Valencia
I walked inside the small bakery filled with the aromatic smell of vanilla and chocolate being prominent. The bakery was flowing with the chatter of the customers. What a bad thing that I can't enjoy the cakes and pastries, I have important things to care of. I had informed Nana that a guest who would be joining us for dinner. I don't think anyone would be in a mood to eat the dinner when our guest opens her mouth, I had told this Nana also but believe me all I got was narrowed eyes from her. She had tried her best to pry it out of me who the guest is but I told her that all will be known by the night. Do I hate myself for what I was going to do? Having any second thoughts? Nope everyone deserved what was coming to them.
Dr. Elisa sat on a table at the back of the bakery. She looked nervous, a bit scared and lost but she dressed in the best, perfect for a family dinner. Well, she should be she had done this horrendous thing just for mere pennies. With the folder safely tucked in my bag, I strode towards her table. Without introducing myself I sat down on the seat in front of her.
"Hello Dr. Elisa," I greeted to have her look at me with fear in her eyes.
"You were the one who called?" She asked with uncertainty. I replied to her with a smirk.
"What do you want from me?" I took out the file from my bag and spread it out on the table for her to see. Her eyes grew into the size of saucers. Snapping herself out from her shock her fearful eyes met mine.
"You see the name down there on the file Dr. Elisa, Hilda Crawford. Well, she is my sister-in-law. You see I hadn't been gone and when I come back I see too many sins being committed. So I thought it would be so much better to just remove the blindfold from everyone eyes. With a little cooperation from you, I think it would be possible." She listened to each and every word of mine carefully. I leaned towards her on the table.
"I also think you will cooperate with me as I want Dr. Elisa. What you do is illegal but the fact where you live and your clinic is located I think you will have people after you trying to kill you, hurt you, raising you to the platform of a monster. Your daughter and husband will hate you but not your son I think. He too had brought a girl to you, for having an abortion." The last words came out as a whisper, for her ears only.
"You are catholic Dr. Elisa. A well-reputed one in your neighborhood and church. Think about the consequences your family will have to face if I let the file of what you do out for everyone eyes. Your daughter will lose her friends, be shunned off, bullied and hated and Your husband will not just lose all his business but even the status in the society and for your son, I don't know what will happen when the parents of that girl come to know of it. In the end, maybe the last resort left for them is to leave you alone and run away from here or to leave this world with pain in their heart. It would be you who would be responsible for their death. Would you like to live with such guilt while rotting in jail? You can let your family and you be saved from all this just by doing what I ask you to as. simple. as. that." She was not the verge of crying. Her eyes were welled with tears. She was scared, fear prominent on her face and the best of all, she was right under my thumb where I wanted her to be.
"What do I have to do?" She asked and I answered by taking out another file out of my bag with a pen. Taking out the legal paper, I presented in front of her to sign.
"This here states that if you ever do another abortion that is illegal and not ordered by the court, all of the illegal activities you have done will be published in the local newspaper the very next day. I have told you the consequences already if that happens. It is not a hoax Dr. Elisa it is. I will be having eyes on you and if you ever went back to your illegal habits I would be the first one to destroy you." I informed her with anger in my voice.
"These on the other hand," I said taking out a second set of papers. "Are the papers to be sent to your bank. They are giving an order to the bank to send a donation ten thousand dollars quaterly to the Happy Beginnings Orphanage. I want your signs on both of these paper before I get down to telling the last thing you have got to do." I gave her the pen which she took from her shaky hands. She didn't hesitate to sign those papers. There wasn't a word uttered from her, she accepted what I wanted. Setting the pen down she looked at me while I collected all the papers leaving Hilda's reports.
"I want you to read that file, jog down that memory lane of yours and remember everything you did for Hilda Crawford. You are going to join me for dinner with my family where you would tell them all each and everything you did for her, nothing to be held back. You really won't like to know what I would do if you hold back anything. You have two hours to prepare yourself, I can't sadly give you more than that because it's an hour ride back to my house and we will be directly joining my family for dinner. You do this and you won't be seeing me and your secrets will be safe with me until you decide to go back to your past habits to earn extra pennies." She gave me a nod while her fearful eyes looked at me. I asked for the bill and paid it. I stood up and walked out of there with her following me. We sat down in our car in minutes were out of the parking towards my house.
"I am sorry," she whispered looking out of the window. "I did it once to help a girl who was raped. She wasn't fine and I saw it. I tried to help her by talking to her, giving her anti-depressants but it didn't work. She was falling from the edge of life. How hard I tried I Couldn't bring her back. There was this hatred inside her for the child that she didn't show, that child was killing her literally. It reminded her of the man who brutally abused her. She tried to kill herself but her mother saved her it was then when I decided to help her by doing the abortion. It was scary to take away an innocent life." She sniffled while tears rolled down her cheeks.
"A month later we saw hope in her of getting better. Her parents saw this and decided to pay me a huge consideration for giving them back their daughter. Two or three such cases came to me, people who were hiding, trying to prevent themselves from shame it may bring upon their family because they had affairs with someone else many others just because they didn't want it because it would ruin their figure. What pathetic excuses they were. My hands would shake when I would operate. I knew what I was doing wasn't right but at that time I thought I was just helping the parents but what didn't get inside my mind was that I was also taking away a life that had done nothing wrong from the start. I could have saved them and send them for adoption but the thought didn't cross my mind what I saw was the money that came in and how it made my life easy and happy. The line for right and wrong lost somewhere, help turned into greed. As the money flew, those innocent lives got lost. If only I would have understood this back then, I would have saved thirteen lives in all and my grandchild but I lost it all for greed." Her voice came from the heart filled with regret and guilt. She silently cried while I drove. Her words brought tears to my eyes but I didn't let them fall. The pain of losing an innocent child, ask it from the mother who felt her child grown in her womb for nine months only to have it cremated, ask it from the mother's who miscarry. One should ask it from those who are trying hard for a child. Ask such people and you would know the pain, you would come to know how heartbreaking it is. I kept silent as she sniffled and cried.
"I am glad you came," she said and the atmosphere in the car shifted to a silent one accompanied by the hum of the engine. We reached just minutes before the dinner. Parking the car we both entered through the kitchen door where Nana was busy in the last minute touches. Seeing me her face lit up. She looked behind me at Dr. Elisa. She didn't know her, no one did besides Hilda and maybe her best friend Claire. Ben, on the other hand, was busy plating up. I asked him to stop doing what he was and help me out. I was holding few files. These files were copies of what Hilda did. I asked him to bring me seven empty plates. Today's dinner was going to be so exciting. I asked Ben to carry the plates while I carried the files to the dining room. Dr. Elisa waited for my call to be called as I had asked her to. Everyone was seated in their places with the room filled with light chatter. They saw me but decided to ignore me well there loss. I was so going to enjoy this evening.
"Ben please set the plates and start it from Karl." He nodded and as he set the plates in front of him I laid the file on it. The chatter died down. Ben placed the plates on the table while I laid the files over it and when It was Hilda's turn I smiled at her so sweetly that I swear there wasn't anything sweeter than that in the world. If you would have thought that they would have been reading it, you are totally wrong. They ignored it, didn't paid second attention to it.You know the hatred between us was mutual. I asked Ben to please show our guest of the evening to the dining room. Moments later Dr. Elisa arrived making Hilda's eyes go wide as a saucer. I asked her to sit down while I stood behind her.
"Well, I see that no one has any interest in the file that I placed in front of you. Don't worry I promise you that you will be soon reaching for it. This here is Dr. Elisa," I told while pointing to her. "She has come here to tell you all something very important that will affect the most, sorry I forgot who it was." I feigned a thinking action. "Oh, yeah, it was you, Karl. I think you will be the one most affected out of it. Won't he be Hilda?" She looked at me with fear, anger, and something that looked like pleading or maybe I just fantasizing it. Hearing me Karl made a move to reach for the file but stopped midway and retreated back his hand.
"Dr.Elisa do you know Hilda right over there?" I asked pointing towards her. Dr. Elisa gulped down the air and answered yes.
"How, would you tell it to all of us?" I asked her while coming around and looking down in her eyes.
"She came to my clinic a year back. She was desperate I would say. She said that she needed my help and was willing to pay as much as I wanted." As she spoke my eyes were set on Hilda. Her eyes were glistening with tears. Were they fake or real? Should I care about them? Poor baby, I just can't care for her not after what she did. "She persisted on the words that she would pay me as much I asked for if I would abort her unborn child. She was two months along by then." Everyone's sharp gasps were music to my ears which I listened with closed eyes. Anyone would think me to be a sadist but I wasn't. I just enjoyed the suffering of those who destroyed me.
"She is lying!" The shrieking voice of Hilda reached my ears.
"This is all, Valencia's doing. She is just trying to destroy and hurt me. She has come here to destroy our happiness. She is making all this up." She screamed while I smiled like a maniac at her.
"Why don't you all look at the precious folder I had given all of you?" my voice sickly sweet. Karl sat there stunned. This would have hit him home, in his heart, in his soul. I felt a bit bad for him. Before this all he was my brother who used to protect me. I don't where did he got lost. His hands shook as they reached for the folder. He loved kids. He wanted to be a father. He had told me a day before he proposed Hilda. I wanted to find the happiness in hurting him but I couldn't. The good memories were trying to overpower the bad ones but I couldn't let that happen. Remembering the harsh reality I had to face I became indifferent to his expressions. If he hadn't married her maybe things wouldn't have gone downhill. Unintentionally he was the one behind making me lose everything.
"They are fake, these reports are fake," Hilda screamed picking her own and tearing it apart like that was going to change the truth. Everyone's faces were a masterpiece of their besides that of Claire. It looks like she knew about it. Alexandro face was a mixture of disgust, anger, and shock. What a shameful his sister had done.
"Go on Dr. Elisa," I smirked with a tilt to my head as I looked at upset and disturbed Hilda.
"I had asked her why did she want an abortion. She had told me that a child didn't sit well with her life that time. She wanted to live free and that child was going to be a hindrance in her plans and life. The way she described it felt like it was a thorn in her life. She also had quoted that it would destroy her body. I had tried to deny it because there wasn't any good reason to do it but then she said she would give me five thousand dollars. The greedy monster inside me was waking. I tried to walk away or maybe just pretended to do for a raise in the amount. She gave me her last offer of twenty thousand dollars and like a greedy woman I took it in exchange for killing a life who hasn't the chance to even open his eyes. We set up a date and time and a week later she was free of that child. She paid me in cash before the procedure. I gave her the necessary instructions that were needed. She was the one who came to pick up," Dr. Elisa pointed towards Claire and a series of gasps followed. "There wasn't a need for her stay so I let her go with her asking her to call me is there is any kind of problem or she needs to ask something. Eventually, she never needed to I guess. The day of her abortion was the last I had seen her," saying her part she turned her face away not willing to see the looks on everyone's face. True to her words Dr. Elisa had said everything. I knew about Claire coming to pick her. My detective's work had been worth what I had paid for. He had found the lightest of the dirt over them.
"No, No. It's a lie. Believe me! It's a lie" Hilda screeched but her words reached no one ears.
"Dr. Elisa I have called for a car for you. It's waiting outside. If you have nothing more to tell I think it would be good for you to leave. I hope you will remember our agreement." She had done her work and it was time for to go. She nodded and stood up. Looking at everyone again she apologized for what she had done and walked out of the room towards the kitchen. Ben stood in the corner of the room few inches away from the kitchen door. I gave him a slight nod in an understanding that she makes her way to the car safely. I really didn't want her to have an encounter with Nana. I hoped she doesn't.
"Is it a lie or not?" The words came out from Alexandro's mouth angrily. He looked in his file but one of his hand was crushing that of Claire's. It looked from her expression that she was in pain, excruciating pain.
"It is a lie Alexandro. It is she is just trying to tear us apart like she wanted to do years back!" I wanted to tell her that her words didn't reach anyone ears.
"She did it or not?' He asked once again with clenched teeth. Claire, on the other hand, was trying to control the painful cry while tears streamed down her face. Poor girl, taking so much pain just for to hide a shameful truth. The grip on her hand was growing stronger maybe she would have a fracture or not.
"Alex, dear leave her hand," My mother butt in but it wasn't of any use. Alexandro was fuming in anger. He stood up abruptly with a force, his chair falling down to the floor. He pulled Claire forcefully with her poor hand still in his strong grip and let it go. His other hand gripped her jaw in a firm grip. Hilda rushed towards Claire to the other side of the table.
"I asked you something!" He lashed out and Claire sobbed. Did I felt bad for her, pity? No, I didn't I just couldn't. "Tell me! I swear to god Claire if you don't tell the truth I will leave you!"
"Yes! Yes, she did it. I was there for her. She was scared, I was scared, we were scared! We did it for the best." She yelled sobbingly. Alexandro's grip on her jaw loosened and in the next moment, he pushed her aside with a force that had her falling to the floor. Hilda just reached on time to prevent her ass from touching the floor.
"How could you do it, Hilda? How could you?" His voice boomed. Everyone stood up from their chair beside Karl who was sitting there staring at the pages of the file. He was lost in his own world.
"You were fucking scared. Goddamnit Hilda! You knew very well that how much Karl and I looked forward to having kids and you did this? This house was begging for the giggling sounds of a baby while you were busy killing it!" He raged out.
"You know what the hell happened with Claire and me and you still did it it. You fucking took away an innocent life just because you thought it would ruin your fucking life. Were you out of your fucking mind?" He faced out but my eyes were set on Karl. He sat as if he was statue, his face void of any emotion. What the hell was going on his mind?
"It was my life and my child you haven't got any say in it, do you understand that baby brother. It wasn't about Claire. It wasn't about you. It was about me and I did what I thought was necessary for me. So don't you try to butt in my life. This is my life, it was my child so I fucking did what I wanted to!" Hilda's voice was drowned in the sound of shattering plates. The shards of plates were strewn all over the floor. Most of the plates were wiped out from the table only left were the remnants of them.
Karl stood up with his head bowed. The monster was rising people. I bet Hilda hasn't seen this side of Karl because I knew that an angry Karl wasn't a really nice person. How I knew? Well because only I knew of it. Not even my parents did.
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HAPPY UPDATE
What did you thought of it let me know and please vote too!!!!
I love you all!!
I hope you are loving VALENCIA as much as I do!
This chapter wasn't meant to hurt anyone, it was just to show that how much selfish and bad Hilda is.
Abortion is at times necessary to save mothers at times but with idiotic reasons as that of Hilda it is a crime, sin and illegal. Hilda made a decision for herself into caring about how others would have left. This wasn't meant to hurt or dent anyone feelings.
What do you think happened with Alexandro by the way?