CHAPTER 3 — The Person Who Betrayed Lucía From the Beginning
The hospital room became painfully quiet.
Lucía held the phone tightly in her hand.
For several seconds, she didn’t move.
She didn’t blink.
She simply stared at the floor as if her mind was trying to understand words that should have been impossible.
Someone had been stealing from Aurora Capital.
Her private trust.
Her protection.
The foundation she created before she ever met Rodrigo.
A system designed so that nobody—not even a husband, not even a business partner—could touch her shares without authorization.
Yet someone had found a way.
And the first illegal transfer happened…
Three months after her wedding.
Rodrigo watched her face carefully.
For the first time, he wasn’t angry.
He was afraid.
“Lucía…”
She slowly looked at him.
“What?”
“What did your lawyer say exactly?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Why do you want to know?”
Rodrigo hesitated.
A few days ago, he would have demanded answers.
He would have shouted.
He would have blamed her.
But now?
Now he knew he was standing in front of someone far more powerful than him.
“I’m just trying to help.”
Lucía almost smiled.
“Help?”
The word sounded strange coming from him.
“You spent years making me feel useless.”
She pointed toward her cast.
“You left me injured in a hospital because your mother wanted lunch.”
Her voice remained calm.
“And now you want to help?”
Rodrigo lowered his eyes.
For once…
He had nothing to say.
Two hours later, Lucía’s lawyer arrived.
A woman named Valentina Salazar.
She had worked with Lucía for seven years.
She was one of the few people who knew the entire truth.
Valentina entered the room carrying a black folder.
“We found the transactions.”
Lucía looked at her.
“How much?”
Valentina took a breath.
“Approximately 18 million pesos.”
Rodrigo’s eyes widened.
“Eighteen million?”
Nobody answered him.
Because this wasn’t about him.
It was about Lucía.
“Where did the money go?” Lucía asked.
Valentina opened the folder.
“The transfers were made through three different companies.”
She placed the documents on the bed.
“All of them appear to be consulting firms.”
Lucía looked through the papers.
Then she stopped.
Her expression changed.
“What?”
Valentina pointed at a signature.
“This approval came from someone with access to internal financial systems.”
Lucía stared.
“No…”
Rodrigo noticed.
“You know who it is?”
Lucía didn’t answer immediately.
Because the name on the document was someone she never expected.
Someone she trusted.
Someone who had been beside her since the beginning.
Ernesto Duarte.
Her CEO.
Her friend.
The man she trusted to protect her company while she stepped away.
“No,” Lucía whispered.
Valentina looked uncomfortable.
“We cannot accuse him without proof.”
Lucía closed the folder.
“You’re right.”
She looked out the window.
“But we need to know why.”
The next day, Rodrigo arrived at Grupo Altavista.
But this time, he wasn’t walking like a powerful executive.
He walked like a man entering enemy territory.
Everyone watched him.
Whispers followed him.
“He’s finished.”
“Did you hear about the investigation?”
“He lied about his achievements for years.”
Rodrigo ignored them.
He went directly to Ernesto’s office.
The door was open.
Ernesto was sitting behind the desk.
The same desk Rodrigo believed belonged to him.
“Ernesto.”
The CEO looked up.
“Rodrigo.”
There was no respect in his voice anymore.
Only disappointment.
“I need answers.”
Ernesto leaned back.
“About what?”
“About Lucía.”
A small silence.
Then Ernesto smiled.
Not kindly.
Coldly.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“For three years, you never asked about her company.”
Rodrigo’s jaw tightened.
“Just answer me.”
Ernesto stood.
“You want to know the truth?”
“Yes.”
“The truth is that Lucía trusted the wrong people.”
Rodrigo froze.
“What does that mean?”
Ernesto walked toward the window.
“She disappeared from the business world because she believed she had finally found someone who loved her.”
Rodrigo looked away.
The words hurt because they were true.
“She wanted a family.”
“She wanted peace.”
“She wanted a normal life.”
Ernesto turned around.
“But while she was baking bread and taking care of your mother…”
His eyes became cold.
“You were building a reputation with money and opportunities that belonged to her.”
Rodrigo clenched his fists.
“Are you saying I stole from her?”
“No.”
A pause.
“I’m saying you helped someone who did.”
That night, Rodrigo couldn’t sleep.
For the first time in years, he looked through old memories.
Photos.
Messages.
Videos.
And he saw something he had ignored.
Lucía was always there.
When he was sick.
When he lost confidence.
When he failed.
When everyone else abandoned him.
She stayed.
But when she needed him…
He chose his mother.
He chose his pride.
He chose himself.
Then he noticed something.
A message from three years ago.
The day after their wedding.
From an unknown number.
“Congratulations. The husband is officially inside. Now we can finally access everything.”
Rodrigo’s blood ran cold.
He stared at the screen.
His hands began shaking.
Because he recognized the number.
It belonged to someone he knew.
Someone close.
Someone who had celebrated at their wedding.
Someone who had always encouraged him to “take control” of his marriage.
His mother.
Doña Graciela.
The next morning, Lucía received another call.
This time, it was from the hospital security department.
“Mrs. Mendoza, we need to inform you about something unusual.”
“What happened?”
“We reviewed the cameras from the night your husband and his mother visited.”
Lucía frowned.
“And?”
“There was someone else with them.”
Her heart slowed.
“Who?”
The guard hesitated.
“A woman.”
“Do you know her identity?”
A pause.
Then:
“Yes.”
Lucía tightened her grip on the phone.
“Who was she?”
The answer made her entire body freeze.
Because the woman on the camera…
Was someone who had been pretending to be her friend for years.
Someone who knew all her secrets.
Someone who knew exactly how to destroy her.
The guard finally said:
“Mrs. Mendoza…”
“The woman who entered your hospital room with your husband…”
“Was your former business partner.”
Lucía’s eyes widened.
And suddenly everything made sense.
The marriage.
The money.
The betrayal.
The humiliation.
It was never random.
It was planned.
Rodrigo wasn’t the mastermind.
He was only a piece of a much bigger game.
A game designed to steal everything Lucía built.
And now…
Lucía was ready to expose every single person involved.
Because they made one fatal mistake.
May you like
They underestimated the woman they tried to break.
TO BE CONTINUED… ❤️📖
