carefully as Adrian explained what they were searching for.
“Records from that period are partially archived,” she said.
“What exactly are you looking for?”
“A file belonging to my father.”
She checked the database.
“Name?”
“Victor Moretti.”
Her fingers moved across the keyboard.
Then she stopped.
“I have a record.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“What kind?”
“Private administrative file.”
“Can we see it?”
Mrs.
Alvarez frowned.
“Not without authorization.”
Adrian reached for his wallet.
Claire touched his arm.
“Don't.”
He looked at her.
“Let me handle this properly.”
Something softened in his face.
He nodded.
Claire stepped forward.
“My father-in-law left a written instruction indicating that a specific hospital file contained information relevant to his estate.”
Mrs.
Alvarez read the note.
Her expression changed.
“I remember this.”
“You do?”
“Not personally.”
She pointed to the reference number.
“This file was sealed.”
“Why?”
“Patient confidentiality.”
“Who was the patient?”
Mrs.
Alvarez looked at the screen.
Then at Claire.
Then Adrian.
“Vanessa Russo.”
Claire felt the air leave her lungs.
Adrian went completely still.
“Vanessa?”
Mrs.
Alvarez nodded.
“She was admitted here several years ago under a confidential arrangement.”
Adrian looked at Claire.
She could see the same question in his eyes.
Why would Victor Moretti leave a message about Vanessa Russo?
And what could her medical file possibly have to do with their marriage?
Mrs.
Alvarez closed the computer.
“I can't tell you anything else.”
Adrian nodded slowly.
“Thank you.”
They walked back toward the elevators.
Claire stopped.
“Adrian.”
He turned.
“What?”
She looked at him.
“Did you know Vanessa was connected to your father's investigation?”
“No.”
“You said she was your first love.”
“She was.”
“Then why did you never tell me she was involved?”
“I didn't know.”
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped inside.
Halfway to the lobby, Adrian's phone rang.
It was Vanessa.
He answered.
“Hello?”
Her voice came through faintly.
“I heard you were looking for the file.”
Adrian's face changed.
“Who told you?”
“I know what my father did.”
Claire felt her heart begin to pound.
Vanessa continued.
“And Adrian…”
“Yes?”
“You need to stop looking for the person who betrayed you.”
A pause.
“Why?”
“Because the person you're looking for isn't the person you think.”
The call ended.
Adrian stared at the phone.
Claire looked at him.
“What did she mean?”
He didn't answer.
But when the elevator doors opened, he didn't walk out.
He stood there, looking at Claire.
For the first time, she saw something like fear in his eyes.
Not fear of losing money.
Not fear of losing his company.
Fear of discovering that the truth about their marriage had been sitting quietly in front of them for years.
May you like
Then Adrian said the words Claire had never expected to hear.
“I think my father knew about you before I ever met you.”
