Chapter 8 - The Confession
Elena was propped up against the pillows, looking exhausted but slightly more relaxed now that the medical exam was over. I sat on the edge of the mattress, taking her hand gently in mine.
"Tell me everything," I said softly. "From the beginning."
Elena closed her eyes, a single tear escaping down her cheek.
"Your mother moved into our house three months ago, right after you left for the first leg of the Asian merger," Elena whispered. "She claimed the pipes in her luxury penthouse burst and it was being gutted for renovations."
"I never authorized that," I frowned.
"She told the staff you did," Elena continued, her voice shaking. "Lucas started coming over every single day. Within a week, they completely took over. They fired Maria, our old housekeeper, and brought in their own staff. People who wouldn't look at me or speak to me."
My blood boiled. They had systematically isolated her in her own home.
"They started opening all of my personal mail," Elena cried. "They took my credit cards. When I tried to call you, your mother would stand in the room, watching me. She told me that you were completely exhausted by me. She said you were tired of supporting a woman from a working-class family."
"Elena, you know that isn't true," I pleaded, pressing her hand to my lips.
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"She said that after the baby was born, you were going to take my son and send me away to an institution," Elena sobbed, breaking down completely. "They made me believe you knew about all of it. They made me believe you hated me."
I pressed my forehead gently against hers. "I knew absolutely none of it. I love you more than my own life."
