Chapter 8 The Secret In The File
1356 Words
The noise of the reporters faded into the background.
Vanessa could only hear one thing.
Her own heartbeat.
Your full medical history.
Daniel’s words echoed inside her head like a warning bell.
Adrian noticed the sudden change in her expression immediately.
“…Vanessa.”
She didn’t respond.
Because her mind was racing.
There was only one reason someone would risk hacking hospital records.
Not the pregnancy.
Not the DNA.
But the information hidden deeper in her file.
And if that information reached the media…
Everything would collapse.
Adrian stepped closer.
His voice lowered.
“What’s in that file?”
Vanessa forced herself to breathe slowly.
“Nothing that concerns the public.”
Adrian didn’t look convinced.
“Someone broke into a hospital system to get it.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“That’s not nothing.”
Vanessa met his gaze.
“Then find out who did it.”
Adrian studied her for a moment longer.
Then he turned to Daniel.
“Call the hospital.”
Daniel nodded immediately.
“Yes, sir.”
He stepped away to make the call.
The reporters were still shouting questions, but security had started pushing them back.
The press conference was over.
But the scandal was far from finished.
Adrian glanced at Vanessa again.
“You’re shaking.”
Vanessa looked down.
Her hands were trembling slightly.
She clenched them into fists.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
Vanessa gave a quiet laugh.
“Since when do you care?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
Because the truth was complicated.
Three years of marriage had built habits neither of them fully understood.
Concern was one of them.
But before the conversation could continue—
Daniel returned.
His expression was tense.
“The hospital confirmed the breach.”
Adrian’s voice turned sharp.
“How bad?”
“They accessed the maternity records database.”
Vanessa felt her stomach drop.
Adrian noticed immediately.
“You said your file had nothing important.”
Vanessa didn’t respond.
Daniel continued nervously.
“The hacker downloaded several patient files.”
Adrian frowned.
“Several?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa blinked.
“Not just mine?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“That’s strange.”
Vanessa felt a tiny flicker of relief.
If the hacker had targeted multiple files…
Then maybe they hadn’t been specifically looking for her secret.
But Adrian wasn’t convinced.
“Which files were taken?”
Daniel checked his phone.
“The hospital is still reviewing the list.”
Vanessa finally exhaled slowly.
For the moment, the worst possibility hadn’t been confirmed.
But the fear remained.
Because someone had gone digging.
And that meant the secret was no longer safe.
Adrian glanced toward the building entrance.
“We’re leaving.”
Vanessa frowned.
“Leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“My office.”
Vanessa hesitated.
“Why?”
Adrian looked at her directly.
“Because we need to talk.”
The way he said it made her chest tighten slightly.
It wasn’t the voice of a CEO handling a scandal.
It was the voice of a husband confronting his wife.
Except they weren’t husband and wife anymore.
They were strangers.
Ten minutes later…
They were inside Adrian’s private office.
The city skyline stretched across the massive windows.
Normally the room felt powerful.
Dominant.
But today it felt tense.
Unstable.
Adrian closed the door behind them.
Then turned toward her.
“Start talking.”
Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
“That’s not how conversations work.”
“Then let me rephrase.”
His voice lowered.
“What secret are you hiding?”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“I’m not hiding anything.”
Adrian’s patience thinned.
“Someone hacked a hospital database to access your medical file.”
He stepped closer.
“That doesn’t happen without a reason.”
Vanessa’s voice remained calm.
“Maybe they were looking for another patient.”
Adrian stared at her.
“You don’t believe that.”
Vanessa didn’t answer.
The silence stretched.
Then Adrian said something unexpected.
“You’re scared.”
Vanessa looked up quickly.
His eyes were studying her carefully.
“You’ve been calm through everything today.”
He gestured toward the city.
“The divorce.”
“The boardroom takeover.”
“The pregnancy scandal.”
“But the moment Daniel mentioned your medical file…”
He paused.
“You panicked.”
Vanessa looked away.
Because he was right.
And Adrian had always been frighteningly good at reading people.
Especially her.
“What’s in that file?” he asked again.
Vanessa hesitated.
Then said quietly—
“Nothing that affects the baby.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s not what I asked.”
Vanessa turned toward the window.
The city lights were beginning to appear as evening approached.
“…Three years ago,” she said slowly, “I had a medical procedure.”
Adrian frowned.
“What kind of procedure?”
Vanessa didn’t answer immediately.
“Something that made pregnancy difficult.”
Adrian froze.
“…What?”
Vanessa finally turned back toward him.
“The doctors said I might never have children.”
The words landed heavily in the room.
Adrian stared at her.
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not.”
His mind immediately went back through the past.
Three years of marriage.
Three years without children.
He had never questioned it.
He assumed Vanessa simply wasn’t ready.
But now—
“You never told me.”
Vanessa’s laugh was soft.
“When exactly should I have told you?”
She gestured between them.
“During one of our scheduled dinners?”
Adrian didn’t respond.
Vanessa continued quietly.
“I didn’t want pity.”
Her hand slowly moved toward her stomach.
“And when I found out I was pregnant…”
Her voice softened.
“I didn’t believe it at first.”
Adrian’s gaze followed her hand.
Something unfamiliar flickered in his eyes.
Relief.
Wonder.
Fear.
“All those years…” he said slowly.
“You thought you couldn’t have children.”
Vanessa nodded once.
“And now someone has that information.”
The room fell silent again.
Adrian finally understood why she was afraid.
If the media discovered she had once been diagnosed infertile—
They would question the pregnancy immediately.
The scandal would explode.
Adrian walked toward his desk.
His voice was calm again.
“I’ll handle it.”
Vanessa frowned.
“How?”
“I’ll find the hacker.”
“And if they already sold the information?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Then I’ll bury the story before it spreads.”
Vanessa hesitated.
“You’d do that?”
Adrian’s answer was simple.
“Yes.”
Vanessa studied him carefully.
For the first time since the divorce…
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
But before either of them could say anything else—
Daniel suddenly burst into the office without knocking.
His face looked pale.
“Sir.”
Adrian frowned.
“What happened now?”
Daniel held up his phone.
“The hospital finished reviewing the hacked records.”
Vanessa’s pulse quickened.
Adrian’s voice turned sharp.
“And?”
Daniel swallowed.
“They identified the files that were stolen.”
The silence stretched.
Vanessa’s chest tightened.
“…How many?”
Daniel answered quietly.
“Three.”
Adrian frowned.
“Whose?”
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
Then said the words that made her blood run cold.
“One file belongs to you.”
Vanessa’s heart dropped.
Adrian waited.
“And the other two?”
Daniel hesitated.
Then finally spoke.
“The second file…”
He paused.
“…belongs to Sophia Laurent.”
Vanessa blinked.
“…What?”
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“And the third?”
Daniel’s voice lowered.
“The third patient record…”
Another pause.
“…belongs to a child.”
The room froze.
Vanessa’s voice came out barely above a whisper.
“A child?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Adrian frowned.
“What child?”
Daniel looked down at the phone again.
Then read the name.
And the moment the name left his mouth—
Vanessa felt the world tilt.
Because the child’s surname was one she recognized.
One she never expected to hear again.
Blackwood.
- Writer
