CHAPTER 3 — The File That Destroyed Everything
The detective placed the USB drive on the table.
A tiny piece of plastic.
But it felt heavier than anything I had ever held.
Victoria stared at it.
Not with confusion.
Not with surprise.
With fear.
Real fear.
And that told me more than any confession could have.
"Where did you find this?" I asked.
Detective Harris glanced at his notes.
"Inside a locked drawer in Mrs. Cole's private office. The drawer was hidden behind a false panel."
I looked at Victoria.
"You hid it."
She didn't answer.
For the first time in our marriage, Victoria had nothing to say.
The detective connected the USB drive to his laptop.
Everyone gathered around.
Emily stood near the doorway, holding herself carefully because of her injuries.
The screen opened.
A folder appeared.
One name.
PROJECT FAMILY
I frowned.
"What is that?"
Detective Harris clicked the folder.
Inside were dozens of files.
Legal documents.
Medical records.
Financial reports.
And one video file.
Created six months earlier.
He opened it.
The screen flickered.
Then Victoria appeared.
Sitting behind her office desk.
Talking to someone off-camera.
My heart sank.
Because I knew that voice.
It was hers.
"I don't care how much it costs," Victoria said in the recording.
"I need this handled before Daniel finds out."
The person behind the camera asked something.
Victoria leaned closer.
"He is becoming too attached to them."
My hands tightened.
"The twins?"
The detective looked at me.
I nodded.
The recording continued.
"Daniel thinks he knows everything," Victoria said.
"But he doesn't."
She smiled.
A cold, unfamiliar smile.
"He doesn't know the truth about the children."
The room went silent.
I stopped breathing.
"What truth?"
Emily whispered the words before anyone else could.
"No..."
The video continued.
Victoria opened a folder.
"I made sure the paperwork was arranged properly."
The person asked:
"And the biological mother?"
Victoria's expression changed.
"She will never come back."
My blood ran cold.
I stepped away from the screen.
"What did she mean?"
No one answered.
The video ended.
Detective Harris looked uncomfortable.
"Mr. Cole, we need to investigate this further."
I turned toward Victoria.
"What did you do?"
She finally spoke.
Her voice was quiet.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
She looked at the twins sleeping peacefully in the next room.
For a moment, she looked almost human.
Almost regretful.
"I was trying to protect our family."
I laughed bitterly.
"By hurting innocent people?"
Her eyes filled with anger.
"You have no idea what I sacrificed."
"What did you sacrifice?"
Victoria looked directly at me.
"Everything."
The word hung in the air.
Then she revealed something I never expected.
"The twins..."
She paused.
"They weren't supposed to be ours."
Emily covered her mouth.
I felt the world tilt.
"What are you talking about?"
Victoria's voice shook.
"Years ago, before we met, I worked with a private adoption organization."
She looked down.
"I knew a woman who couldn't care for her children."
My chest tightened.
"Who?"
Victoria didn't answer immediately.
Then she whispered:
"Emily."
Everyone turned.
Emily froze.
"Me?"
Victoria nodded.
"You don't remember because you were young."
Emily stepped backward.
"No..."
"You gave birth to twins."
The room became silent.
Impossible.
That word was the only thing in my mind.
Impossible.
Detective Harris immediately stepped forward.
"Mrs. Cole, are you saying Emily is the biological mother of the children?"
Victoria looked away.
"I arranged the adoption."
Emily's face turned white.
"No."
She shook her head.
"No, my son was the only baby I had."
Then she stopped.
Her eyes widened.
"My son..."
She looked at the twins.
The realization hit her like a wave.
"Wait..."
Her voice broke.
"My hospital records said there were complications after delivery."
Nobody moved.
"I was told my second baby didn't survive."
Victoria said nothing.
That silence was the answer.
Emily collapsed into the chair behind her.
"No..."
Tears streamed down her face.
"You knew?"
She looked at Victoria.
"You knew my baby was alive?"
Victoria's eyes hardened.
"I saved them."
"You stole them."
Emily's voice cracked.
"You stole my children."
The police officers exchanged looks.
Detective Harris immediately stepped forward.
"Mrs. Cole, you need to come with us."
Victoria looked at me one last time.
There was no apology.
Only anger.
"You think I'm the villain."
Her voice dropped.
"But when you learn the whole truth, you'll understand why I did it."
She was escorted away.
But before she reached the door, she stopped.
"Daniel."
I looked at her.
"Ask yourself one question."
She smiled faintly.
"Why did Emily never remember giving birth to twins?"
The door closed behind her.
Leaving us with silence.
And a mystery that had just become much bigger.
May you like
Because if Victoria was telling the truth...
Then someone else had been hiding the darkest secret of all.
