CHAPTER 1: THE HUSBAND WHO WANTED HER DEAD
The last thing Valeria Robles expected to feel on the day before becoming a mother was betrayal.
For nine months, she had carried a life inside her.
A little boy she had already named.
A little boy whose tiny kicks had become her reason to smile during the darkest moments of her marriage.
She believed she had built a perfect family.
She was wrong.
Because the man holding her hand that morning was not taking her to celebrate the arrival of their son.
He was taking her somewhere no one would ever find her.
The snow-covered roads leading to Nevado de Toluca were almost empty.
The mountain was silent, covered in white, with the kind of cold that made every breath hurt.
The place was breathtaking… almost magical.
But Valeria felt uneasy.
She couldn’t explain why.
Maybe it was because Mauricio Cárdenas, her husband of five years, had been acting differently for months.
The man who once called her every hour now avoided her calls.
The man who used to tell her every secret now locked his phone.
The man who promised they would grow old together suddenly became a stranger living under the same roof.
But every time she questioned him, Mauricio smiled.
That calm, perfect smile.
The smile that fooled everyone.
“Valeria, you worry too much,” he always said.
“You’re pregnant. Your emotions are everywhere.”
And she believed him.
Because she loved him.
Because she had no one else.
Her mother had died sixteen years earlier.
No brothers.
No sisters.
No close family.
Just Mauricio.
The man she thought was her safe place.
That morning, Mauricio acted like the perfect husband again.
He prepared hot chocolate.
He brought her a beautiful scarf.
He even helped her put on her coat.
“After today, our life will change forever,” he whispered.
Valeria smiled.
“Our son will finally be here.”
Mauricio looked at her belly.
But there was no happiness in his eyes.
Only calculation.
Only impatience.
Only something cold and terrifying.
The cabin he rented was isolated.
Too isolated.
Valeria noticed immediately.
“Why did you bring us this far from everyone?” she asked.
Mauricio looked at the mountains.
“Because I wanted our last day alone together.”
She touched his arm.
“Our last day before becoming parents.”
But Mauricio didn’t answer.
Instead, he stared at his phone.
A message appeared.
Ximena: Is everything ready?
Valeria didn’t see the screen.
But Mauricio did.
And he smiled.
Ximena Salgado.
His assistant.
The woman everyone thought was just a professional employee.
The woman who always laughed too loudly at Mauricio’s jokes.
The woman who somehow knew everything about his schedule.
Valeria had noticed her before.
Many times.
But every time she asked about her, Mauricio became angry.
“She’s just an employee.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“You don’t trust me.”
And Valeria apologized.
Again.
And again.
Until she stopped asking questions.
After lunch, Mauricio suggested they walk to a viewpoint.
The snow was falling harder.
The wind was becoming dangerous.
Valeria held her stomach.
“Mauricio… I don’t feel good.”
He kept walking.
“I’m tired.”
Still, he didn’t stop.
“Mauricio, please. We should go back.”
Then he turned around.
And Valeria froze.
Because the face looking at her was not the face of her husband.
It was the face of a stranger.
A stranger who had already made a decision.
“You’ve been asking too many questions.”
Her heart sank.
“What are you talking about?”
“The company debts.”
Valeria stared at him.
“What?”
“You should have trusted me.”
“I’m your wife!”
“No.”
His voice became colder.
“You were my problem.”
The snow hit her face.
She couldn’t understand.
“What are you saying?”
Mauricio stepped closer.
“You know how much your life insurance is worth?”
Valeria stopped breathing.
“What?”
“And your son’s policy?”
Her eyes widened.
“You insured our baby?”
Mauricio smiled.
And in that moment, Valeria finally understood.
The cabin.
The trip.
The isolation.
The insurance.
Everything.
“No…”
She stepped backward.
“Mauricio, please…”
For the first time in five years, she was afraid of her husband.
Not angry.
Not disappointed.
Terrified.
The cliff was behind her.
The storm was getting stronger.
There was no signal.
No people.
No help.
Only the sound of the wind.
“Mauricio…”
She covered her belly.
“Please don’t do this.”
For a second, he looked at her.
And Valeria searched desperately for the man she loved.
The man who held her when she cried.
The man who promised to protect her.
But that man was gone.
Mauricio placed his hands on her shoulders.
“I’m sorry.”
Those were the last words she heard before he pushed.
The world disappeared.
Valeria screamed.
Her body fell through the freezing air.
The snow burned her skin.
Her mind could only think of one thing.
Her baby.
“Please…”
“Please live…”
Then darkness.
She crashed onto a narrow ledge.
Pain exploded through her body.
Her wrist broke instantly.
Blood ran down her forehead.
Her ribs felt like they were crushed.
But somehow…
Somehow…
Her hands moved toward her stomach.
“Baby…”
A weak kick answered.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Her son was alive.
Above the cliff, voices appeared.
Not one person.
Two.
Valeria forced her eyes open.
Through the snow, she saw Mauricio.
And beside him…
Ximena.
Her heart shattered.
The woman who had always smiled at family dinners.
The woman who pretended to respect her marriage.
Ximena looked down.
“Is she dead?”
Mauricio laughed softly.
“Not yet.”
Valeria stopped breathing.
Ximena hugged herself against the cold.
“And if someone finds her?”
Mauricio looked at the storm.
“No one will.”
Then he whispered:
“Tomorrow, I’ll be a $50 million richer man.”
Valeria felt something inside her die.
Not her body.
Her trust.
Her love.
Her entire life.
The two walked away.
Leaving her alone.
Leaving her and her unborn son to freeze.
The snow continued falling.
Minutes became hours.
Her fingers became numb.
Her vision blurred.
She knew she couldn’t sleep.
Because if she closed her eyes…
She might never open them again.
So she kept talking to her baby.
“Stay with me…”
“Your mommy is here.”
“We’re going home.”
But deep inside, she knew she was losing the battle.
Then…
A sound.
A distant sound.
At first, she thought she was imagining it.
A storm.
A hallucination.
But then the sky above her lit up.
A helicopter.
A black helicopter cutting through the blizzard.
A rescue cable descended.
Someone jumped down.
A man.
Older.
Silver hair.
Blue eyes.
A face marked by years of pain.
He rushed toward her.
“Miss! Can you hear me?”
Valeria tried to speak.
But the moment his eyes met hers…
He froze.
The man dropped to his knees.
His hands trembled.
“No…”
“No, it can’t be…”
Valeria looked at him weakly.
“How… do you know me?”
The stranger reached into his coat.
He pulled out an old photograph.
A photograph of a young woman.
Valeria’s mother.
The same photograph her mother had hidden for years.
The man touched Valeria’s face.
And tears filled his eyes.
After sixteen years of searching…
He had finally found her.
“My daughter…”
Valeria stopped breathing.
“What did you call me?”
The old man broke down.
“I’m your father.”
And far away…
Inside the warm cabin…
Mauricio celebrated his victory.
He opened a bottle of champagne.
Ximena smiled.
“To $50 million.”
Mauricio raised his glass.
“To never seeing Valeria again.”
But neither of them knew…
The woman they left to die had just been rescued by the one person who could destroy them both.
The man who knew every secret they had buried.
The man who had spent 16 years searching for his missing daughter.
And tomorrow…
Mauricio Cárdenas would discover that the dead woman he celebrated…
Was alive.
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And she had an entire empire standing behind her.
TO BE CONTINUED…
