The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 131

Rachel

The hospital room seemed quieter after the officers entered, but at the same time, the weight of the conversation about to take place seemed to fill the entire space. The cold white light from the lamps above me stung my eyes, but I couldn't look away from them. Two uniformed men, with serious faces and eyes that seemed to want to see into my soul, were there to ask questions that I knew would not be easy to answer.

"Miss Rachel, how are you feeling after what happened?" one of them asked, his voice firm but not without a hint of empathy.

I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. "I'm recovering," I replied, my voice lower than I intended. "But it's still a lot to process. It all happened so fast, and..." I paused, searching for words that would make sense. "It all still seems very strange to me."

The other officer, who had a small notebook in his hand, wrote down every word I said, never taking his eyes off the paper. His methodical efficiency made me slightly uncomfortable.

"We understand your point, miss," the first officer said. "But we need to know a few things. Would you be willing to help us with information?"

I nodded. "Sure. Whatever I can do to help."

"Did Veronica reveal anything while I was holding you? Anything that could help us with our investigation?" he asked, leaning forward slightly, as if to catch any nuance in my answer.

"No," I began, thinking carefully about my next words. "She didn't reveal anything that could directly help. Mostly, she talked about... Vincenzo."

When I mentioned his name, my chest tightened. Vincenzo. The image of him standing in the rain, screaming at the sky, was still etched in my mind. It was as if that moment represented all the pain and frustration he had been carrying for years.

"And what exactly did she say about him?" the officer persisted.

I sighed, trying to remember clearly. "It was mostly teasing. Comments about how he had changed since he left the criminal life. She seemed obsessed with their past together."

The officer with the notebook continued to write frantically. It was strange to hear my own words being turned into official records. It seemed that with each sentence, the gravity of the situation grew.

"Did she mention anything specific about her past or the reasons that led her down this path?" the other asked.

I nodded again, hesitating for a moment before answering. "Yes, she talked a little about her parents. Something about how what happened to them pushed her into this world. And she mentioned an uncle, but she didn't go into detail." The officers exchanged glances, as if this had some greater meaning that I didn't understand. "Can you tell us exactly what she said about her parents and uncle?"

"I don't remember exactly," I confessed, trying to pull Veronica's exact words from my memory. "But it seemed like she blamed everything on what happened to her parents. Like it defined who she became. And the uncle... Well, she implied that he had some role, but she didn't specify how."

More notes. More heavy silence. It was as if my every word was being put under a microscope, analyzed for every nuance and possible meaning.

"Did she mention anything about her supposed son with Vincenzo?" asked the officer asking the lead questions, his voice still steady but with a hint of curiosity.

"No," I answered immediately. "I was as surprised as all of you when she said that. There was nothing before that indicated... well, nothing like that." They took notes, and the silence returned, this time heavy with something else. A weight I couldn't name, but it made me feel like the air was getting thicker. After a moment, the officer taking the notes looked up and said, "I think that's enough for now. Let's let her rest. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Rachel." Before they left, my voice escaped before I could stop it: "I want to see Vincenzo."

The two officers looked at each other, as if they had been expecting this request. The one asking the questions answered, "Right now, he and Veronica are under surveillance. They are questioning Veronica to replace out more about this... child. It seems that there are signs that her story is not just a trick." My breath quickened. "So he is there with her?" I asked, trying to control the anxiety rising in my body. "Yes. But you cannot see him now. By law, that is not allowed. And it is also not safe," the officer answered, his voice firm, but not without a touch of compassion. This was all too much for me. My head felt throbbing with the excess of thoughts and assumptions. Vincenzo was there, with Veronica, while I was here, stuck in a hospital bed, unable to do anything.

As soon as the police left, I lay back on the bed, putting my hands on my head, trying to organize everything. The scene from the night before continued to haunt me. The rain, Vincenzo's scream, Veronica's expression... it all seemed like part of a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. And now, there was the matter of the son. A son who, apparently, existed and was somewhere, hidden from everyone.

Nancy, who had been sitting next to me the whole time, put a hand on my shoulder. "You need to rest, Rachel. This is all too much for anyone to handle."

I shook my head. "I can't. Not while Vincenzo is in jail. Not while all of this remains unanswered."

Nancy sighed, but didn't insist. She knew that, in moments like this, my thick head wouldn't let me listen to reason. Instead, she tried to calm me down, saying, "The police will question Veronica. They'll replace out where the child is and bring her here. Then things will start to get sorted out."

Those words should have comforted me, but they didn't. It all felt so surreal, so out of my control. And the fact that Vincenzo hadn't said a word since last night