CHAPTER 6 — The Evidence That Made Diego Question Everything
The envelope sat on Paulina’s marble desk for almost ten minutes.
She did not open it immediately.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she wanted to enjoy the moment.
The moment when everything she had lost could possibly return.
For the first time since Valentina appeared, Paulina felt control coming back into her hands.
She slowly removed the documents.
One by one.
A photograph.
A medical record.
A copy of an old message.
And a handwritten note.
Her eyes moved across the page.
Then a smile slowly appeared.
Not a happy smile.
A victorious one.
“So this is what you’ve been hiding…”
The first photograph showed Marisol.
Younger.
Standing outside a small apartment.
Holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
Valentina.
Paulina stared at the picture.
That alone meant nothing.
But then she saw the date.
The same year Diego and Marisol had disappeared from each other’s lives.
Her fingers tightened around the paper.
The second document was a hospital record.
The third was a report about a pregnancy.
And at the bottom…
A signature.
Marisol’s.
Paulina’s eyes narrowed.
“Interesting.”
She leaned back.
Because the story was beginning to change.
At least…
That was what she wanted to believe.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion…
Diego was experiencing something he never expected.
Happiness.
A simple happiness.
Something money had never been able to buy.
He sat on the floor of the living room while Valentina played beside him.
The billionaire CEO who controlled thousands of employees…
Was now wearing a small plastic bracelet made by a three-year-old girl.
“Daddy, look.”
Valentina lifted her tiny hand proudly.
Diego smiled.
“I see it.”
“It’s beautiful.”
The little girl nodded seriously.
“Because I made it for you.”
Those words almost broke him.
Because she said them so naturally.
As if he had always been there.
As if he had never missed anything.
Diego looked away for a moment.
Trying to hide the emotion in his eyes.
Marisol watched from the doorway.
She had never seen Diego like this.
The cold businessman everyone feared was gone.
In his place was a father discovering the childhood he had missed.
But instead of feeling relieved…
Marisol felt afraid.
Because happiness this big could disappear just as quickly.
Especially when someone like Paulina was involved.
That evening, Diego finally confronted the question he had avoided all day.
“How did you survive alone?”
Marisol looked at him.
“What?”
“With her.”
He looked toward Valentina sleeping nearby.
“You were alone. Pregnant. No family. No support.”
His voice lowered.
“How did you do it?”
Marisol smiled sadly.
“You do what mothers do.”
A pause.
“You survive.”
Diego looked down.
A painful realization hit him.
While he was building skyscrapers…
She was fighting to raise his daughter.
While he was attending luxury events…
She was counting every coin to buy medicine.
While people called him successful…
A woman he loved was struggling because he was not there.
But before he could apologize…
His phone rang.
The screen showed one name.
His lawyer.
Victor Salgado.
Diego immediately answered.
“Yes?”
The lawyer’s voice sounded serious.
“Mr. Villaseñor, I need to speak with you privately.”
Diego frowned.
“What happened?”
“There are some documents that require your attention.”
“What documents?”
A pause.
“Regarding Marisol.”
Diego looked toward her.
His expression changed.
“Send them to me.”
Twenty minutes later…
Diego sat in his office.
The documents appeared on his computer.
At first glance, they looked ordinary.
But then he saw something.
A date.
A name.
A detail that made his entire body tense.
According to the records…
Marisol had known about her pregnancy months before she claimed she did.
Diego stared at the screen.
Confusion.
Pain.
Doubt.
All at once.
Because one question appeared in his mind.
Why would she lie about when she knew?
The next morning, Paulina entered the office.
She found Diego standing by the window.
Silent.
Thinking.
Perfect timing.
“I heard you received something interesting.”
Diego turned.
His eyes were colder than before.
“How did you know?”
Paulina smiled.
“Because people talk.”
She walked closer.
“Diego, I don’t want to hurt you.”
A lie.
But she delivered it perfectly.
“I just think you deserve the truth.”
He said nothing.
She placed the envelope on his desk.
“The truth about Marisol.”
Diego looked at it.
“What is this?”
“Proof.”
A pause.
“That she didn’t tell you everything.”
Diego opened the envelope.
Inside were copies of documents.
The same ones Paulina received.
His expression slowly changed.
Not anger.
Not yet.
Confusion.
Because suddenly, two possibilities existed.
Either Marisol had been protecting herself…
Or she had been manipulating him.
And he hated that he even had to consider it.
Paulina watched carefully.
“Do you really know who she is?”
Diego looked up.
“She is the mother of my daughter.”
“Yes.”
Paulina nodded.
“But does that mean she is innocent?”
The question stayed in the room.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Later that day…
Diego found Marisol in the garden.
She was helping Valentina plant flowers.
A scene that should have made him happy.
But now…
Doubt had entered.
And doubt was something Diego hated.
Because in his world…
Trust was everything.
“Marisol.”
She looked up.
Immediately noticing something was wrong.
“What happened?”
Diego held the documents.
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But he noticed.
And that small reaction hurt him.
“Why didn’t you tell me everything?”
The question froze her.
“What do you mean?”
He handed her the papers.
Marisol looked down.
And her face went pale.
Because she recognized them.
But not for the reason Diego thought.
“Where did you get these?”
Diego stared at her.
“Answer me.”
Her hands began trembling.
“Diego…”
His voice became quieter.
“Were there other secrets?”
A painful silence followed.
Then Marisol whispered:
“Yes.”
Diego’s heart sank.
“What secrets?”
She looked at Valentina.
Then back at him.
And said the words that changed everything:
“The reason you never received my messages…”
A pause.
“It wasn’t an accident.”
Diego froze.
“What?”
Marisol’s eyes filled with tears.
“Someone deleted them.”
“Who?”
She looked toward the mansion.
Toward the place where Paulina had been standing earlier.
And whispered:
“I don’t know.”
But someone did know.
And that person was closer than Diego imagined.
Because upstairs…
Paulina was listening.
And for the first time…
She realized she might have made one mistake.
May you like
She underestimated how much Diego loved his daughter.
And how far a father would go to uncover the truth.
