But his gaze was no longer kind.
Instead, a cold, mysterious, dangerous, triumphant smile.
Time seemed to stand still.
I stared at the man I had trusted, the man I had followed in my moment of despair.
The smile on his lips seemed crooked, icy, completely foreign to the image of the kind doctor who had offered me a handkerchief and hope.
The peaceful atmosphere of the retreat suddenly became oppressive, heavy with danger.
Charles reacted first. He stood in front of me, his voice tense.
“Dr. Ramirez,” he asked, “what does this mean?”
Dr. Ramirez didn't answer Charles. His eyes locked onto mine, and I realized with a start that the compassion I had seen before wasn't compassion at all.
It was the patience of a hunter.
“My dear,” he said softly, “you’re smarter than I thought. I expected you to go to the clinic Isabella recommended. I didn’t expect you to end up in mine. Fate has a great sense of humor.”
“You…” My voice trembled. “You set this trap. You brought me here on purpose.”
He laughed, a dry sound that echoed in the courtyard.
“Very cunning,” he said. “But it’s too late. Alex isn’t here. He’s never been here. This place is just a trap I set to lure you in.”
“Why?” Charles roared. “You were friends with Alex’s father! Why are you doing this? Why did you team up with Isabella to hurt him?”
“Friend?” Dr. Ramirez sneered. “Alex’s father and I were never friends.”
Then he narrowed his eyes, and hatred erupted like poison.
“I hate him,” he hissed. “I’ve hated him for 30 years. And I’ve waited for this opportunity.”
He began to recount a story from the past: a tale of wounding betrayal.
He and Alex’s father had been best friends in their youth, starting a business from scratch. When the company began to thrive, Alex’s father betrayed him: he stole his shares and left him penniless.
Worse still, he used deception to steal the woman Dr. Ramirez loved most.
The woman who would become Alex’s mother.
“That man took everything from me,” Dr. Ramirez spat, his eyes bloodshot. “It took me years to rebuild my life. I swore I would make his entire family pay. I would make them feel what it’s like to lose everything.”
His plan for revenge had been meticulously crafted. He approached Isabella, exploited her greed and insecurity, and turned her into a pawn.
“She thinks she’s clever,” he said sarcastically, “but she’s a stupid puppet. And Alex… he’s just like his father. Naive. He walked right into the cage I built for him.”
“Where’s Alex?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Dr. Ramirez’s smile widened, becoming almost sadistic.
“He’s in a very secure place,” he said. “A place he can never return from.”
Then his gaze fell on my stomach.
