Chapter 23 Chapter 23 The Belated Truth

Just as the wedding was about to begin, Valerie's mother walked up to Andrew, lightly brushed his shoulders, and then leaned into his ear, as if she wanted to whisper a few words to him.Andrew pushed her away skillfully. "You thought I'd never marry your daughter, did you? I know what you mean, the thought of having you as a mother-in-law probably scares a lot of people off, but now we're finally at church... ..." Andrew said sarcastically. "What's the matter with you, I never thought so!" said Mrs. Lancer angrily. "And you're a liar!" Andrew sneered, then turned and walked into the church.

Valerie looks more beautiful today than ever.She was wearing an elegant and low-key white dress, and her hair was coiled up under a small white hat.The pastor's speech was quite wonderful, and Andrew felt that he was even more moved than when he first got married. After the wedding ceremony, the couple walked along the park path outside St. Luke's Church with their relatives and friends.Andrew was suddenly surprised to see his superior also appear in the crowd. "We shouldn't let her ruin our wedding night, she's about to comment on your story," Valerie whispered in her husband's ear.

Andrew smiled and kissed his wife. Olivia Stein came up to them. "What a beautiful wedding, you both look great. Your dress really suits you and as for Andrew, I've never seen him in a dress. You really should wear something like that more often Clothing. By the way, can I borrow it from your husband? I'll return it to you later." Olivia said to Valerie. Valerie waved to her and walked away to find her parents. "Your report was great Andrew. I didn't want to spoil your wedding night and you don't blame me, it's all about work. I'll send you my revisions tonight, sorry you start tomorrow I still have to use the honeymoon time to revise it. I hope your manuscript can add a few pages and it will be published next Tuesday. I will fight for you on the front page and the inner pages of the third page. Your moment of glory is coming, my Old friend!" Olivia said and patted his shoulder.

"Don't you want to postpone the publication for another week?" Andrew asked in surprise. "Why put off a manuscript that would make our competitors mad with envy? The work you've done is amazing, see you Monday, have a great evening." After Olivia Stern finished speaking, she kissed Andrew on the cheek, and then waved to Valerie who was walking from a distance. "She looks very satisfied, it's the first time I've seen her smile during the day. You can finally take a breath." Valerie's face was filled with happiness, and Andrew's mood also improved accordingly.His throat tightened until he saw a four-compartment car stopped in front of the traffic lights.

"What's the matter with you?" Simon asked, approaching him. "You saw a ghost?" The traffic lights turned green, and the car windows were wide open. "I jumped forward two weeks in one fell swoop, Simon." "what have you done?" "They just disappeared... I went to Zanetti and he had the exact same thing happen to me. He knew all my stories, but now I don't know what happened. I had a nightmare, When I woke up, it was fifteen days later. I jumped in the timeline again, and now I have no clue." "Even if you know what you're talking about, I don't understand it at all. What you're saying doesn't make any sense. What are you talking about, Andrew?" Simon looked at his friend with sincere concern.

"I'm talking about waiting for my end, the end of the two of us, Pileg and Mrs. Capetta, I only have eight days left, and I'm really scared." "Who is this Pileg and Mrs. Capetta?" Simon's expression became more and more surprised. Andrew looked at Simon for a long time, then sighed. "My God! This time jump has cost me both you and Pileg. You don't even remember what I just said?" Simon shook his head, and he held Andrew's shoulder. "I know that getting married will have certain side effects, but now I have to say that your reaction is too strong!"

Valerie came to join them, and she put her arms around her husband's waist and said to Simon, "You wouldn't hate me, my Simon, if I had him for myself on our wedding day?" "You can keep him all week, even until the end of the summer if you want, but hopefully he'll be in a better state of mind when you return him to me because he's just started talking nonsense gone." Valerie leads Andrew away from the crowd. "I wish I had passed today so I could go straight home with you." Andrew sighed. "I can't answer your words, Andrew."

They spent Sunday at Valerie's apartment.It was pouring rain outside, a summer rain that washes over the city. After lunch, Andrew began revising his manuscript.Valerie used the time to help him organize his papers.Towards evening they went to the corner grocery store to do some shopping and walked home side by side under an umbrella. "East Village is also very good here." Andrew said, looking around. "Are you going to live in another block?" "I didn't say that, but if you want a nice three-bedroom, I have no objection." Back home, Andrew continued to work while Valerie continued to read her book.

"This kind of honeymoon trip is not bad," he raised his head and said, "You seem to be more involved than me..." "It's a matter of perspective...but you are the man in my life." When the sun went down, Andrew finally wrote the last full stop in his report.It was past 9 p.m., and Valerie reread it before hitting the "send" button on her computer. Valerie took both of his hands as Andrew put away his drafts. "Go and rest on the sofa, let me sort out these drafts." It was a proposal that played into Andrew's arms, his back hurting so badly, and the idea of ​​being able to lie on the couch for a while was obviously a good idea.

"Who is Marisa?" Valerie suddenly asked after a while. "My informant in Buenos Aires, why are you asking?" "Because I just found a little envelope with a little note for you in it." Andrew's breathing stopped, and Valerie handed him the note. Andrew jumped up from the sofa and snatched the envelope from Valerie.There is a small black and white photo inside, two smiling faces, frozen in the pale time. "Who are they?" Valerie asked. "Yes, that's them, Isabel and Raphael." Andrew replied excitedly. "It's strange," Valerie said. "I don't know if it's because I read your report or know their story, but I think this woman looks familiar."

Andrew leaned closer to the photo and looked at it carefully. "My reporting has nothing to do with it," he replied in amazement. "I know the face, too, more than you might think." "What are you trying to say?" Valerie asked. "I want to say that I have imagined all possibilities, but just ruled out this situation, I am the biggest fool." Before stepping through the double doors of 860 Eighth Avenue, he glanced up at the inscription adorning the arch of The New York Times.He hurried across the lobby and took the elevator straight to his boss's office. Andrew sat down directly on the armchair opposite Olivia before she could speak. Olivia looked at him, stunned. "Have you read my report yet?" "I'm also looking for you. I just sent your manuscript for proofing. Unless something important happens during the day today, it will be published in the newspaper tomorrow." Andrew brought his chair closer to the desk. "Did you know that there is a small village near where Ortiz lives that has the same name as yours? It's interesting, isn't it, that a small village in the middle of nowhere is also called Olivia?" "It seems so." "No, you don't seem to like the topic. Perhaps it would be more interesting if it were called 'Maria Lutz'...a small village with your name exactly." Andrew took out a small envelope from his pocket, took out the black and white photo from inside, and put it on Olivia's desk.She looked at the picture for a moment, then put it down without a word. "Do you know this couple?" Andrew asked. "I know who they are, but I don't know them." Olivia said with a sigh. "The woman in the photograph resembled you so much that I mistook her for you at one point. You've always known everything since Luisa told you who you really are, haven't you, Maria? Lutz?" Maria Luz stood up and walked to the window of the office. “It happened in a cafe that university students like to hang out after class. Luisa has been there many times to check in, but she has never spoken to me. She just sat in a corner of the hall and watched me quietly. Then one day she came up to me out of the blue and asked if she could sit at a table with me because she had something very important to tell me, and that might be a hard truth to accept, but it was something I had to know. When she finished telling the story of my biological parents, Raphael and Isabel, my whole life was turned upside down. I didn't want to believe what she said. Imagine that for the past twenty years, my existence was just a The huge lie, the fact that I didn't know who I was, that the father I loved was actually a part of the murder of my own parents, it was all so shocking to me. Accepting the truth was a huge test for me. But I didn't Complaining about fate, I took advantage of this opportunity that others did not have or should say that I did not have time: I wanted to reshape my life. On the same day I left the family I have lived in since childhood. My man said. I moved in with my boyfriend at the time and applied for a scholarship to Yale. After I got the scholarship, I started studying like hell and life offered me a way to completely escape that disgusting Possibilities in the past, I will use my life to honor my parents and use my actions to defeat those who want to erase their existence forever. Later, thanks to the support of university professors, I obtained American citizenship. After the end of my studies , I joined the New York Times, and after finishing my internship, I began to advance step by step.” Andrew picked up the photo of Isabel and Raphael again. "So it was my trip to Asia that inspired you? You figured that since I already had experience investigating these kinds of things, I might be able to do the same in Argentina?" "yes." "Did Louisa or Albert send you these documents together?" "It's the two of them. I've never lost touch with them. To me Luisa is my godmother, and every time I think about her, I get strength." "So you sent me to investigate Ortiz, it's like people commanding hounds to track prey." "I do hate him, but I can't expose him myself. He raised me and he loves me very much. It's more complicated than you can imagine. So I need you very much." "Did you know that if our story was published, he would likely be arrested, sentenced, and spend the rest of his life in prison?" "The reason why I choose my current career is because I love the truth. This is the only way to support me to live. It has been a long time since I broke up with him." "It hurts the way you told me the truth. You were in charge from the beginning, Marisa, Luisa, Albert, and the so-called guy who just met a client in Ortiz Recognized him on the way, all this was arranged by you. You already knew everything, but you still want me to uncover it all. Because there must be a reporter, a reporter who has nothing to do with the matter, Gather the pieces of the puzzle you left behind. You used me, you used the newspaper, just to complete your personal investigation..." "Stop acting, Steelman, because of me you got one of the most beautiful reports of your life. When it was published, your investigative activities in Asia were just a distant memory. This report is what built your reputation cornerstone of the world, which you know as well as I do. But if you prefer a little more transparency..." "No, I can assure you, I have no plans to do so. By the way, what about your sister? Ortiz told me that her second daughter had no knowledge of this matter. You plan to tell her directly, Or wait for her to read the newspaper and find out about her father's past? You should consider this, it has nothing to do with me, of course I know what I'm talking about, although I don't have any good advice to give you. " "My sister already knew the truth. I told her everything before I left Argentina. I even suggested that she come to America to find me, but she didn't want to. For her, things were different because she It's his own daughter. I can't blame her for that, she rejected me for my decision, but I can't resent her for it." Andrew watched Olivia carefully. "Who does your sister look like?" "Like her mother. Ana has a breathtaking beauty. I have a picture of her when she was twenty," Maria Luz said. She turned to get the picture frame on the cabinet and handed it to Andrew. "It's from Louisa, I don't know how she got the picture." When seeing the picture of the young woman, Andrew's face suddenly turned pale.He stood up abruptly and hurried out of the office. "Maria Luz, please promise me that no matter what happens, you will publish my story." "Why would you say that?" Andrew didn't answer.Olivia saw him run down the hallway, toward the elevator. Andrew walked out of the newspaper office.His thoughts were in turmoil. Suddenly a loud noise caught his attention, and ahead appeared a pair of runners running in his direction from Eighth Avenue.He suddenly realized that something was wrong. "It's too early, today is not that day, far from it," he murmured as the first runners shoved past him. Realizing that danger might be approaching, Andrew wished he could take a sidewalk and hide inside a building, but there were too many runners oncoming him to get close to the gate. Suddenly, Andrew recognized a face in the crowd, it was a strange woman in Novi Sando, a skinner was slipping from her long sleeve, and the blade was shining in the palm of her hand. "It's too late," Andrew told her. "It's no use. Whatever happens to me, it's going to be in the papers." "My poor Andrew, it's you who should say it's too late," answered Anna. "No," Andrew yelled as she watched her slowly approach, "don't do that!" "But I've done it, Andrew, look around you, everything is really just a product of your imagination. You're dying, Andrew. What are you thinking? You think you can be reborn? Think life will really take you to death? Sending you back in time and giving you a second chance? My poor Andrew, you don't understand. All your discomfort, your nightmares, the pain in your back, the cold that follows you, and every time your heart stops Electroshock therapy to make it jump again when it beats... You are dying in this ambulance since I stabbed you, your blood is bleeding. You are struggling, remembering, reorganizing the past, not missing the most Tiny details because you're trying to figure out the whole thing. Finally you remember that photo you've seen so many times in Maria Luz's office. I want to congratulate you, I didn't think you'd end up Can still remember. Oh, yes, I have nothing against you personally, but you have unwittingly become a tool in the hands of my so-called sister. She is a coward and an ungrateful person. My father gave She's everything, he loves her as much as I do, but she betrayed us in the end. Did this self-righteous woman really think we were going to let her destroy our lives? How many times since you left Buenos Aires I've been stalking you for weeks. I set a trap for you like you set a trap for my father. I've repeated the act of shutting you up forever. I've been waiting for an opportunity to deliver the killing blow .The blow I gave you was perfect, no one saw me, no one knew what happened. The hospital is not far away, but I have to admit that you lived a little longer than I thought. But now that you have Now that you understand the whole story, I think you can give up the unnecessary struggle and go on the road with peace of mind, Andrew, you have no reason to continue to struggle." "No, I have another one." Andrew murmured, and the last bit of strength left his body. "Don't tell me you thought about your wife...after what you did to her. Andrew, you left her on your wedding night, don't you remember? You were madly in love with me then. Believe me, you can give up, your death is waiting to enjoy you, just like I am waiting to enjoy your death. Farewell, Andrew, your eyes are closed, I leave you alone Spend the last moment of your life."