Chapter 10 - The New DawnSix months later, the north wing of the Ríos mansion was gone—completely demolished, replaced by a sunlit, open-air garden filled with white roses and climbing ivy.
The trial of Teresa Salazar had made national headlines across Mexico. The recovered diary, combined with forensic evidence extracted from the exhumed remains of Lucía Ríos, ensured that Teresa would spend the rest of her life behind bars for premeditated murder and psychological child abuse.
Inside the mansion, the air felt lighter. The crystal sconces in the foyer no longer flickered with cold drafts.
On a Saturday morning, sunlight poured through the towering windows, illuminating the cream marble floor.
Mateo Ríos sat at the grand dining table, his dark hair neatly combed, drawing a picture with a box of bright crayons. In the center of the paper, he drew a large house with flowers in the garden, and beside it, two stick figures holding hands—one tall, one small, and a third figure standing close by in a crisp white apron.
Alejandro walked into the room, holding two cups of coffee. He paused, watching his son laugh freely at a joke Valeria had just told him.
The boy looked up, his eyes bright, clear, and completely free of the shadows that had haunted him for half his lifetime.
"Valeria?" Mateo asked brightly, holding up his drawing. "Is this good?"
Valeria smiled, kneeling down beside him just as she had on that fateful night six months ago.
"It's the best drawing I've ever seen, Mateo," she said softly.
May you like
Alejandro set the coffee mugs down, walking over to join them. He didn't stand above them like a distant master anymore. He knelt down right beside his son and his housekeeper on the marble floor, wrapping his arms around both of them.
The silence in the mansion was no longer heavy or terrifying. It was full of peace, healing, and a family finally put back together.
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