Chapter 6 - The Betrayal Hidden Behind Her Eyes
The photograph on my phone screen destroyed every thought I had.
For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
Because standing beside my son's hospital bed was Elena.
The woman who saved him.
The woman who stayed with him when everyone else ran.
The woman I had started believing was the only person in my world who had told me the truth.
And now she was standing in a photograph taken inside Leo's room while I was miles away.
My first instinct was anger.
My second was denial.
But the third...
The third was fear.
Because Elena was not alone.
Someone was standing behind her.
A shadow.
A person whose face was hidden.
But I recognized the watch on his wrist.
The same watch Leo had described.
Antonio's watch.
I stared at the image.
No.
It couldn't be.
Not Elena.
Not after everything.
"Damian."
Samuel's voice pulled me back.
I looked at him.
"Call the hospital."
I was already moving.
The cemetery disappeared behind me.
The cold air disappeared.
The only thing I could think about was my son.
My car was waiting near the road.
I got inside.
My driver looked at my expression and immediately started the engine.
Nobody asked questions.
They knew better.
The drive back felt endless.
Every second was a reminder that someone else was making decisions about my family.
Someone else was inside my walls.
Someone else was touching my son's life.
I called the hospital.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
My hands tightened around the phone.
Then finally...
Someone picked up.
"St. Vincent Medical Center."
"Put me through to my son's room."
"Sir, I—"
"Now."
The person on the other end went silent.
Then I heard movement.
A nurse.
Running.
"Mr. Costa?"
"Where is my son?"
A pause.
Too long.
"Mr. Costa, there was an incident."
My stomach dropped.
"What incident?"
"Your son is safe."
I closed my eyes for one second.
Safe.
That was the only word that mattered.
"What happened?"
The nurse lowered her voice.
"The woman who was with him..."
My grip tightened.
"Elena?"
"Yes."
"What about her?"
Another pause.
"She disappeared."
The car went silent.
Even the driver looked at me through the mirror.
"Disappeared?"
"Security cameras went offline for six minutes. When they came back, she was gone."
My mind started connecting pieces.
The photograph.
The shadow.
Antonio.
"Was anyone else there?"
The nurse hesitated.
"Mr. Costa..."
"Answer me."
"There was another person."
My heart stopped.
"Who?"
The nurse whispered:
"Your brother."
The call ended.
I stared out the window.
The city moved around me.
People walking.
Cars passing.
Normal life continuing.
But my world had become something else.
A war.
And this time, the battlefield was my family.
When I arrived at the hospital, my men were already waiting.
The emergency room was surrounded.
Nobody entered.
Nobody left.
I walked inside.
Leo was awake.
That was the first thing I noticed.
My son was sitting up.
Pale.
Weak.
But alive.
"Dad."
I moved immediately.
I sat beside him.
I didn't care who was watching.
I didn't care about appearances.
I held my son's hand.
"I'm here."
His eyes looked tired.
But relieved.
"Elena said you would come back."
I froze.
"What?"
Leo looked confused.
"She said you always come back for me."
Those words hurt more than I expected.
Because a part of me wondered if that was true.
How many times had I promised my son I would be there?
How many times had I missed dinner?
How many times had I chosen business over him?
I pushed those thoughts away.
"Leo."
He looked at me.
"What happened?"
His expression changed.
Fear returned.
"She was crying."
"Who?"
"Elena."
I leaned closer.
"Why?"
He looked toward the empty chair beside the bed.
"She said she had to tell you the truth."
My heartbeat increased.
"What truth?"
Leo swallowed.
"She said she wasn't just a cleaning lady."
The room became silent.
My men looked at each other.
I looked back at my son.
"What did she say?"
Leo closed his eyes.
Trying to remember.
"She said..."
He paused.
"She said she was the reason your father hid."
I felt the blood leave my face.
Before I could ask anything else, the hospital doors opened.
Marco walked in.
His face was serious.
"You need to see this."
I stood.
"What?"
He handed me a file.
Old.
Worn.
The kind of file someone had tried to destroy.
"I found it in the hospital security room."
I opened it.
Inside were documents.
Photos.
Reports.
And one picture.
A young woman.
Elena.
Standing beside my father.
Years ago.
I looked at Marco.
"Explain."
He took a breath.
"Elena wasn't hired as a cleaning lady."
I looked back at the photograph.
"Then what was she?"
Marco's voice became quieter.
"She worked for your father."
My eyes narrowed.
"Doing what?"
Marco looked at Leo.
Then back at me.
"Protecting your family."
The room went still.
That didn't make sense.
If she protected my family...
Why hide?
Why lie?
Why disappear with Antonio?
I flipped through the documents.
Then I found something.
A medical report.
A birth certificate.
A name.
I stopped.
Because the name on the paper was impossible.
Elena's real identity was not Elena.
Her real name was written at the top.
And beneath it was a family connection I never knew existed.
A Costa connection.
I looked at Marco.
"Who is she?"
He didn't answer.
Because he knew.
He knew exactly what this would mean.
The hospital lights flickered.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
No one spoke.
Only breathing.
Then a voice.
A woman's voice.
Elena.
"Damian..."
I stood frozen.
"Where are you?"
Silence.
Then she whispered:
"Don't trust Marco."
My eyes moved toward him.
"What did you say?"
Her voice shook.
"He is not protecting you."
The call crackled.
"And the person who attacked Leo..."
A pause.
A sound in the background.
Like someone walking closer.
Then Elena said one final sentence.
"The person standing beside you right now is the one who ordered it."
I slowly turned.
Marco was still there.
But his expression had changed.
Because he had heard everything.
May you like
Then the hospital room door opened behind him.
And the person who walked in was someone I thought I would never see again.
