Chapter 2 - The Hidden Phone
“Mariana Salgado?”
I pressed the phone against my ear.
“Yes.”
There was a pause.
Then a man's voice said quietly, “You shouldn't have found that phone.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who are you?”
“You know who I am.”
“I know a lawyer named Varela.”
He laughed softly.
“You know the name.”
The distinction made my stomach twist.
I leaned against Rodrigo's desk.
Another contraction began.
I closed my eyes.
The man on the phone waited.
When the pain eased, I said, “What were you planning?”
“You're asking the wrong question.”
“What question should I ask?”
“Why did Rodrigo marry you?”
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone.
Then I looked at the papers spread across the desk.
For nearly six years, I had believed Rodrigo married me because he loved me.
Now every memory seemed to have another meaning.
Our first dinner.
His interest in my father's work.
His questions about the trust.
His insistence that I add him to certain accounts after our wedding.
I had called those things normal.
Maybe they weren't.
Another contraction hit.
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
My phone rang.
Emilia.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes.”
“You need to leave for the hospital.”
“I will.”
“Mariana, listen to me. From this moment forward, assume every device in that house could be compromised.”
I looked around the office.
“Do you think Rodrigo knows?”
“I think he suspects something.”
“How?”
“He texted you.”
I looked at the hidden phone.
“He told me not to touch his office.”
“Then he knows you've been inside.”
My heart pounded.
I took photographs of everything.
The contracts.
The signatures.
The account numbers.
The company name.
The hidden phone.
Then I opened the conversation again.
There were older messages.
I scrolled.
My hands shook.
Three months earlier:
Rodrigo: She hasn't signed yet.
Varela: Then make her need you.
Another:
Rodrigo: Her father left too many protections.
Varela: Then we remove them one by one.
I felt sick.
Another message appeared.
Ofelia: The baby changes everything.
I stared at those words.
My baby.
Renata.
Why would my daughter change anything?
I kept scrolling.
Then I saw a message that made the room spin.
Varela: Once the child is born, the inheritance becomes harder to move.
Another message.
Rodrigo: Not if Mariana signs before discharge.
My hands went numb.
They intended to approach me after delivery.
While I was exhausted.
Possibly medicated.
They planned to put documents in front of me.
And convince me they were harmless.
Emilia had been right.
“Mariana?”
“I found more.”
“Send me everything.”
I did.
She called immediately.
“Listen to me carefully. Do not sign anything.”
“I won't.”
“Do you have someone who can drive you?”
“No.”
“Call an ambulance.”
“I can drive.”
“No.”
Another contraction hit.
I bent forward.
“Mariana?”
“I can't talk.”
“Call emergency services.”
I hung up.
Then I heard something downstairs.
A door closing.
I froze.
They were gone.
I knew that.
But someone had just entered the house.
I reached for the hidden phone.
Footsteps moved across the marble floor.
Slow.
Measured.
I held my breath.
The footsteps stopped outside the office.
My hand moved toward the door.
Then my own phone vibrated.
A message from Rodrigo.
Rodrigo: You should have listened to me.
The office door handle moved.
I stepped backward.
The door opened.
It was my neighbor, Mrs. Elena Ruiz.
She stared at me.
Then at my soaked dress.
“Oh my God.”
“My water broke.”
She rushed toward me.
“Hospital. Now.”
I grabbed the documents.
The hidden phone.
My identification.
Everything went into my bag.
Mrs. Ruiz helped me downstairs.
As we stepped outside, I looked back at Rodrigo's office.
The door remained open.
Someone had been there.
But I didn't know who.
The drive to the hospital felt endless.
Every red light seemed personal.
Every second mattered.
When I finally arrived, nurses rushed me inside.
A doctor examined me.
“Full labor has begun.”
I closed my eyes.
Renata was coming.
The nurse asked for the father's information.
I hesitated.
Then I gave Rodrigo's name.
The nurse smiled.
“Is he on his way?”
I looked at the hidden phone inside my bag.
“No.”
She frowned.
I swallowed.
“He's out of town.”
That wasn't exactly a lie.
The contractions became stronger.
The room filled with nurses.
Machines.
Voices.
Instructions.
Then I heard Emilia outside.
She had arrived.
She stepped into the room holding a folder.
Her face was serious.
“I found something.”
“What?”
She placed a photocopy on the table.
“Your father's trust agreement.”
I stared at it.
“What about it?”
“There's a clause you never told me about.”
“I didn't know.”
She pointed to one paragraph.
“If the beneficiary becomes incapacitated during childbirth, temporary administration can be challenged by an appointed legal representative.”
I looked at her.
“Who is the appointed representative?”
Emilia didn't answer.
She simply turned the page.
At the bottom was a name.
My blood turned cold.
May you like
Because the person named there wasn't Rodrigo.
It was...
