In Search of the Truth
I took Sophia to the park, the sun shining brightly, its warmth almost mocking my heavy heart. Swinging her gently, I pushed away the lingering heaviness of grief, focusing instead on her laughter—a sound I feared I might never hear again.
As I watched her soar, two of Mariana's friends sat nearby, their voices low but urgent. I paused, instinctively leaning closer.
"Can you believe she was being followed?" one whispered, her eyes darting around anxiously. "I saw it myself—a dark blue sedan."
"Right before her death? It’s all too much," the other replied, shaking her head. "I wish we had said something sooner."
A chill ran through me. Following? My mind raced with questions. What had my daughter been involved in? What danger had she sensed that I hadn’t?
I felt a newfound determination swell within me, igniting a fire to dig deeper into Mariana's past. I had to know what had truly happened to her. But as I turned to gather my thoughts, I caught sight of Ethan lurking by the entrance of the park, his eyes locked on me. A predator watching its prey.
Confrontation
The moment I saw him, a wave of fury surged through me, forcing my feet forward. I approached him, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. "What are you doing here?"
"Just taking a walk," he said, his tone too casual, too measured. "Isn’t that what people do in parks?"
"Cut the crap, Ethan. You’ve been watching me, haven’t you?" The accusation felt good, empowering.
He shrugged, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "You’re imagining things. You’re so caught up in your conspiracy, you can’t even think clearly."
“Am I?” I shot back, stepping closer. “You think I’m wrong to question the circumstances around Mariana’s death? The way you act, like nothing is wrong? I need the truth.”
For a fleeting moment, I caught the flicker of something in his eyes—fear? Anger? Then it vanished. He leaned in, his voice low, filled with an unsettling calm. "She was planning to leave me, Teresa. She wanted a divorce. What do you think that would do to me?"
My breath hitched as the weight of his admission sank in. "What do you mean?"
“She was working on something, a project that would expose me. I didn’t think she’d go through with it.” He seemed to draw a breath, contemplating his next words. “I didn’t think she’d be so reckless.”
Stunned, I struggled to absorb his confession. The unraveling secrets pressed around me like a storm. But before I could react, the front door slammed open, and Camille burst in, breathless. “I found something in Mariana's office!”
As I plugged in the flash drive Camille handed me, the screen flickered to life. My heart raced with anticipation. Just as the first video began to play, I heard the front door slam again—it was Ethan, and his face was filled with rage.
