CHAPTER 2 – THE PHONE THAT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE FOUND
Rosa couldn't breathe.
Her fingers trembled so violently that the cracked phone nearly slipped from her hands.
She stared at the photograph again.
And again.
The woman standing beside little Mateo was unmistakably Valeria.
Elegant.
Perfectly dressed.
Smiling.
But it wasn't an ordinary smile.
It was the smile of someone who already knew exactly how the story was supposed to end.
Behind her...
Almost invisible beneath the darkness of the forest...
A man wearing black gloves drove a shovel into the earth.
Fresh dirt surrounded the hole.
It was far too small to be a grave for an adult.
Rosa's stomach twisted.
"No..."
she whispered.
"This can't be real."
She enlarged the image further.
A timestamp appeared in the corner.
9:18 p.m.
The exact night Mateo disappeared.
Her heartbeat became deafening.
Who had taken this picture?
And why had they never sent it?
Then she noticed something else.
The draft message wasn't alone.
At the bottom of the screen was a damaged voice recording.
Only twelve seconds remained.
Rosa pressed play.
Static filled the room.
Then a frightened woman's voice emerged.
Barely audible.
"If you're hearing this..."
heavy breathing interrupted her.
"They found out I know..."
The recording crackled violently.
A man's voice shouted in the distance.
The woman gasped.
"It wasn't an accident..."
More static.
"They're taking Mateo because—"
The recording ended.
Silence.
Rosa felt goosebumps cover her arms.
Someone had deliberately erased the rest.
Before she could think further...
A knock echoed against her bedroom door.
Three slow knocks.
Her blood froze.
"Rosa?"
It was Valeria.
"I saw your light."
"Are you awake?"
Rosa immediately unplugged the phone.
She wrapped it inside an old towel and pushed it beneath the mattress just as another knock came.
More impatient this time.
"One moment," Rosa answered, forcing calm into her voice.
She opened the door.
Valeria stood smiling politely.
But her eyes were already searching the room.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"No."
"I couldn't sleep."
Valeria stepped inside without being invited.
She slowly walked around the tiny room.
Her expensive perfume filled the air.
"You've adjusted quickly."
"We're very grateful."
"I only wanted to thank your family."
Valeria smiled.
"People usually say that."
Then she stopped beside the bed.
"So..."
she asked casually,
"Have you found anything unusual around the property?"
Rosa's pulse nearly stopped.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh..."
Valeria laughed softly.
"This estate is old."
"Workers sometimes discover broken tools."
"Jewelry."
"Even old phones."
She looked directly into Rosa's eyes.
"If you ever find something..."
"Bring it to me."
"I'll make sure you're rewarded."
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
Did she know?
Was she guessing?
Or had someone seen Rosa pick up the phone?
"I haven't found anything."
Valeria studied her for several long seconds.
Then smiled again.
"I believe you."
She turned toward the door.
Halfway out...
She stopped.
Without looking back, she quietly said,
"Some secrets destroy the people who uncover them."
The bedroom door closed.
Rosa remained frozen.
Only after several minutes did she dare breathe again.
Across the hallway...
Unknown to Rosa...
Valeria pulled out her own cellphone.
She made a single phone call.
"He has it."
A man's voice answered.
"Are you certain?"
"No."
"But she's lying."
"What do you want me to do?"
Valeria looked toward Rosa's bedroom.
Coldness replaced every trace of kindness.
"Watch her."
"If she opens that phone again..."
"She doesn't leave this estate alive."
The next morning, breakfast inside the De la Vega mansion felt strangely normal.
Alejandro laughed for the first time in days as Mateo proudly showed him a drawing.
It was a picture of three people.
A woman.
A little girl.
And himself.
"Who's this?" Alejandro asked.
Mateo smiled.
"That's my new forest mommy."
"And that's Sofía."
Alejandro looked toward Rosa with genuine gratitude.
"You gave my son hope when he believed he was alone."
"I'll never forget that."
Valeria quietly stirred her coffee.
Her smile never reached her eyes.
Across the table...
She watched Rosa.
Waiting.
Searching for the smallest sign of fear.
Rosa lowered her gaze, pretending nothing had happened.
But inside...
She had already made a decision.
She couldn't go to the police.
Not yet.
She didn't know who could be trusted.
Instead...
She would discover who owned the mysterious phone.
That afternoon, while cleaning the mansion's west hallway, Rosa noticed dozens of framed family photographs covering the walls.
Birthdays.
Vacations.
Business galas.
Wedding anniversaries.
Then...
One picture made her stop.
A young woman stood beside Alejandro and Mateo.
She wore the same silver necklace visible in the shattered phone's wallpaper.
The same necklace.
The same smile.
The same face.
Only now there was a brass nameplate beneath the frame.
LUCIANA DE LA VEGA
Mateo's mother.
Officially deceased.
Cause of death:
A tragic car accident.
Eighteen months earlier.
Rosa slowly reached into her apron.
She removed the damaged phone.
On the back...
The engraved letter suddenly meant something.
L.
Luciana.
At that exact moment...
A quiet voice behind her whispered,
"She didn't die in an accident."
Rosa spun around.
Standing in the hallway was the mansion's eighty-year-old gardener.
His weathered face had turned pale.
He glanced nervously toward the security cameras.
Then leaned closer.
"I saw what happened that night."
Before Rosa could ask another question...
A deafening gunshot echoed from somewhere deep inside the forbidden forest.
The old gardener's face turned white.
"They know..."
he whispered.
"They know I've spoken."
He grabbed Rosa's wrist with surprising strength.
"Run."
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END OF CHAPTER 2
👉 Part 3 is in the comments... because the old gardener is about to reveal who really tried to kill Mateo—and why Luciana had to disappear forever.
