Chapter 2: The Truth Hidden in the Divorce
I didn’t sleep that night.
The image of Claire standing beside the highway kept replaying in my mind.
Her tired face.
Her worn shoes.
The way she looked at me like she already knew something I didn’t.
Most of all…
Those babies.
I sat alone in my study at midnight, staring at old divorce documents spread across my desk.
For almost a year, I had avoided looking at them.
They represented the worst mistake of my life.
The day I signed those papers, I thought I was freeing myself from betrayal.
Now I wondered if I had destroyed the only person who had ever truly loved me.
My phone rang.
I looked at the screen.
It was my attorney, Daniel.
I answered immediately.
“Adrian?””
His voice sounded surprised.
“You’re calling me this late?””
“I need you to reopen the divorce file.””
Silence.
“Why?””
I looked at the documents.
“Because I think we were wrong.””
Daniel exhaled.
“That’s a serious accusation.””
“I know.””
“Adrian, you were convinced Claire stole from you.””
“I know.””
“And you had evidence.””
I closed my eyes.
“Or someone wanted me to believe I did.””
The next morning, Daniel arrived at my office.
He placed a thick folder on my desk.
“I reviewed everything.””
“And?””
He hesitated.
“That’s the strange part.””
I opened the folder.
“What do you mean?””
“The financial records don’t match.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What?””
Daniel pointed at several pages.
“The transfer from your account happened three days before the photos of Claire at the hotel.””
“So?””
“So Claire was already being investigated before anyone knew about the hotel.””
I stared at him.
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
Someone had built a story.
Step by step.
A missing fortune.
A suspicious photo.
A stolen necklace.
Everything arranged perfectly.
“Who had access to the account records?”” I asked.
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“Your mother.””
My fingers froze.
“My mother died six months ago.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you looking at her?””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Because the person who requested the financial review was not your mother.””
“Who was it?””
He slowly opened another page.
“Vanessa.””
The room became silent.
I stood up.
“No.””
Daniel didn’t argue.
“I’m just telling you what I found.””
I walked toward the window.
Outside, my company’s headquarters stood tall.
Everything I owned.
Everything I built.
And suddenly I wondered how much of my life had been controlled by someone else.
That evening, I drove back to the highway.
I didn’t tell Vanessa.
I didn’t tell anyone.
I found Claire sitting behind a small abandoned gas station near the road.
The twins were sleeping beside her on a blanket.
When she saw me, her expression changed.
Not surprise.
Disappointment.
“Why are you here?””
I stopped several feet away.
“I need to talk.””
Claire laughed softly.
“That’s what you said before you destroyed my life.””
The words hurt because they were true.
“I thought you betrayed me.””
“You thought.””
Her voice cracked.
“But you never asked.””
I looked down.
“I’m sorry.””
Claire stared at me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she shook her head.
“Sorry doesn’t give me back a year.””
“I know.””
“No, Adrian. You don’t.””
She looked at the babies.
“You don’t know what it feels like to lose everything overnight.””
My throat tightened.
“Claire…”
She looked at me.
“I was pregnant when you divorced me.””
The world stopped.
I couldn’t breathe.
“What?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I found out two weeks before you threw me out.””
I stepped back.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Her expression changed.
Pain replaced anger.
“Because when I tried…”
She stopped.
My heart started racing.
“When you tried what?””
Claire looked away.
“I went to your house.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“When?””
“The night before the divorce papers were signed.””
A horrible memory came back.
That night, Vanessa had told me Claire was secretly meeting someone.
That she was preparing to leave me anyway.
I had believed her.
Claire whispered.
“I saw Vanessa leaving your office.””
My blood turned cold.
“What did she do?””
Claire looked directly into my eyes.
“She took something.””
“What?””
“The ultrasound picture.””
I froze.
“She knew about the babies before you did.””
The wind moved through the empty parking lot.
Behind Claire, one of the babies started crying.
She immediately picked him up.
And then she said the sentence that changed everything.
“Adrian, those babies aren’t someone else’s.””
May you like
She looked at me.
“They’re yours.””
