Chapter 48 Unraveling Deceptions
In River North City, the morning light ushered in revelations. Finley, efficient as ever, had unearthed the truth for Gabriel: the hotel footage had been wiped clean by the Lewis family, a calculated move to conceal the events of that fateful night.
"Any chance of recovery?" Gabriel asked, his voice betraying no emotion, only a hint of resigned relief.
Finley shook his head. "It's gone for good."
Gabriel's mind turned to Teresa. "Where was she? What happened?" he demanded, the urgency clear.
Finley laid out the facts: Teresa had vanished into the elevator, only to reappear hours later, disheveled and distraught. No footage captured her during those missing hours, except the thirteenth floor, now conspicuously absent.
Gabriel's heart raced. "She was there," he concluded, a thrill of anticipation coursing through him. It had to be Teresa.
"I need to get to Jena," he announced suddenly, a childlike impatience in his voice.
Finley nodded, but Gabriel paused him, "Wait. First, dig deeper into Teresa's life in Jena."
As Finley left, Gabriel's phone buzzed. It was Unity. Normally, he would ignore her, but today was different. "I'm coming over," he said coldly.
Unity, still in bed for her C-section, adorned herself for Gabriel's arrival. But instead, Preston appeared, praising the handsome child and speaking of fortunes and business ventures.
Unity preened, boasting of her windfall from the Garcias, but faltered when Preston pressed about business. Then, Gabriel's voice cut through from the doorway, his presence changing the air.
Preston tried to broker a deal, but Gabriel was all focused on Unity. As Finley presented a document and video, the room tensed.
Preston read the paternity report, he almost fainted. Unity, sensing her world collapsing, destroyed the tablet in a fit of denial.
Katherine arrived, and the truth spilled out. The baby wasn't a Garcia. Unity's deception crumbled under Katherine's fury.
"I won't leave," Unity declared, but Gabriel's cold laugh sealed her fate. "Cooperate, or your family suffers."
As he consoled his mother, promising future grandchildren, Gabriel's eyes had a different truth. He left room for reconciliation, not for Unity, but for Teresa's sake.
Katherine's parting threat left Unity and Preston in the wreckage of their own making. As Preston walked away, Unity was left alone, her future uncertain, her child abandoned by the Garcias.
The chapter closed on Unity, she failed, staring into the crib, her mind was racing with dark thoughts.
