CHAPTER 4 — THE ACCIDENT THEY PLANNED FOR MARIANA
Mariana didn't move.
Hidden behind the heavy velvet curtains, she forced herself to breathe through her nose as Rodrigo and Paulina stood less than six feet away.
One wrong step.
One cough.
One heartbeat too loud.
And everything would be over.
Paulina poured herself a glass of whiskey from the crystal decanter on Rodrigo's desk.
"You really think she'll sign without asking questions?"
Rodrigo smiled calmly.
"She trusts paperwork."
"She always has."
"And after spending two years overseas, she'll assume I handled everything."
Paulina took a slow sip.
"And if she doesn't?"
Rodrigo's smile disappeared.
"Then we move to Plan B."
Mariana felt a chill spread through her body.
Plan B?
Paulina lowered her voice.
"The brakes?"
Rodrigo nodded.
"I already spoke to Ignacio."
"He'll make it look like mechanical failure."
"No witnesses."
"No investigation."
"Just another tragic accident on the mountain highway."
Mariana's heart pounded so violently she feared they could hear it.
They weren't talking about divorce anymore.
They were discussing murder.
Paulina looked uneasy.
"What about the insurance investigators?"
Rodrigo laughed.
"They'll never find anything."
"The car burns."
"The evidence disappears."
Teresa gets custody of Bruno through me."
"And Grupo Villarreal belongs to us."
Paulina frowned.
"What about Emiliano?"
Rodrigo shrugged as though discussing an unwanted piece of furniture.
"He stays where he belongs."
"The institution."
"No one adopts children with behavioral problems."
"He'll disappear quietly."
Mariana bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.
Her own husband had already planned every detail of her death.
Every detail except one.
He had no idea she was alive, listening to every word.
The following morning, Mariana acted exactly as Rodrigo expected.
She wore one of her favorite dresses.
Smiled over breakfast.
Even apologized for "being emotional."
Rodrigo kissed her forehead.
"I've missed this version of you."
She smiled sweetly.
"So have I."
Inside, she counted every second.
At precisely 9:15 a.m., Lucía texted.
The police can't move yet.
We need financial evidence and proof of attempted murder.
Be careful.
Mariana slipped the phone back into her purse.
She knew exactly where to find it.
Rodrigo rarely left his laptop behind.
But that morning, he rushed out to an emergency board meeting.
For the first time in months...
The laptop stayed home.
Mariana waited exactly ten minutes before entering his office.
The computer required facial recognition.
She smiled.
Rodrigo had once registered her face as a backup administrator.
He had forgotten to remove it.
The laptop unlocked instantly.
Her hands moved quickly.
Emails.
Wire transfers.
Corporate contracts.
Dozens of hidden folders.
Then she found one labeled:
Project Horizon.
Inside were spreadsheets showing millions of dollars transferred through fake consulting companies.
Lucía had been right.
But another folder caught her attention.
Personal.
She clicked.
Hundreds of photographs appeared.
Family vacations.
Business dinners.
Pictures of Bruno.
Then...
A hidden folder.
Password protected.
The password hint read:
The day freedom begins.
Mariana tried their wedding anniversary.
Incorrect.
Rodrigo's birthday.
Incorrect.
Then she remembered something Paulina had whispered the night before.
"One more week."
She entered the date of the upcoming merger.
The folder opened.
Her blood turned to ice.
Inside was a PDF titled:
Post-Merger Asset Distribution.
The document described exactly how Mariana's estate would be divided after her "unexpected passing."
Rodrigo would inherit her shares.
Teresa would receive the mansion.
Paulina would receive a trust fund worth twelve million dollars.
Even Bruno's future education had already been funded.
Everything had been planned.
Everything...
Except Mariana surviving.
She copied every file onto an encrypted flash drive.
Just as the transfer reached ninety-eight percent—
A voice echoed from behind her.
"What are you doing?"
Mariana spun around.
Teresa stood in the doorway.
For one terrifying second, neither woman spoke.
Then Mariana smiled.
"I was looking for our old family photos."
Teresa narrowed her eyes.
"Rodrigo doesn't like anyone touching his computer."
"I know."
"I'll close it."
Teresa didn't leave.
Instead, she slowly walked toward the desk.
Mariana quietly slid the flash drive into the sleeve of her jacket.
"Move," Teresa ordered.
Mariana stepped aside.
Teresa checked the screen.
The transfer had already finished.
Nothing suspicious remained.
She looked back at Mariana.
"You've changed."
Mariana smiled.
"So have you."
Their eyes locked.
Neither trusted the other.
Both understood that the war had already begun.
That afternoon, Mariana decided to follow Teresa.
Using a rental car registered under Lucía's law firm, she stayed several vehicles behind.
Teresa drove across the city instead of returning home.
She finally stopped outside a private clinic on the outskirts of Mexico City.
Mariana parked across the street.
Teresa entered through a side entrance.
Ten minutes later, a man in a white lab coat greeted her.
Mariana quietly photographed them together.
Then she zoomed in.
The doctor's name badge read:
Dr. Álvaro Serrano.
Lucía answered immediately when Mariana sent the picture.
"I know him."
"Who is he?"
"He lost his medical license three years ago."
"For falsifying psychiatric evaluations."
Mariana stared at the clinic entrance.
"So that's where they forged Emiliano's diagnosis."
Lucía's voice became urgent.
"Leave now."
"If they've used him before, this place may be connected to everything."
But Mariana hesitated.
Through the second-floor window, she saw Teresa hand the doctor a thick envelope.
Cash.
A lot of cash.
Then another man stepped into the room.
Mariana zoomed her camera again.
She gasped.
It was Carlos Méndez.
The same Child Protection official who had accepted nearly half a million dollars.
The doctor.
The government inspector.
Teresa.
All in one room.
This wasn't family cruelty anymore.
It was an organized conspiracy.
Before Mariana could take another photograph—
Someone knocked on her driver's side window.
Hard.
She turned sharply.
A tall man in a black security uniform stared directly at her.
His expression was cold.
"Ma'am..."
He glanced toward the camera lying on the passenger seat.
"Would you mind explaining why you've been photographing this building?"
Mariana's pulse exploded.
Inside the clinic, Teresa turned toward the window.
Their eyes met.
For one horrifying second...
Teresa recognized her.
And instead of looking surprised—
She smiled.
A slow...
Confident...
Terrifying smile.
Then she reached into her purse and picked up her phone.
Mariana's own phone rang instantly.
The caller ID displayed only one word.
May you like
RODRIGO.
END OF CHAPTER 4
