Chapter 3 - The Fiancée Behind the Lie
I reached the estate seventeen minutes later.
Marco met me inside the garage.
Tall, gray-haired, and loyal enough that he had taken a bullet for my father twenty years earlier.
“You look terrible,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“What happened?”
I handed him my phone.
The footage played.
He watched Regina's confession without speaking.
When it ended, his jaw tightened.
“You want her removed?”
“Not yet.”
“Emilio.”
“I want the truth.”
We entered my office.
“Pull every security log from the last six months.”
“Already doing it.”
“Bank records too.”
Marco looked at me.
“Regina's?”
“Everything.”
My phone buzzed.
Julieta.
I stared at her name before answering.
“Mr. Verona?”
Her voice was tense.
“Where are the twins?”
“With me.”
“Where?”
“Nursery.”
“Lock the door.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“Do it.”
A pause.
Then:
“Are you watching me?”
I closed my eyes.
“Yes.”
Another silence.
“You installed cameras.”
“Yes.”
“To watch me.”
“Yes.”
Her voice became smaller.
“Because you thought I would hurt them.”
I couldn't lie.
“Yes.”
She inhaled slowly.
“I understand.”
“No, you don't.”
“I think I do.”
“I was wrong.”
She said nothing.
“I'll explain later.”
“Mr. Verona—”
“Emilio.”
Another pause.
“Emilio, Regina knows something about Mr. Kowalski.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“I heard everything.”
The nursery door suddenly opened on the camera feed.
Regina stood outside.
“Julieta?”
Julieta whispered into the phone.
“She's here.”
“Don't open the door.”
Regina knocked.
“Julieta, open this door.”
No response.
“Those aren't your children.”
Julieta's voice hardened.
“No. They're his.”
I stood.
“Marco.”
He was already moving.
We reached the upstairs corridor thirty seconds later.
Regina turned.
Her face changed when she saw me.
“Emilio.”
I walked toward her.
“What are you doing home?”
“My house.”
“Of course.”
She smiled nervously.
“I just meant—”
“Roll up your sleeve.”
Silence.
“What?”
“The bruise.”
Regina didn't move.
“Show me.”
“Emilio—”
“Now.”
She slowly rolled up her sleeve.
Perfect skin.
Her face changed.
“It's makeup.”
“I know.”
She swallowed.
“You know?”
“The cameras.”
Every trace of confidence disappeared.
I watched the realization hit her.
“You installed them already?”
“Yes.”
Regina looked toward Marco.
Then back at me.
“You were spying on me?”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“I was spying on an innocent woman because you lied to me.”
The nursery door opened.
Julieta stood there with Noah in her arms and Gianna gripping her dress.
I looked at her.
She didn't look angry.
That was worse.
She looked disappointed.
Regina pointed at her.
“This is exactly what she wanted.”
Julieta stared.
“What?”
“You.”
Regina looked at me.
“She wanted you to choose her.”
“Stop.”
“She manipulated those children.”
“Stop.”
“She—”
“REGINA.”
The hallway went silent.
Noah began crying.
I immediately lowered my voice.
“Marco, take Regina downstairs.”
Regina stared at me.
“You can't be serious.”
“Very.”
“You love me.”
I looked at her.
“I loved who I thought you were.”
Marco escorted her away.
Julieta turned toward the nursery.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
I struggled for words.
Words had always been weapons for me.
Apologies were harder.
“I was wrong.”
“Yes.”
No softness.
No rescue.
Just truth.
“I humiliated you.”
“Yes.”
“I accused you without evidence.”
“Yes.”
“I frightened you.”
Her eyes finally met mine.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“You don't owe me forgiveness.”
“No.”
“But I owe you the truth.”
She looked toward the twins.
“Then find it.”
Marco called twenty minutes later.
“We found something.”
I joined him downstairs.
“What?”
“Regina's been making payments.”
“To whom?”
“A shell company.”
“Owned by?”
Marco turned the laptop toward me.
My stomach tightened.
Kowalski.
“How much?”
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
“For what?”
“We don't know yet.”
I stared at the transaction dates.
The first payment had happened four months earlier.
Two weeks before someone attempted to access my private financial accounts.
The second happened before one of my warehouses was raided.
The third happened three days before Regina accused Julieta.
Marco leaned back.
“She wasn't afraid of Kowalski.”
“No.”
I stared at Regina through the glass doors of the sitting room.
May you like
“She was working with him.”
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