— I can see your heart is still grieving, even though you’re trying to move on. But listen to me — what happened to you wasn’t tragedy. It was a cruel lie, and you believed it. You’ve got a good home, a husband who treats you well, work you enjoy. But your heart isn’t settled. And if you don’t open your eyes and get to the truth now, it’ll only get worse. The not knowing will eat you alive.
Natalie stared at her, unable to speak. She was already regretting stopping. Here it comes, she thought. Now she’ll scare me and then ask for money to remove some curse. But for some reason she still didn’t walk away. The young woman turned Natalie’s palm toward the streetlight and went on.
— There’s a clue waiting for you at home. Find it, and everything will fall into place. Tomorrow, as soon as your husband leaves for his business trip, start cleaning the house. Every corner. Every inch. But pay attention while you do it. That’s more than enough help for someone as skeptical as you.
Just as quickly as before, the woman turned and headed back toward the others, who were calling to her impatiently. Halfway there she looked back, smiled as if Natalie were an old friend, and called out:
— And name your daughter Camila. That’s my name. I’m giving it to her for luck.
Natalie walked home trying to make sense of the words. How could the woman know Edward was leaving on a trip tomorrow? Lucky guess? And what daughter was she talking about? Was Natalie pregnant and didn’t know it yet? Or maybe…
Her heart stopped for a beat. She thought of her loss. The memory had never left her, but now that terrible day came back with unusual clarity, and she began to see odd things in the behavior of both her husband and mother-in-law. She decided not to say anything to Edward yet. She would figure it out first.
Hearing the front door open, Edward hurried to the hall to greet her. He was smiling, ready to tell her dinner was almost done, but the look on Natalie’s face stopped him.
— Something wrong? — he asked.
It took all her effort to steady herself and smile back.
— I’m fine. Just tired. I may take tomorrow off and stay home, — she said.
Edward nodded supportively.
— Good idea. Everybody gets run down by the end of winter. Listen, when I get back from this trip, let’s get out of town for a couple of days. Nice hotel, spa, pool — the works. While I’m gone, look up some places.
That night Natalie couldn’t sleep. She replayed how suddenly Dr. Miller had announced the need for surgery, how firmly Eleanor and Edward had backed her up, how afterward they avoided talking about the baby, saying she shouldn’t get upset, how eventually the whole subject became off-limits in the family, as if none of it had ever happened. Her question — Could they be hiding something? — had, by morning, turned into certainty. They had not told her the whole truth. And now she meant to find out exactly what had happened.
In the morning she could hardly wait for Edward to leave. As usual, he hugged her, kissed her, and said goodbye.
— Don’t get bored while I’m gone. If you want, Mom can come keep you company.
— I’ll manage. I told you, I’m dedicating today to doing absolutely nothing. We’ll see what happens after that.
The moment the door closed behind him, Natalie got to work. She searched methodically — every shelf, every drawer, every file folder, every pocket in his suits and coats. She checked boxes where he kept watches and cuff links. Nothing. In the kitchen she even looked through the pantry containers. Still nothing.
By late afternoon she was exhausted. She sat down on the couch and laughed bitterly.
— Nice job, Natalie. You let some stranger spook you. At least the house is spotless.
She reached for her laptop to start looking at hotels, but the cord snagged the edge of the rug. She stood to free it — and froze when she saw the corner of a thick envelope underneath. Instantly she remembered her first day at the new job and Edward’s face as he hurried to straighten that same rug. Was this what he was hiding?
Natalie pulled out several gray hospital forms covered in writing. Date. Sex. Head circumference. Weight. Apgar score: 6. She read the lines quickly, then again, slower this time, trying to make sense of them. At last the meaning landed.
— My daughter was born alive. What did they do with her? — Natalie whispered in horror.
Fragments of memory flashed through her mind, but they still didn’t fit together cleanly. Her first impulse was to call Edward immediately. She even picked up her phone, but something stopped her. Go to the hospital? No. If a crime had been committed, she needed to be prepared. In the end she decided to wait for Edward to come home.
— Natalie, I’m home! Brought you gifts! — Edward called cheerfully, surprised when she didn’t come to meet him.
He took off his shoes and walked into the lit living room. His eyes landed on the envelope lying on the coffee table. Cold sweat broke across his forehead. How could I forget? he thought. How could I leave it under the rug? Mom told me to hide it somewhere no one would ever find it. Why didn’t she just destroy it?
