Chapter 3: The House of Lies Falls
The tiny apartment near La Lagunilla was barely large enough for two people.
Rainwater dripped through the ceiling.
The mattress rested on wooden crates.
A sewing machine occupied one corner beside stacks of unfinished clothing.
Maribel lay beneath a thin blanket.
She had lost so much weight that Leonardo barely recognized her.
When she opened her eyes, she whispered,
"...Leo?"
He dropped to his knees.
"I'm here."
"I'm so sorry."
Tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
"They told me..."
"...you hated us."
Leonardo buried his face in her hands.
"I never stopped looking."
"I sent money every month."
Maribel stared at him in disbelief.
"What money?"
Renata quietly handed her mother a piece of sweet bread that Leonardo had bought on the way.
Maribel broke it in half.
She automatically gave the larger piece to her daughter.
Leonardo watched the simple gesture.
His heart shattered.
Even starving...
She still fed their child first.
An oncologist arrived with the ambulance.
The diagnosis was devastating.
Advanced cervical cancer.
Treatable.
But only if treatment started immediately.
Without hesitation Leonardo signed every authorization.
"Private hospital."
"Best specialists."
"I don't care what it costs."
Meanwhile...
Financial investigators entered Aurora's mansion.
Hidden accounts.
Luxury properties.
Designer jewelry.
Offshore transfers.
Every peso traced back to Leonardo's deposits.
Even worse...
The forged letter.
False custody documents.
Fake rental receipts.
Everything collapsed within hours.
Television crews surrounded the estate.
Aurora was escorted outside in handcuffs.
She looked toward the cameras.
"This is all a misunderstanding!"
One reporter raised a document.
"Then why does every transfer from your son end in your personal investment account?"
Aurora had no answer.
Inside the police vehicle...
May you like
For the first time...
She looked afraid.
