CHAPTER 2 — THE FILE THAT COULD DESTROY A PERFECT MAN
For the first time in fifteen years, Dr. Emiliano Aranda walked out of a room feeling uncertain.
Not guilty.
Not ashamed.
Uncertain.
And that terrified him more than anything.
Because Emiliano had spent his entire life believing one thing:
People like him did not lose.
He had built his reputation carefully.
Every interview.
Every charity event.
Every photograph with newborn babies in his arms.
Every speech about “compassionate medicine.”
It was all part of a carefully designed image.
The world saw a brilliant doctor.
A family man.
A savior.
But Teresa Valdés had just looked at him as if she could see everything he had buried.
And that was dangerous.
The moment he entered his private office, Emiliano closed the door behind him.
His assistant, Carolina, was waiting outside.
She had worked with him for seven years.
She knew his habits.
She knew when he was angry.
She knew when he was pretending to be calm.
And right now…
He was pretending.
“Carolina,” he said without looking at her.
“Yes, doctor?”
“Find out everything about Teresa Valdés.”
Carolina hesitated.
“Mrs. Valdés?”
Emiliano finally turned around.
His eyes were cold.
“Don’t ask questions.”
The assistant lowered her gaze.
“Of course.”
“And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Check every financial record connected to this clinic.”
Carolina frowned.
“Why?”
Emiliano stared at her.
“Because I have a feeling…”
He paused.
“That woman has been hiding something.”
But Emiliano was wrong.
Teresa wasn’t hiding something.
She had been protecting something.
There was a difference.
And he was about to learn it.
Meanwhile, inside the maternity ward, Valeria sat on the hospital bed while Teresa held her hand.
The fear was still there.
But something else had appeared.
Hope.
“Mom…”
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you had anything to do with this clinic?”
Teresa looked at the floor.
“Because I wanted you to choose your own life.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t want anyone marrying you because of money or power.”
Valeria swallowed.
“So when Emiliano found out?”
“He never did.”
Teresa looked toward the window.
“Or at least, I thought he didn’t.”
A strange silence filled the room.
Because suddenly, both women realized something.
Emiliano had always been obsessed with control.
And powerful men like him rarely accepted discovering that someone else had more power.
That evening, while the clinic was almost empty, Teresa received a phone call.
It was from her lawyer.
“Mrs. Valdés, we reviewed the emergency documents.”
“And?”
“There’s something you need to see.”
“What is it?”
A pause.
Then the lawyer lowered his voice.
“Dr. Aranda has been accessing restricted patient files.”
Teresa’s expression changed.
“What kind of files?”
“Women who complained about complications after procedures.”
Her hand tightened around the phone.
“Are you telling me there were other victims?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Find out.”
“Mrs. Valdés…”
“Yes?”
“Be careful.”
Teresa looked at her sleeping daughter through the glass window.
Then she replied:
“I stopped being careful the moment he hurt my daughter.”
The next morning, Emiliano arrived at the clinic earlier than usual.
He looked tired.
But nobody noticed.
Everyone was too busy greeting him.
“Good morning, Doctor.”
“Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your daughter.”
“You must be so happy.”
He smiled.
Of course he smiled.
That was his weapon.
But inside, his mind was racing.
Because during the night, he had discovered something disturbing.
The clinic was not legally his.
The maternity wing was controlled by a foundation.
A foundation that belonged to Teresa.
And hidden in the contracts was a clause that could remove him immediately.
Unless…
He acted first.
At 8:30 a.m., Emiliano entered the surgical planning room.
The C-section schedule was on the screen.
VALERIA ARANDA
38 weeks
Scheduled procedure: Two weeks
He stared at the name.
His wife.
The mother of his child.
The woman who had once loved him.
But instead of feeling regret…
He felt anger.
Because in his mind, Valeria had become a threat.
A threat to his career.
A threat to his reputation.
A threat to everything he had built.
His phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice answered.
“Doctor Aranda?”
“Yes.”
“We need to talk about your wife.”
Emiliano became silent.
“Who is this?”
“Someone who knows what happened.”
His expression hardened.
“What are you talking about?”
The woman continued:
“I know about the bruises.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
Emiliano looked around.
Nobody was there.
“How much do you want?”
A small laugh came from the phone.
“You still think everything can be bought.”
“Who are you?”
The woman ignored the question.
“You should leave the country before the truth comes out.”
The call ended.
Emiliano stared at his phone.
For the first time…
He felt the walls closing in.
That afternoon, Teresa received another package.
No sender.
No address.
Inside was a small black folder.
She opened it slowly.
The first page made her blood run cold.
Medical reports.
Patient names.
Dates.
Complications.
But the last document was the one that changed everything.
A confidential report from six years earlier.
About a woman named Lucía Herrera.
A patient who died during childbirth.
The official explanation:
Unexpected complications.
But handwritten notes at the bottom said:
“Patient showed signs of previous abuse. Husband refused psychological evaluation.”
Teresa turned the page.
And froze.
Because attached to the file was a photograph.
A photograph of Emiliano.
Standing beside Lucía’s husband.
Smiling.
Like old friends.
Teresa’s hands trembled.
Not because she was scared.
Because she finally understood.
Valeria wasn’t the first woman.
She was just the woman who survived long enough to expose him.
At that moment, her phone rang.
It was Valeria.
“Mom…”
Her voice sounded terrified.
“What happened?”
“Emiliano came to my room.”
Teresa stood immediately.
“What did he do?”
“He didn’t hit me.”
“Then what?”
A long silence.
“He apologized.”
Teresa frowned.
“Apologized?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not him.”
“I know.”
Valeria started crying.
“He said he knows you’re investigating him.”
Teresa’s face went pale.
“How?”
Then Valeria whispered the words that made Teresa’s heart stop.
“Because he showed me something.”
“What?”
“He has a copy of the foundation documents.”
A cold feeling spread through Teresa.
“What else?”
Valeria hesitated.
“He said…”
“He said what?”
“He said the C-section will happen exactly as planned.”
Teresa gripped the phone.
“Valeria, listen to me carefully. You are not going into that operating room.”
But before Valeria could answer…
Another voice appeared on the phone.
A voice that made Teresa freeze.
Emiliano.
“Hello, Teresa.”
Silence.
Then he calmly said:
“I think it’s time we talk about who really owns this clinic.”
The call ended.
And for the first time…
Teresa realized something terrifying.
Emiliano wasn’t running away.
He wasn’t afraid.
He was preparing his next move.
Because he knew a secret she didn’t know yet.
A secret that could destroy not only him…
But Teresa herself.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
Chapter 3: Teresa Discovered the Doctor’s Hidden Agreement… But the Final Signature on the Document Belonged to Someone She Trusted Most.
