Chapter 4 - The Dead Woman's DiaryValeria stepped into the dimly lit room, shielding Mateo from the morbid sight of the vanity. She picked up the discarded journal from the Persian rug, her eyes scanning the neat, elegant cursive that matched the handwriting of the woman in the framed photograph downstairs.
“If you are reading this, Alejandro,” the diary entry began, dated just four days before her official death, “it means I failed. Teresa has poisoned my tea again. She thinks I am too weak to notice the paralysis spreading through my limbs. She wants everything—my husband, my home, my life. And if I die, she has promised to destroy our son’s mind so completely that you will institutionalize him.”
Valeria’s breath hitched. She looked up at Alejandro, who was clutching his head, staring at the pages in sheer horror.
"No... no, that's a lie," Alejandro choked out, tears finally spilling over his eyelashes. "The autopsy said natural causes! Heart failure! The doctors at the private clinic in Monterrey signed the papers!"
"Because Teresa didn't just work for your wife, Mr. Ríos," a cold, smooth voice echoed from the doorway behind them.
Valeria whipped around.
Standing in the entrance of the bedroom, blocking their only exit, was a woman dressed in a sharp, expensive black blazer. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun. Her lips curved into a chilling, polite smile.
Teresa Salazar.
She didn't look like a fugitive hiding in the shadows. She looked like she owned the entire estate.
"Good evening, Alejandro," Teresa said smoothly, stepping further into the room. In her right hand, she held a heavy, sleek modern pistol, pointed with terrifying steadiness straight at his chest. "You really should invest in better security. Though, to be fair, your staff has always been remarkably easy to manipulate."
Mateo screamed, burying his face in Valeria's skirt.
Alejandro lunged forward, blind with rage and grief. "You monster! You murdered my wife!"
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Teresa didn't blink. "Take one more step, Alejandro, and I'll make sure your son joins his mother tonight. After all, the police report is already written. A tragic home invasion. A grief-stricken father losing control. It's so easy to script a tragedy when you've been planning it for three years."
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