Richard was just about to leave his office when someone called him. It seems that the man is Richard's confidant who was asked to find out about the woman on the CCTV footage who appeared in the park a few days ago and followed Richard's wife and their baby.
"Hello." Richard opened the conversation.
"Sir." Someone answered.
"You've got something about that woman?" Richard asked.
"Yes sir, I have sent all the data via your e-mail." That's the line heard from someone on the other side of the phone. Richard seemed to understand and after turning off his phone, he quickly restarted his laptop and opened the email to check the report sent by his trusted man.
"Thank you. If you found some other, just contact me first." Richard said.
"Of course, sir." The man hanged off the phone, and Richard started to read the email.
Layla Stone, born in Boston January 25, 1956. That's the first sentence Rich reads. Still haven't found anything until in some of the other attachments. There are several documentation of formal education that Layla has taken, the work she has done, until her medical history. Layla gave birth to her baby at the age of twenty-three while she was unmarried, and left the baby in an orphanage.
Richard studied the files that were attached to the email one by one. His attention was focused on an attachment and in the form of documentation of the birth of a baby girl with the same birth date as Christabell, his wife. Richard's jaw tightened as he read the name of the orphanage and contact person listed on the attached document.
A moment later Rich contacted the number listed on the data. Three calls he missed, but Richard still didn't give up. He made a fourth call and a woman's hoarse voice was heard on the other side. It seems that the woman is not young anymore.
"Good evening, Madame." Greet Richard kindly.
The woman answered. "Good evening."
Richard looked awkward but he didn't stop himself. "Is it true that I spoke to the owner of the orphanage?"
"Yes, I'm." The woman answered, she sounded friendly.
Somehow Richard felt that this matter was very personal and unethical if they were only talking by telephone. Richard felt that he had to meet the owner of the orphanage in person to find out what really happened at that time and what was the true story of the orphanage owner's version of Layla and her baby. It is very important for Richard to know whether the baby who was abandoned by the woman named Layla is Christabell, his wife.
"I'm going to make a donation to the orphanage, but I'm sorry to have to call you this late." He said.
Richard changed his mind about asking them all at once. He changed his plan, he thought to make a donation, apart from being a humanitarian act, he would also have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the owner of the orphanage. Moreover, if this orphanage is really an orphanage where his wife grows up.
The voice of the woman on the other side was more cheerful. "Thank you very much for your kindness."
"Tomorrow morning I'll visit the orphanage, but before that, I'll transfer my donation tonight."
"May God bless you and your family sir. Thank you so much for caring for people like us." Said the owner of the foundation.
"Okay thank you very much." He didn't say Layla's name and choose to wait for tomorrow morning when he met the owner of the orphanage in person.
Somehow the owner of the orphanage suddenly asked Richard something else, "Anything else you would like to say sir?" The woman asked, as if she could read Richard's mind.
"There is one thing on my mind right now, but I think I can ask you tomorrow. " Richard tried to open the conversation on the main reason why he contacted the orphanage this late.
The owner of the orphanage was silent for a moment but returned to speak, "It doesn't matter if you say it now. I will definitely answer according to my capacity as an orphanage owner. Some donors do have personal reasons when they donate at our orphanage, and I can understand it. In this place, so many stories are stored from each child we care for. " Said the owner of the orphanage. Getting such an explanation, Richard became a guide until finally, he decided to ask about Layla right away.
"Yes." Richard sounded agreeing. "I want to know about the baby who Layla Stone left behind years ago." Rich's sentence stopped, he waited for the reaction of the owner of the orphanage when he heard the name Layla Stone.
"Do you know Layla?" Asked the woman on the opposite side, she sounded a little conservative nowadays.
"Em, she came to my house a while ago. And I'm looking for where she could have the idea to come to my house, and what is her reason." Richard answered honestly.
The woman on the other hand cleared her throat. "You are Mr. Anthony?" Asked the woman.
"Do you recognize me, Madame?" Richard being surprised, who did the orphanage owner know about him.
Several times Rich and Christabell did donate in large numbers to the orphanage on behalf of Christabell. All donations are left through his wife, so Rich is never directly related to the people in the orphanage. However, the orphanage mother clearly knew a lot about Christabell's husband, because, In every visit, Christabell was always eager to tell about her husband.
"Christabell used to talk about you. You're so kind and you had a great heart, sir." Replied the woman. "I mean Mrs. Anthony." She said correcting.
"If you are that close to Christabell, please tell me honestly. Is the baby that Layla Stone left decades ago is my wife?"
The woman on the other side of the phone was silent for a while, she even held her lips, her hands were trembling holding back the immense shock she never expected.
"Please answer my question, madame. " Richard spoke again, sounding more pleading.
The mother of the orphanage swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry so it was difficult for her to speak. "Yes, sir. " She answered.
Richard looked shocked, He sigh. "Thank you very much for letting me know the truth."
"You're welcome, Sir."
"Good night."
"Good night, Sir." She ends Richard's call.
The mother of the orphanage fell down on the chair in shock. She didn't expect her to come to see Christabell.
A woman did come to the orphanage, but she didn't even recognize that woman as Christabell's mother. She just came and looked at the orphanage while making donations. They talked a lot, and without her knowing it, the mother of the orphanage did mention that some of the donors of the orphanage, especially when the middle-aged woman pointed to a photo of Christabell that was displayed on one of the walls of the orphanage's office.
She remembers very well, had told a lot about Christabell Anthony who was found in the orphanage with the exact same date and time when Layla left her, and now she lives well and doesn't forget the orphanage where she grew up. The mother of the orphanage did not think that the woman was Layla Stone, the woman who gave birth and left CHristabell in the orphanage.
"Her heart will definitely break. And it's my fault." Muttered the orphanage in her heart.
Meanwhile, it's the same as the mother of the orphanage. Richard was also shocked by this fact. At this time he was confused about how to explain to his wife about that woman. The middle-aged woman who had followed his wife and their baby turned out to be Christabell's birth mother who gave birth to her and left her in an orphanage.
Richard thought that Christabell had been comfortable with her current state. She is very accepting of her condition and is currently living in happiness. If the woman from her past came, it was sure to cause confusion for Christabell. Richard could not bear to see that his wife was mentally shaken by having to digest all these facts.
Richard sighed heavily, "I can't break your heart, honey." She said while looking at the framed photo of Christabell and her daughter on Richard's desk.