CHAPTER 4 – THE TRUNK OF THE CAR
The photograph on Camila's phone made her hands tremble.
A picture of the prosecutor's office.
Taken only moments ago.
Someone was outside.
Watching.
Waiting.
Adriana immediately stood up.
"We need to tell the police."
Camila nodded, but her legs suddenly felt weak.
For the first time, she realized something terrifying.
Julián wasn't afraid anymore.
He was desperate.
And desperate people do dangerous things.
A female detective named Lucía Mendoza listened carefully as the two women explained everything.
The forged documents.
The stolen money.
The life insurance policies.
The threats.
When they finished, Detective Mendoza's expression had changed.
"This isn't simple domestic violence anymore," she said quietly.
She picked up the life insurance papers.
"Five million pesos?"
Adriana nodded.
"He did it with every woman."
The detective looked at them.
"And how many women are we talking about?"
Adriana hesitated.
Then she whispered:
"I think… there may have been seven."
The room fell silent.
Seven.
Detective Mendoza immediately called another officer.
"Seal the exits. Nobody leaves this building without my approval."
Meanwhile, three blocks away, Julián sat inside his black SUV.
His fingers tapped nervously on the steering wheel.
Brenda sat beside him.
For the first time in years, she looked scared.
"This is bad," she whispered.
"Stop panicking."
"Adriana is alive! How is that even possible?"
Julián didn't answer.
His jaw tightened.
He looked toward the prosecutor's office.
Then he opened his phone.
On the screen was a photo of Camila.
Smiling.
Happy.
Taken months ago.
He stared at it for a long moment.
Then he locked the screen.
"She ruined everything."
Brenda swallowed.
"What do we do now?"
Silence.
Then he opened the trunk release button.
Click.
The trunk popped open.
Brenda turned pale.
"No…"
Inside the trunk was a large plastic container.
A shovel.
Two bottles of gasoline.
And a roll of duct tape.
Brenda's breathing became uneven.
"Julián…"
He didn't look at her.
"We can't let them destroy us."
She stared at him in horror.
For years, she had helped him manipulate women.
She had taken money.
She had lied.
She had enjoyed the expensive vacations.
But this…
This was different.
"You're not thinking clearly."
He finally turned toward her.
"No. For the first time, I am."
"You can't do this."
He grabbed her wrist.
His eyes were cold.
Terrifyingly cold.
"After everything we've done… you're going to betray me?"
Brenda couldn't answer.
Because for the first time in her life…
she was afraid of her own brother.
Back inside the prosecutor's office, Detective Mendoza received a call.
Her expression changed immediately.
"What?"
She stood up.
"When?"
A long pause.
"Send me the footage right now."
She hung up.
"What happened?" Camila asked.
The detective looked directly at her.
"The security cameras from the parking lot picked up your husband's vehicle."
Adriana's face lost all color.
"And?"
The detective swallowed.
"He opened the trunk."
Silence.
Then she slowly turned the computer screen toward them.
Camila looked.
And stopped breathing.
There was the shovel.
The gasoline.
The duct tape.
For a second, nobody spoke.
Then Adriana began crying.
She already knew what it meant.
Detective Mendoza looked at Camila.
"I don't think your husband came here to talk."
The room suddenly felt freezing.
The detective immediately ordered:
"Get these women into a secure room."
Two officers escorted Camila and Adriana down a hallway.
As they walked, Camila's phone vibrated again.
Another message.
Unknown number.
She opened it.
Her heart nearly stopped.
It was an old photograph.
A little girl.
Around six years old.
Smiling.
Under the picture was one sentence:
You forgot about her.
Camila frowned.
"What is this?"
Adriana suddenly froze.
The color drained from her face.
"No…"
"What?"
Adriana looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"That's my daughter."
Silence.
Camila blinked.
"You have a daughter?"
Tears immediately filled Adriana's eyes.
"I… I thought she was dead."
The room went silent.
"What?"
Adriana could barely breathe.
"When I woke up in the hospital after the fall… they told me she died in the accident."
The photograph trembled in her hands.
"But that's impossible…"
Then another message arrived.
This time, only three words.
She is alive.
Adriana collapsed into a chair.
"No… no…"
Camila stared at her.
"Who sent this?"
The answer came seconds later.
Another message.
A video.
Camila pressed play.
The image was shaky.
Someone was recording from inside a car.
Then a little girl appeared.
Now about twelve years old.
Alive.
Very much alive.
Then a male voice spoke behind the camera.
Julián.
"If you don't leave the evidence and come outside… you'll never see her again."
The video ended.
Adriana screamed.
The sound echoed through the hallway.
Detective Mendoza ran toward them.
"What happened?"
Camila handed her the phone.
The detective watched the video.
Her expression became grim.
"This changes everything."
Adriana was shaking uncontrollably.
"He lied to me…"
Tears streamed down her face.
"He made me believe my daughter was dead."
Detective Mendoza looked at the video again.
Then she said quietly:
"I don't think your husband only steals money."
Silence.
"I think he's been kidnapping children."
The words hung in the air like thunder.
Then another officer ran into the hallway.
"Detective!"
"What?"
"We identified the address from the video."
Everyone looked at him.
"It's an abandoned house outside the city."
He took a deep breath.
"And according to our records…"
He paused.
The next words sent chills through everyone.
"Several missing-person reports are connected to that property."
Camila slowly looked up.
Because suddenly…
this wasn't just about her marriage anymore.
They had uncovered something much darker.
Something much worse.
And somewhere inside that abandoned house…
a child believed to be dead was waiting.
May you like
TO BE CONTINUED…
CHAPTER 5:
THE POLICE RAID THE ABANDONED HOUSE… BUT WHAT THEY FIND IN THE BASEMENT REVEALS THAT CAMILA WAS NEVER JULIÁN'S FIRST VICTIM—AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN HIS LAST.
