{"id":5415,"date":"2026-08-31T10:55:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=5415"},"modified":"2026-08-31T10:55:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:55:34","slug":"part-4-my-husband-cheated-while-i-was-pregnant-i-invited-his-mistress-to-my-baby-shower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=5415","title":{"rendered":"PART 4 \u2013 My husband cheated while I was pregnant. I invited his mistress to my baby shower."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
PART 4 \u2014 THE PERSON CALLED NORTH<\/h5>\n

\u201cHe wrote, \u2018I know. I\u2019ll handle her.\u2019\u201d
\nFor several seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
\nMy mother did not.
\nShe turned toward Rachel so quickly the chair beside her scraped across the hospital floor.
\n\u201cGive me that flash drive.\u201d
\nRachel placed it in her hand.
\nMy mother looked ready to march directly into a police station and personally demand handcuffs.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Camila. Your husband just discussed \u2018handling\u2019 you after you give birth. I am officially done being polite.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t even know what it means yet.\u201d
\n\u201cIt means I\u2019m not letting you go anywhere alone.\u201d
\nRachel wiped her eyes.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think he meant physically hurting you.\u201d
\nMy mother stared at her.
\n\u201cAnd I don\u2019t think you\u2019re currently qualified to interpret that man\u2019s intentions.\u201d
\nRachel lowered her head.
\nFair.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I looked at the flash drive.
\n\u201cDid you read the entire conversation?\u201d
\n\u201cSome of it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat comes before that message?\u201d
\nRachel pulled out her phone.
\n\u201cI took pictures.\u201d
\nShe scrolled.
\nThen handed it to me.
\nThe email thread had no names.
\nOnly encrypted-looking addresses and short messages.
\nNORTH:<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The numbers need to be clean before September.
\nADRIAN:
\nI\u2019m working on it.
\nNORTH:
\nYou said that last month.
\nADRIAN:
\nThings changed.
\nNORTH:
\nBecause of the woman?
\nADRIAN:<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which one?
\nMy stomach twisted.
\nEven facing possible criminal charges, apparently my husband still had room for comedy.
\nNORTH:
\nYour wife.
\nADRIAN:
\nShe doesn\u2019t know anything.
\nNORTH:
\nShe owns the company.
\nADRIAN:
\nOn paper.
\nNORTH:
\nOnce the baby arrives, Camila becomes the liability.
\nADRIAN:
\nI know. I\u2019ll handle her.
\nThen another message.
\nNORTH:
\nYou have three weeks.
\nThat was it.
\nI handed the phone back.
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cWhat happens in three weeks?\u201d
\nI counted.
\nThree weeks from that email was almost exactly my due date.
\nMy blood turned cold.
\nRachel must have seen it on my face.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what scared me.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Adrian ever mention life insurance?\u201d
\nShe looked confused.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cInsurance. On me.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI looked toward the hospital door.
\nAdrian worked in insurance.
\nHe knew policies.
\nHe knew beneficiaries.
\nHe knew paperwork.
\nSuddenly every harmless document he had ever asked me to sign flashed through my mind.
\nMortgage renewals.
\nRetirement forms.
\nMedical coverage.
\nTax paperwork.
\nI grabbed my phone.
\nMariana answered immediately.
\n\u201cHow\u2019s Lucy?\u201d
\n\u201cFine. I need you back in the room.\u201d
\nHer voice changed.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cRachel brought evidence.\u201d
\nThirty seconds later, Mariana walked in.
\nI showed her everything.
\nShe read the emails twice.
\nThen a third time.
\n\u201cThis goes to law enforcement.\u201d
\nRachel immediately stiffened.
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nMariana looked at her.
\n\u201cYou understand that handing this over may expose things you did too.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou may need your own attorney.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you should stop speaking to Adrian.\u201d
\nRachel laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cThat won\u2019t be difficult.\u201d
\nI looked at Mariana.
\n\u201cWhat do you think \u2018handle her\u2019 means?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not guessing.\u201d
\n\u201cYou have an opinion.\u201d
\n\u201cI have several.\u201d
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cMariana.\u201d
\nShe sat beside me.
\n\u201cCamila, right now your job is keeping yourself and Lucy safe. My job is preventing your imagination from making decisions before evidence does.\u201d
\nMy mother crossed her arms.
\n\u201cMy imagination already has Adrian buried under a parking garage.\u201d
\n\u201cWhich is why nobody is asking you.\u201d
\nThe door opened.
\nA nurse entered.
\nShe checked the monitor, smiled, and told me everything still looked stable.
\n\u201cYou need rest,\u201d she said.
\nI almost laughed.
\nRest.
\nSure.
\nMaybe afterward I could take up meditation.
\nWhen she left, Mariana plugged Rachel\u2019s flash drive into her laptop.
\nFolders appeared.
\nBANK.
\nCML.
\nRECEIPTS.
\nEMAILS.
\nNORTH.
\nPERSONAL.
\nMy stomach turned when I saw the last folder.
\n\u201cOpen North.\u201d
\nMariana did.
\nThere were dozens of PDF files and screenshots.
\nThe earliest email was dated nine months ago.
\nBefore Rachel.
\nBefore my pregnancy test.
\nBefore everything I thought had started this nightmare.
\nMariana opened it.
\nNORTH:
\nI reviewed your situation. You need a clean borrower.
\nADRIAN:
\nMy wife.
\nNORTH:
\nCredit?
\nADRIAN:
\nExcellent.
\nNORTH:
\nDebt?
\nADRIAN:
\nLow.
\nNORTH:
\nIncome?
\nADRIAN:
\nEnough.
\nNORTH:
\nWould she cooperate?
\nADRIAN:
\nShe doesn\u2019t need to know.
\nMy hand went numb.
\nMy mother covered her mouth.
\nNine months.
\nHe had planned to use me nine months ago.
\nBefore Lucy existed.
\nBefore he could blame panic.
\nBefore he could blame Rachel.
\nBefore he could blame gambling.
\nThis had begun as a decision.
\nMariana kept scrolling.
\nNORTH:
\nYou\u2019ll need an address not directly connected to your residence.
\nADRIAN:
\nMy mother has property.
\nNORTH:
\nUse it.
\nADRIAN:
\nAnd signatures?
\nNORTH:
\nYou know your wife better than I do.
\nMy throat tightened.
\n\u201cHe forged them.\u201d
\n\u201cYes,\u201d Mariana said quietly.
\nAnother email.
\nADRIAN:
\nCML approved.
\nNORTH:
\nGood.
\nADRIAN:
\nWhat does CML even stand for?
\nNORTH:
\nDoesn\u2019t matter.
\nAdrian replied:
\nCamila Martinez-Lewis.
\nMy maiden name.
\nMy married name.
\nMy initials.
\nCML.
\nHe had named the fake company after me.
\nI started laughing.
\nNot because it was funny.
\nBecause sometimes rage needs somewhere ridiculous to go.
\n\u201cHe named it after me.\u201d
\nMy mother touched my shoulder.
\n\u201cSweetheart.\u201d
\n\u201cHe stole my identity and gave the company my initials.\u201d
\nRachel whispered:
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cI believe you.\u201d
\nShe blinked.
\nThat surprised both of us.
\nI wasn\u2019t forgiving her.
\nNot remotely.
\nBut I believed she had not known this part.
\nThere are different species of betrayal.
\nRachel had participated in one.
\nAdrian had built an ecosystem.
\nMariana opened another document.
\nA spreadsheet.
\nRows of client names.
\nPayments.
\nDates.
\nAccount numbers.
\nTransfers.
\nAnd a column labeled N.
\n\u201cWhat is N?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cNorth, probably.\u201d
\nThe numbers were enormous.
\n$12,400.
\n$28,000.
\n$17,600.
\n$43,500.
\nMoney entered.
\nMoney moved.
\nSome disappeared.
\nSome returned.
\nSome were sent to accounts connected to CML.
\nThen Mariana stopped.
\n\u201cOh.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe enlarged one row.
\nA payment of $74,000 had been transferred into an account ending in 4408.
\nBeneficiary:
\nCAMILA LEWIS.
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t my account.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause we checked your accounts this morning.\u201d
\nI leaned closer.
\n\u201cThen whose is it?\u201d
\nMariana clicked through another folder.
\nThere was a bank statement.
\nSame account.
\nSame number.
\nSame beneficiary name.
\nBut the mailing address wasn\u2019t mine.
\nIt was a post-office box in Queens.
\n\u201cShe opened a bank account under my name too?\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone did.\u201d
\nRachel moved behind us.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve seen that number.\u201d
\nAll three of us turned.
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cAdrian\u2019s phone.\u201d
\nMy heart raced.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cHe used to receive alerts from an account ending in 4408.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you ever ask?\u201d
\n\u201cHe said it was a client trust account.\u201d
\nMariana looked grim.
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t.\u201d
\nShe opened more statements.
\nHundreds of thousands had passed through that account.
\nSome transfers went toward credit cards.
\nSome to CML.
\nSome back into Adrian\u2019s company.
\nAnd then we saw recurring payments.
\n$4,200.
\nEvery month.
\nSame recipient.
\nNORTHSTAR MANAGEMENT LLC.
\nMy skin prickled.
\n\u201cNorthstar.\u201d
\nRachel whispered:
\n\u201cNorth.\u201d
\nMariana searched the folder.
\nThere was an invoice.
\nNORTHSTAR MANAGEMENT LLC
\nStrategic Consulting Services
\nNo phone number.
\nNo recognizable address.
\nJust a registered agent.
\n\u201cI need to search corporate records,\u201d Mariana said.
\nShe started typing.
\nA few minutes later, her face changed.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cNorthstar Management was dissolved two months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cWho owned it?\u201d
\n\u201cThe public filing lists another LLC.\u201d
\n\u201cWhich is?\u201d
\nShe clicked.
\nThat company belonged to another company.
\nThen another.
\nShell after shell.
\nLayers.
\nSomeone had gone to significant trouble to hide ownership.
\nFinally Mariana leaned back.
\n\u201cThis was designed not to be easy.\u201d
\nMy mother said:
\n\u201cThen whoever North is knows what they\u2019re doing.\u201d
\nExactly.
\nA knock came at the door.
\nWe all froze.
\nThe nurse stepped inside.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a gentleman asking to see you.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cAdrian?\u201d
\nShe checked.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe word came from all four of us.
\nThe nurse blinked.
\nMariana stood.
\n\u201cPlease tell hospital security he is not authorized to enter.\u201d
\nThe nurse nodded and left.
\nThirty seconds later, my phone rang.
\nAdrian.
\nDecline.
\nAgain.
\nDecline.
\nThen messages.
\nPLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN.
\nYOU ARE IN DANGER IF YOU KEEP DIGGING.
\nSTOP TALKING TO RACHEL.
\nI sat up straighter.
\nAnother message.
\nSHE DOESN\u2019T KNOW WHO SHE\u2019S DEALING WITH.
\nThen:
\nNEITHER DO YOU.
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cCall the police.\u201d
\nMariana was already dialing.
\nTwo officers arrived less than an hour later.
\nI told them everything.
\nThe fake company.
\nThe accounts.
\nThe forged documents.
\nThe emails.
\nNorth.
\nThe message about handling me.
\nRachel gave them the flash drive.
\nThey took photographs of her phone.
\nThey asked whether Adrian owned weapons.
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said.
\nThen I remembered something.
\n\u201cWait.\u201d
\nEveryone looked at me.
\n\u201cHis father had a handgun.\u201d
\nMy mother\u2019s face changed.
\n\u201cWhere is it?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nAfter my father-in-law died, Teresa had supposedly given it to a family friend.
\nSupposedly.
\nOne officer wrote it down.
\nThey arranged for security to accompany me when I left.
\nThey told me not to return home until someone confirmed Adrian wasn\u2019t there.
\nBy late afternoon, the contractions had stopped.
\nThe doctor discharged me.
\n\u201cYou need to reduce stress.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cCould you write that on a prescription and give it to my husband?\u201d
\nShe smiled sympathetically.
\nOutside, two officers waited near the entrance.
\nMy mother drove.
\nMariana sat beside me.
\nRachel had gone with another officer to answer more questions.
\nI should have felt safer.
\nInstead, every passing car made me nervous.
\nWe went to my mother\u2019s house.
\nNot mine.
\nThe locks were checked.
\nCurtains closed.
\nPhones charged.
\nFor the first time in my adult life, I slept in my childhood bedroom because I was afraid of my husband.
\nI woke at 2:11 a.m.
\nMy phone was vibrating.
\nUNKNOWN NUMBER.
\nI stared at it.
\nThen ignored it.
\nIt rang again.
\nUnknown.
\nAgain.
\nOn the fourth call, I answered.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nNo voice.
\nJust breathing.
\n\u201cWho is this?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen a distorted voice said:
\n\u201cTell Mariana to stop.\u201d
\nThe line went dead.
\nMy whole body turned cold.
\nI ran down the hallway.
\nMy mother woke instantly.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nI showed her.
\nMariana, sleeping on the couch downstairs, called the detective we had spoken with.
\nThe number was likely spoofed.
\nUntraceable at first glance.
\nBut there was no question anymore.
\nNorth knew about us.
\nWorse.
\nNorth knew Mariana\u2019s name.
\nAt seven that morning, Mariana looked exhausted but furious.
\n\u201cWe need to assume someone has access to information we don\u2019t understand yet.\u201d
\nMy mother poured coffee.
\n\u201cCould it be Adrian?\u201d
\n\u201cThe voice could have been disguised.\u201d
\n\u201cBut?\u201d
\n\u201cBut he\u2019s been texting Camila directly. Why suddenly hide?\u201d
\nExactly.
\nMy phone buzzed.
\nAn email.
\nNo sender name.
\nSubject:
\nSTOP.
\nInside was one sentence.
\nYOU HAVE A DAUGHTER TO THINK ABOUT.
\nI felt my knees weaken.
\nMy mother read it over my shoulder.
\nHer face went gray.
\nMariana immediately photographed the screen.
\n\u201cThis changes things.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause now someone other than Adrian appears to be threatening you.\u201d
\nMy hand rested on Lucy.
\nAnger replaced fear.
\nMaybe whoever North was thought mentioning my daughter would make me obedient.
\nIt did the opposite.
\n\u201cYou want me to stop?\u201d
\nMariana looked at me.
\n\u201cI want you safe.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. Whoever sent this.\u201d
\nI looked at the message.
\n\u201cThey want me afraid.\u201d
\n\u201cThey probably do.\u201d
\n\u201cThen they made a mistake.\u201d
\nMy mother sat beside me.
\n\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d
\n\u201cI want to know who North is.\u201d
\nFor the next four hours, we went through every file Rachel had copied.
\nEmail after email.
\nInvoice after invoice.
\nThere were no names.
\nNo photographs.
\nNothing obvious.
\nUntil Mariana found metadata attached to an old spreadsheet.
\n\u201cWait.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe clicked.
\nThe document creator field showed initials.
\nL.M.
\nRachel\u2019s boss was Lauren Menchaca.
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMariana looked at me.
\n\u201cInitials prove nothing.\u201d
\nBut suddenly every interaction with Lauren replayed in my head.
\nHow quickly she had helped.
\nHow easily she had accessed records.
\nHow she had asked for the date and location of my baby shower.
\nHow she had appeared there personally.
\nHow she had called me first thing the next morning.
\nHow she always seemed one step ahead.
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cCould Lauren be North?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nMy phone rang.
\nWe all stared at it.
\nLAUREN MENCHACA.
\nNobody moved.
\nIt rang again.
\nI answered on speaker.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\n\u201cCamila.\u201d
\nLauren sounded rushed.
\n\u201cAre you somewhere safe?\u201d
\nMy eyes met Mariana\u2019s.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cGood.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cI need you to listen carefully.\u201d
\nSomething in her voice made my skin prickle.
\n\u201cI reviewed more internal records.\u201d
\n\u201cSo have we.\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cI have copies of Adrian\u2019s files.\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\n\u201cFrom where?\u201d
\n\u201cRachel.\u201d
\nLauren cursed quietly.
\n\u201cCamila, you should not have those.\u201d
\nMy heart began pounding.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause whoever Adrian was working with may know those files were copied.\u201d
\n\u201cWho was he working with?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m trying to determine that.\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone called North.\u201d
\nAbsolute silence.
\nLauren didn\u2019t breathe.
\nDidn\u2019t speak.
\nNothing.
\nI looked at Mariana.
\nShe was watching the phone like it might explode.
\nFinally Lauren said:
\n\u201cWhere did you hear that name?\u201d
\nThere it was.
\nNot Who is North?
\nWhere did you hear that name?
\n\u201cYou know it.\u201d
\n\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cYou know who North is.\u201d
\n\u201cI need you to tell me exactly what Rachel gave you.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHer voice sharpened.
\n\u201cThis is not a game.\u201d
\n\u201cI know. Someone threatened my daughter this morning.\u201d
\nLauren went completely silent.
\nThen:
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cAn email.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d
\nI told her.
\nHer breathing changed.
\n\u201cCamila, listen to me. Do not respond to anything else. Do not contact Adrian. Do not contact Rachel.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you?\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cShould I stop contacting you too?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThat silence terrified me more than any answer.
\n\u201cLauren.\u201d
\n\u201cI am trying to protect you.\u201d
\n\u201cFrom whom?\u201d
\nShe exhaled.
\n\u201cNorth isn\u2019t one person.\u201d
\nMy blood turned cold.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a name used internally.\u201d
\n\u201cBy who?\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t explain this over the phone.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, you can.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThen I\u2019m hanging up.\u201d
\n\u201cCamila, wait.\u201d
\nI almost disconnected.
\nThen Lauren said:
\n\u201cYour husband wasn\u2019t stealing company money by himself.\u201d
\n\u201cWe know.\u201d
\n\u201cHe wasn\u2019t even the person who started it.\u201d
\nMy grip tightened.
\n\u201cWho did?\u201d
\n\u201cA group of employees has been moving money through dormant accounts, false vendors, and client reimbursements for almost three years.\u201d
\nThree years.
\nLong before Adrian\u2019s gambling debts.
\nLong before Rachel.
\nLong before CML.
\n\u201cHow many employees?\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cHow are you involved?\u201d
\n\u201cI found evidence last year.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t report it?\u201d
\n\u201cI tried.\u201d
\n\u201cTo whom?\u201d
\n\u201cOur former chief financial officer.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cHe disappeared.\u201d
\nNobody in the room moved.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean disappeared?\u201d
\n\u201cHe resigned without notice. Two weeks later, he moved overseas.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cNo one knows.\u201d
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nLauren continued.
\n\u201cAfter that, I started collecting evidence privately.\u201d
\n\u201cSo why did you act surprised when I told you about Adrian?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I didn\u2019t know he was involved until you sent those messages.\u201d
\nI wanted to believe her.
\nI desperately wanted one person in this nightmare to be telling the truth.
\n\u201cWhat about L.M. in the spreadsheet metadata?\u201d
\nLauren went silent again.
\nThen she said:
\n\u201cThat was me.\u201d
\nMariana\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\nI felt sick.
\n\u201cYou created the spreadsheet.\u201d
\n\u201cI copied the transactions into a separate file while investigating.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy was it on Adrian\u2019s drive?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe answer stopped me.
\n\u201cI expect you to verify everything I say.\u201d
\nRachel had said almost the exact same thing.
\nMaybe truthful people sounded like that.
\nOr maybe everyone had learned a new way to lie.
\n\u201cWho is North?\u201d
\n\u201cI told you. It isn\u2019t one person.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what is it?\u201d
\n\u201cA communication name.\u201d
\n\u201cFor the group?\u201d
\n\u201cFor whoever is giving instructions at the time.\u201d
\nMy skin crawled.
\n\u201cSo Adrian might not know who he was talking to?\u201d
\n\u201cExactly.\u201d
\n\u201cThen how do we find them?\u201d
\nLauren hesitated.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s one person who might know.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cAdrian\u2019s mother.\u201d
\nMy heart sank.
\n\u201cTeresa?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Northstar Management existed before your fake company.\u201d
\n\u201cWe know.\u201d
\n\u201cBut you probably don\u2019t know who originally incorporated it.\u201d
\nI stared at Mariana.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nLauren said:
\n\u201cYour father-in-law.\u201d
\nSilence swallowed the room.
\n\u201cMy father-in-law is dead.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cHe died four years ago.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cNorthstar was created three years ago.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nLauren\u2019s voice dropped.
\n\u201cThe company you found was created three years ago.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cThere was an older Northstar.\u201d
\n\u201cHow old?\u201d
\n\u201cEleven years.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cOwned by Adrian\u2019s father?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did it do?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what you need to ask Teresa.\u201d
\nI stood.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s already lied.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cShe helped Adrian use my identity.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why would she tell me anything?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause there\u2019s something she doesn\u2019t know you have.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nLauren took a breath.
\n\u201cA payment record.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat payment?\u201d
\n\u201cThe original Northstar account made one final transfer before it closed.\u201d
\nMy heart pounded.
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\n\u201cSix hundred thousand dollars.\u201d
\nMy mother gasped.
\n\u201cTo who?\u201d
\nLauren hesitated.
\n\u201cTeresa.\u201d
\nThe room went dead silent.
\nSix hundred thousand dollars.
\nAdrian had told me his mother loaned him eighty thousand from the sale of his father\u2019s property.
\nHe never mentioned six hundred thousand.
\n\u201cWhat happened to it?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been trying to find out.\u201d
\nI looked at Mariana.
\nShe was already reaching for her keys.
\n\u201cNo,\u201d my mother said.
\n\u201cYou are not going to Teresa\u2019s house.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re not,\u201d Mariana replied.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re asking the police to bring her here.\u201d
\nTwo hours later, Teresa arrived at my mother\u2019s house accompanied by a detective.
\nShe looked exhausted.
\nHer hair was messy.
\nShe wore no makeup.
\nWhen she saw me, her eyes filled.
\n\u201cCamila.\u201d
\nI didn\u2019t hug her.
\n\u201cSit down.\u201d
\nShe did.
\nThe detective remained nearby.
\nMariana placed a printed bank record on the table.
\nTeresa looked at it.
\nHer face changed immediately.
\nThat was all I needed.
\n\u201cYou recognize it.\u201d
\nShe said nothing.
\n\u201cSix hundred thousand dollars.\u201d
\nTeresa closed her eyes.
\n\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d
\n\u201cSo it\u2019s real.\u201d
\nShe opened them.
\n\u201cCamila.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat was Northstar?\u201d
\nHer hands began shaking.
\n\u201cWho told you that name?\u201d
\nEveryone kept asking me that.
\nNever What is it?
\nAlways Who told you?
\n\u201cWhat was Northstar?\u201d
\nTeresa looked toward the detective.
\nThen toward Mariana.
\nFinally, she whispered:
\n\u201cIt was my husband\u2019s company.\u201d
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d
\n\u201cInvestments.\u201d
\n\u201cIllegal ones?\u201d
\nShe looked down.
\nMy heart sank.
\n\u201cTeresa.\u201d
\n\u201cHe moved money for people.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat people?\u201d
\n\u201cI never asked.\u201d
\n\u201cThat is a lie.\u201d
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cI learned not to ask.\u201d
\nThe fear in her face was real.
\n\u201cWhat happened to the six hundred thousand?\u201d
\n\u201cIt was supposed to disappear.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cBefore my husband died, he told me to close everything.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause he wanted out.\u201d
\n\u201cOut of what?\u201d
\nShe started crying.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know all of it.\u201d
\n\u201cStop saying that.\u201d
\n\u201cI swear.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d
\nTeresa wiped her face.
\n\u201cHe said there were people at Adrian\u2019s company using insurance accounts to move money. He helped them create vendors and accounts.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cHow long?\u201d
\n\u201cYears.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd when he died?\u201d
\n\u201cHe left me instructions.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat instructions?\u201d
\n\u201cTo take the six hundred thousand and never touch it.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cYou told Adrian about it.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, you did.\u201d
\n\u201cNot until last year.\u201d
\nThere it was.
\n\u201cWhat happened last year?\u201d
\n\u201cHe came to me crying about his debts.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you gave him access.\u201d
\n\u201cI gave him eighty thousand.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat about the rest?\u201d
\n\u201cI told him it didn\u2019t exist.\u201d
\n\u201cThen how did he learn about Northstar?\u201d
\nTeresa\u2019s face collapsed.
\n\u201cHe found his father\u2019s files.\u201d
\nEverything clicked.
\nAdrian discovered the old network.
\nHe had debt.
\nHe had access to an insurance company connected to it.
\nAnd someone noticed.
\n\u201cNorth contacted him after that?\u201d
\n\u201cI think so.\u201d
\n\u201cYou think?\u201d
\n\u201cHe started asking strange questions.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat questions?\u201d
\n\u201cAbout accounts. Names. His father\u2019s old contacts.\u201d
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cThen one night he came over terrified.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cAbout nine months ago.\u201d
\nExactly when the first email from North appeared.
\n\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d
\n\u201cThat someone knew about his gambling debt.\u201d
\nI felt cold.
\n\u201cHe was being blackmailed.\u201d
\nTeresa nodded.
\n\u201cAt first.\u201d
\n\u201cAt first?\u201d
\n\u201cHe said they could make the debt disappear if he helped with transfers.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you let him use me.\u201d
\nHer face crumpled.
\n\u201cHe told me the business in your name was temporary.\u201d
\n\u201cYou believed that?\u201d
\n\u201cI wanted to.\u201d
\n\u201cYou helped him.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nFinally.
\nNo excuse.
\nNo pretty wording.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nTears ran down her cheeks.
\n\u201cI did.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cAnd the six hundred thousand?\u201d
\nHer face changed.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s gone.\u201d
\nMariana leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI checked three months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere was it?\u201d
\n\u201cA private account.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd it disappeared?\u201d
\n\u201cTransferred.\u201d
\n\u201cTo whom?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\nTeresa swallowed.
\n\u201cThe same week Camila became pregnant.\u201d
\nEvery hair on my arms rose.
\nThe timing again.
\nMy pregnancy.
\nAlways my pregnancy.
\n\u201cWhy does everything happen when I become pregnant?\u201d
\nTeresa started crying harder.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nThen my phone rang.
\nAdrian.
\nI looked at the detective.
\nHe nodded.
\n\u201cAnswer.\u201d
\nI put it on speaker.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nFor several seconds there was only breathing.
\nThen Adrian spoke.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re with my mother.\u201d
\nNot a question.
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause they told me.\u201d
\nMy blood turned cold.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cNorth.\u201d
\nTeresa went pale.
\n\u201cAdrian,\u201d she whispered.
\nHe heard her.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\nHis voice broke.
\n\u201cYou should have burned Dad\u2019s files.\u201d
\nTeresa covered her mouth.
\nI leaned toward the phone.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cCamila, listen to me.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t tell you.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause they\u2019re watching.\u201d
\n\u201cWho is they?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know anymore.\u201d
\nThat answer sounded genuine.
\n\u201cDid you send the threats?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you write that you would handle me?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cI was going to convince you to sign documents after Lucy was born.\u201d
\nMy knees nearly gave out.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s all?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou swear?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nRelief shouldn\u2019t have been what I felt.
\nBut after imagining worse, financial manipulation almost sounded merciful.
\n\u201cWhat documents?\u201d
\n\u201cLoan consolidation. Transfers. Things North needed.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy after the baby?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause they said you\u2019d be easier to convince while you were home.\u201d
\nI wanted to vomit.
\n\u201cThey planned around my postpartum recovery?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nTeresa sobbed.
\nI looked at her.
\nShe seemed horrified.
\nMaybe this part truly was new to her.
\n\u201cAdrian, come to the police.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, you can.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I tried.\u201d
\nThe detective leaned closer.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nAdrian\u2019s breathing became uneven.
\n\u201cI went to meet someone.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cI thought it was North.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cLast night.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cA parking garage near the office.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cNobody came.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why are you hiding?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause when I got back to my car, there was a photograph on the windshield.\u201d
\nMy skin prickled.
\n\u201cA photograph of what?\u201d
\nHe began crying.
\n\u201cYou.\u201d
\nMy mother grabbed my hand.
\n\u201cWhat kind of photograph?\u201d
\n\u201cYou leaving the hospital.\u201d
\nThe room went completely still.
\nThey had been there.
\nSomeone had watched me leave.
\n\u201cAdrian,\u201d the detective said, \u201cyou need to tell us your location.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWe can protect you.\u201d
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\n\u201cHelp us understand.\u201d
\nAdrian took a shaky breath.
\n\u201cThey sent another picture twenty minutes ago.\u201d
\n\u201cOf who?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cAdrian?\u201d
\n\u201cMy daughter\u2019s nursery.\u201d
\nMy entire body went numb.
\nThe nursery.
\nInside our house.
\nSomeone had been inside.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe picture was taken today.\u201d
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cJesus.\u201d
\nI could barely speak.
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause the crib wasn\u2019t assembled yesterday.\u201d
\nI froze.
\nHe was right.
\nMy brother had finished assembling it while I was at the baby shower.
\nSomeone had entered my home after that.
\nSomeone had stood inside Lucy\u2019s room.
\n\u201cWhat did the message say?\u201d
\nAdrian began sobbing.
\n\u201cTell Camila to return what belongs to us.\u201d
\nI looked at Teresa.
\nShe stopped breathing.
\n\u201cWhat belongs to them?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Adrian said.
\nBut Teresa did.
\nI saw it instantly.
\nHer eyes dropped.
\nHer hands clenched.
\n\u201cTeresa.\u201d
\nShe said nothing.
\nI stood.
\n\u201cWhat do they want?\u201d
\n\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do they want back?\u201d
\nHer entire body started shaking.
\n\u201cI thought it was gone.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe six hundred thousand.\u201d
\n\u201cYou said it disappeared.\u201d
\n\u201cIt did.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what are they asking for?\u201d
\nShe stared at me with terror in her eyes.
\n\u201cNot the money.\u201d
\nMy heart hammered.
\n\u201cWhat, then?\u201d
\nTeresa slowly reached beneath her blouse.
\nShe pulled out a thin gold chain.
\nHanging from it was a tiny brass key.
\nI stared at it.
\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d
\n\u201cMy husband gave it to me three days before he died.\u201d
\n\u201cA key to what?\u201d
\n\u201cI never knew.\u201d
\nMariana stood.
\n\u201cThen why would anyone want it?\u201d
\nTeresa looked at Adrian\u2019s voice still coming faintly through the phone.
\nThen she looked back at me.
\n\u201cBecause my husband told me that if Northstar ever came back\u2026\u201d
\nHer voice cracked.
\n\u201c\u2026this key was the only thing that could destroy them.\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED IN LAST PART\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE CONTINUE TO READ LAST PART- My husband cheated while I was pregnant. I invited his mistress to my baby shower.<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n