The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 133

Rachel

Back at the hospital, as the monotonous sounds of the heartbeat monitors and the soft murmur of the hallways filled the room, my mind kept replaying recent events. Sitting on the bed, with my hands resting on my legs, I looked at Nancy, who was beside me with an expression of concern mixed with exhaustion.

"I wish I had talked to Veronica too," I began, my voice coming out softer than I expected. "I wanted to understand what was really going on. To know if everything she said was true."

Nancy looked at me with that characteristic way of hers, always thoughtful, as if she was choosing her words carefully. "Rachel, Veronica has always been very good at distorting facts. But... this time, it doesn't seem like she's lying." I sighed and ran my hands over my face, feeling the weight of the confusion that still hung over me. Veronica's words echoed in my mind like a disordered and disturbing melody. Vincenzo has a son. This revelation, spoken so vehemently in the midst of all that confusion, seemed unlikely, but at the same time it carried a weight of truth that I could not ignore.

"How old do you think this child is today?" I asked, looking at Nancy, who also seemed lost in her own thoughts.

Nancy shook her head slowly. "If Veronica is not lying, probably less than fifteen."

My fingers automatically went to my forehead, rubbing it as if that could relieve the growing pressure. Sitting up in the hospital bed, I looked down at my hands resting in my lap. My nails were short and clean, but I could see small marks on my skin from everything that had happened. My body was at rest, but my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts that would not leave me alone. The room seemed too small to contain everything I was feeling, as if the white walls were a reflection of the confusion that dominated my interior.

Veronica's face would not leave my mind. There was something in her expression that I couldn't quite decipher. She was a skilled liar, I knew that. But what if, this time, she was telling the truth? What if that son she talked about so much really existed? If that were true, what would that mean for Vincenzo? And for me? That possibility was an abyss that I didn't know if I had the courage to face.

Vincenzo. Just thinking about him made my chest hurt. He was a constant in my thoughts, even before all this happened. Now, with him locked up, it felt like a piece of me was there too, between those bars. How was he dealing with all this? How was he processing Veronica's revelations? I knew him well enough to know that when he closed himself off in silence, it was because something much bigger was happening inside him. His silence scared me more than anything. I found myself thinking about how our story had changed in such a short time. Before, everything was so simple, so clear. Vincenzo was the man I loved, with his flaws and secrets, but also with a strength that attracted me like a "hand". Now, it seemed like the universe had thrown all the cards on the table, shuffling them in a way that I couldn't decipher.

What if he decided to move away from me? Maybe to protect me or to deal with all this alone? That idea terrified me. I couldn't lose Vincenzo, not after everything. But at the same time, I didn't know if I had the strength to face what was yet to come. The thought that our story might end before we even had a chance to live it fully was unbearable.

I ran my hands over my face, trying to push the thoughts away. Nancy had said I needed to rest, but how could I rest with my mind at war? How could I ignore the questions that seemed to whisper in every corner of the room? And then there was the future. Not just mine, but Vincenzo's, Veronica's, and if it was true, a child's who might be out there, hiding somewhere. What did it all mean? And what would my role be in this story?

I sighed, feeling the weight of everything I was carrying. Deep down, I knew that no matter what happened I wasn't going to give up on Vincenzo. Somehow, we had to get through this together. Each piece of this story seemed to overlap the other, creating a puzzle that I didn't know how to put together.

"Do you think Veronica has talked to him about Vincenzo?" I asked. "Does he know who his father is?"

Nancy took a deep breath before answering. "Those are questions only Veronica can answer. And considering the situation, it's going to be a long time before we can ask her anything directly."

There was a growing anguish inside me, a mixture of helplessness and a An overwhelming need to do something. Sitting there, just brooding, wasn't going to solve anything. We needed answers, and we needed to replace them now.

"I can't just wait," I said, standing up from the bed suddenly. Exhaustion still weighed on my body, but adrenaline was already coursing through my veins. "There has to be some way to replace out where this child is. If she really exists, we need to replace clues."

Nancy arched an eyebrow, intrigued but also hesitant. "And how exactly do you plan to do that? Veronica will be detained and kept in secrecy for a long time. We can't count on her to give us information."

Crossing my arms, I began to pace the room. "If Veronica can't help us directly, maybe we can replace something in the trail she left. Documents, contacts, anything that might point to this child's whereabouts."

Nancy tilted her head slightly, considering my words. Finally, she stood up and picked up the notebook she had left on the table. "I think we can try. But Rachel, we have to be careful. This isn't something we can do alone. If we mess with the wrong things, we could end up in even bigger trouble."

I nodded, aware of the risks. But the need for answers outweighed any fear. As Nancy opened her laptop, I sat next to her, my mind buzzing with possibilities and theories. We both knew it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it was better than waiting for information that might never come.

The room seemed to grow more claustrophobic as we began to plan our next steps. I knew this search would be long and complicated, but I also knew it was something that needed to be done. After all, in the midst of all that confusion and chaos, replaceing the truth was the only thing that could bring us some kind of peace.